6 Strategies to Help You Get Back Into Reading
Perhaps you're wondering what happened in my brain for me to, practically overnight, go from reading no books to reading multiple books at the same time. I wrote about that awhile back.
Perhaps you're wishing you could also get back into reading and actually finishing a book. Over the past year, I've unintentionally discovered some strategies that have been helpful in cultivating a reading habit. Maybe some of these strategies will resonate with you.
1. Make it enjoyable
By enjoyable, I mean fun and light. In an effort to get back into reading, make those first few books that you read be books that have a story line that you know will be easy to follow and enjoy, right then and there.
For me, my initial fun and light reading was The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. For you, it might be some other form of fiction. Or perhaps something you've already read that you know you'll love reading a second time. Whatever it is, keep it easy. Don't try to make up for lost time by tackling a 400-page biography or something that was meant for academic research. (There is a time and place for those books, but it isn't now.) Right now, you want to keep your first book (or books) easy and fun so you can remind your brain and your heart that reading doesn't always have to be a drudgery! In fact, the discipline of reading can be quite the opposite: it can be quite pleasurable!
2. Keep it manageable
It is much easier to embark on a daunting project if you know it will only take a few days or a week to finish, compared to the better part of a year. As you work to cultivate a new reading habit, consider the length of the book: keep it short. For most people then, short probably means a book that is somewhere in the 100-page range. A relatively short book will help make the overall idea of reading an entire book manageable and achievable!
3. Take small bites
As they say, the way to eat an elephant is not by eating it whole but by taking one little bite at a time. And so it is with books: Don't try to read it all at once. Rather, read little by little--slowly, steadily, consistently--and eventually you will finish the book!
One way to "take small bites" while reading is to have a goal for how long you will read each day. Your daily goal could be measured by time (say ten minutes a day), number of pages (say five pages a day), or a certain number of chapters (say one chapter a day). Whatever approach (or combination of approaches) you decide to take, keep it small and achievable so that it is a joy to do each day instead of a dreaded obligation. In keeping daily goals small, there is a sense of accomplishment when, if every time you sit down to read, you accomplish your reading goal for the day!
So for example, if you consistently read for even just five minutes a day, you will eventually get to the end of the book (even if you aren't particularly engrossed in it!), and that is the goal: to actually finish the book!
4. Read multiple books and genres at a time
I am finding that I enjoy reading more than one book and genre at the same time, for not all books are the best for reading before bed (I enjoy something that doesn't require too much thinking, such as a biography or fiction); neither are all books suitable for reading alongside my time in the Word (I enjoy something a bit more thought-provoking and theological, such as In His Image, by Jen Wilkin). And then there are the books that don't fit into either of those categories that I read at other times of the day. For this reason, I invariably end up with at least two, if not three, books going at the same time.
Having multiple books or genres prevents you from getting bored; it also allows you more flexibility. You may not feel like reading a heavy book at the moment. Not a problem. Just pick up the fiction book you've been reading at night and read that instead of the other, more-serious book.
5. Use a reading list
If you've never tried a reading list, you're missing out! Having a reading list with specific titles or categories of books to read will push you beyond your comfort zone. I guarantee it!
As I've mentioned before, I've been working on the Challies 2019 Reading Challenge. It has definitely pushed me outside of my normal reading interests (sometime between now and December 31st, I need to read a book of poems and a play...definitely two kinds of books that I am not in the habit of reading!) But I love it!
The beauty of using a list is that there really is no right or wrong way to go about it: you can be as strict or relaxed as you want with how you go about finishing a reading list. A list simply provides you with a big goal to works towards and a sense of accomplishment as you cross off each title or category on the list! Even if you think it'll take you a year to read ten books, I encourage you to use a reading list for those ten books!
6. Share about the books you read
Part of why I have been posting so many articles about the books I read is because writing about what I read helps me process what I just read: it helps me internalize what I just read, as well as identify more clearly between truth and error. Sometimes it is also fun to think through what made it a great book or a "blah" kind of book.
Another approach to this could be joining a book club or discussing the book with a friend who has also read the book. The idea is to simply be intentional about engaging with what you read.
So there you have it: six strategies that have helped me enjoy reading. I hope they can help you as well!
This is something I've been thinking about a lot lately, I used to read a lot before school but have completely fallen out of the habit beyond what I am required to read for my current classes. The thought of reading now is tedious, but I miss it all at the same time.
ReplyDeleteWell, when you're in the midst of schoolwork, I can totally understand how it is hard to do much more than what is already required! Sometimes I wish I could go back to school and be in a more formal setting for learning. For now, I satisfy that urge by reading. :P
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