Books serve you with mindfulness, process your mind for learning and unlearning, and even entertain you. What else do you want?
Reading is the most portable productive activity. It’s not like you have not yet been able to extract much of reading benefits to the fullest it’s just that you don’t know some of the tactics to read many books.
” Reading is the gateway skill that makes all other learning possible.”
-Barack Obama
Let’s begin to come up with, why you don’t read many books.
1. KNOW THE AUTHOR, BEFORE THE BOOK
Choosing a book is one of the major hurdles to cross for beginners, to read.
‘Books to read’ list and book reviews, were some strategies which worked for me to choose books in my initial days of reading.
No double, these tactics still work. But as Oscar De La Hoya said “there is always space for improvement…”
‘Knowing an author of the book before you read a book’, is something how I improvised what worked for me. You won’t believe, these authors are so much approachable these days. They just flood the social media with every productive thought or project, they come up with. Though they are on there for their own promotions, which is totally acceptable. Meanwhile, they let us know, them inside out.
This tactic, would not only help you select, what to read? It even helps you read, as you would observe that what they mean, they talk, and most probably the same they write.
Remember! First things first.
2. SKIP, IF YOU DON’T LIKE IT
If you select a book, after a long search and still didn’t found right for you, what would you do? Of course, you should leave it then and there.
But do you leave it?
This is the issue, even after coming up with the fact that, the book you are reading is not for you, you don’t leave it.
You skip the videos you don’t like, turn off the movie or the show you don’t find meeting your expectations, the same is with the books. Why can’t you skip a book?
Don’t judge yourself for reading or your interest in reading. Moreover, to acknowledge your connection with the book (non-fiction), you may initially select a few chapters from the book, majorly from titles you find eye-catching. If you like it, you may proceed with the other chapters if you want.
It’s not a textbook, which you have to finish from the beginning to the end. You are absolutely not bound to read the one. Know! when you read, you are obligated to yourself to learn something, you are not obligated to the book, to finish it off.
Remember! Just let it go, and move to the next one.
3. DRAG YOUR FINGER, BACK AND FORTH
Our eyes capture a vast image, leading us to distract while reading. Distraction as in, getting attracted to another fascinating word or jumping to the next line beforehand, in excitement to know, what is next?
It seems quite childish to keep your finger where you read, but it literally works. While reading something, drag your finger back and forth with the line, you are reading.
It would stabilize your eyes to concentrate exactly, what you want to read. Surprisingly, this improves your reading speed.
Remember! Words wouldn’t get hurt if you point at them.
4. MAKE USE, INSTEAD OF HIGHLIGHTING
In the initial stage of our reading, we are aligned with a mindset of learning lots of stuff, as a reward of hardship, we are putting in, to read it. This learning mindset, makes us use highlighters, bookmarks.
We have a misconception of running through the marked words in the future, to keep up with the good stuff from the book.
The reality is, there are very few chances, that you’ll read the same stuff again. Moreover, practicing lets you learn faster than reading.
If you use the word frequently or implement a new principle in your lifestyle or share the teachings of the book, with someone there are more chances of you remembering, what you read.
Remember! Practice makes a man perfect, not highlighting.
5. DECIDE, WHEN TO READ
The best excuse for not starting on with reading much, yet could be, we don’t have time?
Seriously!
Firstly, your overlooking attitude is certainly not about time, it’s about priorities.
Secondly, most of the time we make excuses when we fail to come up with solutions to a problem, which hampers our easy access to our interests. The same is with reading.
So, if you apply all of the above strategies, you are just there, and only left with a schedule, to read.
The most productive time to read a book could be just before you sleep and just after you wake up. Your brain should be fed with some wholesome content both, before and after asleep.
Remember! You also know, time is an excuse.
Tips to get you started:
- Create a Goodreads account. Pick 12 books you want to read, and take the “Reading Challenge.” Make 12 books your goal for the year.
- Find a reading buddy. Challenge, encourage, or even compete to keep each other on track.
- Pick a certain time of day and make it a habit to read for a certain amount of time.
- Find other college students to hold each other accountable for your reading goals. Or get motivated by turning your reading goals into action steps with your coach! https://pearsonaccelerated.com/blog/12-reasons-you-should-read-at-least-12-books-this-year
” Reading gives us someplace to go when we have to stay where we are”
-Mason Cooley
SO, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!
Literally You 