Before we get into this, I am going to state an unpopular opinion. You cannot force yourself to be a reader. If the thought of sitting with a book in one place makes you want to stab something, it just means you like absorbing content and stories through other forms of media, and there is nothing wrong with it. I think we have, collectively, put unfair pressure on everyone to be book readers. While reading is incredibly rewarding and more people should adopt this habit, it’s not the end of the world if you don’t find pleasure in it. Not everyone is going to enjoy sitting with a book, just like how not everyone enjoys kicking a ball in the field. Having said that, here is the good news. Most people are readers, they just haven’t found the right books or strong motivation yet.
I am not a heavy or fast reader. However, by adopting some of these tactics, I have not only doubled my reading but have also formed a strong reading habit. I now read at least an hour and a half every single day.
Here is what helped me form a reading habit-
1. Goodreads/Storygraph yearly challenge
I cannot emphasize enough how big a role Goodreads played in making me a habitual reader. I love this website! Imagine social media for book nerds where you can shamelessly talk about books and keep track of your and your friends’ reading journey. Sign up for it, if you haven’t already. It’s not only the perfect place to discover new books, but it also pushes you to read more. At the start of every year, Goodreads gives you an option to set a reading goal, the Goodreads Reading Challenge. Use the website regularly and update your reads. I found out much later that Goodreads was acquired by Amazon. I am trying (and failing) to use Storygraph instead. They too offer the same reading challenge, but unlike Goodreads, they provide these amazing reading stats that are to die for.
2. Replace an activity
Sometimes it’s hard to carve out extra time from your strenuous day just for reading. In that case, replace one of your old habits with reading. The lowest hanging fruit is cellphone usage. Since September last year, I stopped taking my phone to bed, and instead, I read until I sleep. This habit not only helped me to fall asleep and get out of bed in the morning easily, but it dropped at least 20-30 reading hours/month into my lap. Start small. Replace that 15 minutes of post-lunch-social-media scrolling with a few pages or instead of watching that one episode at night, read one chapter.
3. Be prepared/make a list
If you are not a habitual reader, you’d probably spend a lot of time deciding your next read. You might then wait to buy or order that book. That break in between dampens the excitement you had when your brain first made the decision to read a book. So be prepared. One of my most favorite things to do is to make a To Be Read (TBR) list. Make a list of books you want to read. Goodreads and Storygraph both offer that option. You can even go old-school and make a list on paper. Then make sure your next book is ready when you are about the finish the current one.
4. Don’t overthink
Like any habit that you are trying to form, reading requires more doing, less thinking. Just pick a good book and start reading. Once you get into the zone, it’s fairly easier to keep doing it. I am not a big fan of, “If I can do it, you can too”, but if you love books and are only bad at forming a habit to read one, then you can do it! Because I am terrible at maintaining daily habits and I still did it.
5. Try different media
My reading habit improved a lot after I got an e-reader. As much as I love the feel of paper in my hand, I also champion e-readers big time. I do most of my reading in bed. It was hard to hold heavy books while lying down. That discouraged me and pushed me to hold a phone instead. Once I got Kindle, reading in bed was a piece of cake. I don’t even hold it. I place it on the bed with the support of its cover and it’s like watching a movie. Also, try audiobooks. I cannot listen to books because of the odd wiring of my brain, but I know people who thoroughly enjoy them. Replace your music with an audiobook once in a while and see if that works for you.
6. Innovate and improvise
You will not believe the places and situations I have read a book in. While waiting in line at the bank, waiting in a grocery store’s check-out line, while waiting for an uber, while waiting for my COVID shot, while being stuck in traffic, while being stranded outside my building because of a fire, while waiting for a table at a restaurant, while waiting for the signal to turn green at the crosswalk, and so on. Hell, I even take my Kindle to the toilet. Yeah, it’s nasty, but don’t pretend you don’t surf Instagram and reply to your friends from the commode. Carry a book or your e-reader everywhere you go. You never know when you have to wait somewhere and your phone battery is not being your friend.
7. Use Social Media
As shallow as it sounds, talking about books, posting their pictures, and sharing about your reading with others is a great way to maintain the presence of books around you. Talk about what you are reading or why you like a book or what you’ve learned from it. Reading isn’t a habit that has to happen in isolation. In fact, the more you share, the more readers you create. And that’s just a better world to live in.
8. Find your book clan
I am a brick wall when it comes to being influenced by someone else. Even then, my interest in books and my progress in reading improved exponentially when I started hanging out with avid book readers. Remember the conversation you had with your friends after watching one of the funnest movies. That’s how it is to have friends who read books. You can also join book clubs. There are websites solely built for this purpose. Facebook also has tons of virtual book clubs, so do Goodreads, Reddit, and Instagram. Do you know there are rooms in Clubhouse where you can virtually sit together in silence and read for a set amount of time? Find your tribe. I am not usually liberal with this offer, but if you ever need to talk about books, my Instagram DM or my email is also always open.
9. Find your own taste
STOP reading books just because they are popular, or because everyone is reading them, or because Elon Musk suggested them. It saddens me that non-fiction/self-help is the only genre that’s doing great in India. I see the benefit in them, but a huge chunk of those books are written by tone-deaf writers with biased, privileged perspectives. It’s sad because people are equating reading to consuming those books. These books are not written from a wholesome POV, psychologically, which eventually leads to readers losing interest in them or feeling bad about themselves, and thus losing interest in books overall.
Books shouldn’t have to be about utility all the time. You don’t have to always read books that will help you organize better or lose weight or be an entrepreneur or influence others or cut toxic people out of your life. Sometimes books can just be about stories that transport you or help you have fun and relax. Find what you like. Read different genres. If you are a new reader, you will be stunned at the variety of genres that are available in the market these days. Did you know there are genres called “Cli-Fi” and “Cozy Mysteries“?
10. Then go one step further
Now, I offer you an epic contradiction. Once you have read enough in your comfort zone, read books that challenge or intimidates you. Delve into uncomfortable genres. After all, one of the reasons we read books is to learn and grow. Once you have formed a reading habit, don’t just read books that entertain you. Explore books that make you question the world and your own beliefs, books that make you sharper and teach you new things, books that make you empathetic and a better human being. Trust me, there are fiction books that can do that. Once you see the difference reading good books brings to you, you will want to read more.
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As someone who breathes books and still managed to go without reading one for weeks, I understand that it’s not always the lack of interest in books that stops you from forming a reading habit. Sometimes, life happens and even when you crave reading, you are unable to pick up a book. I hope these tips will help you be a reader again.