6 Tips for Reading Regularly
Here at Well Read Christian, we believe that an essential part of being a well-rounded, multi-faceted and generally fulfilled person requires reading good books. Your thought processes five years from now will be guided by the things you read between now and then. Whether you’re trying to read the Bible more consistently, or you just want to make reading great material a part of your life, here are some tips to get a reading habit assimilated into your life in an effective way.
1. Pick Material That You Like
Find something that isn’t a chore. Everyone has things that get them excited. Identify whatever topic, genre, time era, or subject matter that really turns your crank and read something worth reading in that category. Are you a history buff? Find something in the era of history you like. A sucker for a love story? There’s plenty of romance in Great Books! Perhaps war-time literature, such as Red Badge of Courage inspires you more than Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Whatever it is, thousands of years and multiple time eras and cultures have your back! There will always be Great Book material which parallels your particular interests.
If you’re not sure what interests you, let me ask you this: when is the last time you had an engaging, interesting, or thought-provoking conversation? What was it about? Artificial intelligence? The fall of Rome? The effect technology has on civilization? If you still have no idea, think about your top five favorite movies. What makes you like them? Identify key themes or elements, and try to find those same things in a book worth reading. The Hunger Games can inspire you to read Orwell’s 1984, or maybe the hunt for a mighty, ferocious beast in Jaws might push you towards Moby Dick. My point is that there are great stories out there, and you probably don’t even know what your would-be favorite story is yet. Go find it!
Also, you should identify whether you prefer fiction or non-fiction. For some people reading fiction comes naturally, and after 30 seconds of reading they forget that they are not watching a movie. For others, non-fiction seems to be more informative and straight forward. The idea here is to find something that you’re actually willing to read over and against watching the third episode in a row of your favorite Netflix show, and you found your first book.
Bonus tip: All of us have that stack of books on our nightstand that guilt you into giving up entirely. Throw those out! If you haven’t read them already, you probably never will.
2. Determine an Objective
Why are you reading what you’re reading? I started War and Peace because I wanted to know what all the fuss was about. I kept reading because I wanted to know if I could finish it. I finished it because by the end I could not put it down and never wanted it to end. Perhaps you’re looking for pleasure in your reading––so read slowly and enjoy each sentence. Maybe you’re looking to better understand how evil regimes rise by reading Shirer’s The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich. Whatever it is, try to connect each chapter you’re reading to your broader objective and you’ll feel more rewarded when you actually fulfill what you set out to accomplish.
3. Set Goals
Whether you are between semesters on a summer break, or between flights on a vacation, set quotas for yourself to fulfill. I like to bring a book on vacation with me with the intention of reading the whole thing. Don’t sacrifice comprehension to meet your goals, but use the feeling of accomplishment and the struggle towards an end to fuel and enhance your experience of reading. Last summer, I decided to read as much as I possibly could for 3 months. After I understood my capabilities, I could reasonably say, “I should be able to read that 150 page book in this amount of time.” If you find that you’re not meeting your goals because you just don’t want to read, you’ve violated tip #1 and need to throw that book out! Beginning fresh is a great way to start a clean slate. This time, don’t let yourself get stuck on one chapter. It’s better to skip or skim a section of your reading then get bogged down. Set goals and achieve them.
Bonus tip! Loaning books from the library can offer a structural reminder and a helpful goal as well. If you have a book that’s 200 pages long and it’s due in 4 weeks, that’s 50 pages a week. Find time in your schedule and get it done!
4. Start Small, But Be Serious
Establishing healthy habits require a universal pattern. Start small, be disciplined, and build momentum incrementally. Break your selected book down into small segments. Is each chapter about 20 pages? That’s about 30 minutes of reading if you’re a slow reader (or it is dense material). Don’t be ashamed to read 20 pages a day. That’s 140 pages a week. That’s 560 a month! Imagine the kind of joy, knowledge, growth, wisdom, or at least information you could have if you read 560 pages every month.
launching yourself into preposterous and unachievable standards is the way to ensure that you never take reading seriously. Start with placing your book under your television remote (or on top of your computer) and reading for 15 minutes a day before turning it on. Schedule a time, take it seriously, and let yourself build to more lofty habits. You know yourself and what you can realistically handle. Start there and do your best.
5. Consider Things You Could Cut and Replace it With Reading
Are you on youtube/facebook/twitter for hours a day? Does it take you two hours to go from sleeping soundly to being on your computer with a third cup of coffee? Do you have a six hour gap between dinner and the time you’re actually asleep where, quite frankly, you don’t know where the time goes? Try reading instead! Whether it’s on a Kindle, audiobook, or a physical soft-back, you’ll find that it’s actually not so hard to do a little reading, and it is refreshing to engage your mind in actual content rather than the cotton-candy of social media or your favorite blog (except this one… This blog will always engage your mind and be worth every second.)
On a serious note, many of us have lengthy commutes to work, or an awkward 20-minute break between classes, or 30-minutes of an unpaid lunch break. Would you rather be scrolling through your facebook feed for the millionth time, or absorbing an experience that enriches your life and thrills your mind? Sometimes listening to music on your way to work is a must, and we can all find a section of a comedy special for our break at work, but consider giving yourself the opportunity to read in that same window. If you picked the right book, you should find it more fulfilling
6. Work Hard
Just like working out or starting a diet, or doing anything meaningful really, you have to learn to bludgeon through the temptations to be neglectful. You may enjoy soccer, but you really don’t want to go to practice today. You may like your job, but this particular project is just irritating. What do you do when those days come? You do it anyways. Suck it up, exert some discipline, remember your goals, and read anyways.
Conclusion
After a few weeks you might be tired or bored. You might get sick, or have an incredibly busy week. Remind yourself of your objectives and goals regularly. Don’t be afraid to reconsider your book choice if it is not as engaging as you once thought. Take small steps towards progress, that’s all you really need.
You’ll notice that most of these tips are about your mindset rather than how to read faster or be more disciplined. The truth is, reading is a choice, and it’s a choice that affects your lifestyle. If you want it, you’ll have it; and if you have it, you’ll be thankful for it. So desire it, fight for it, and take these steps today to be the well read person you’ve always fancied yourself.