“I want to develop a reading habit.” my friend said when we were travelling back home, “Can you recommend me some books as a start?” I sent her a photo of my bookshelf and briefly described some of the books inside. Those consist of English and Chinese books.
“Great,” she acknowledged, “but I don’t have time.” Regardless she spends over an hour taking public transport for work every day. This is a common excuse for many people who want to start a new project or develop a new habit.
I need a new bookshelf.
A few years ago, I seldom read books, except when there was a required task at work, or due to the atmosphere at the Hong Kong Book Fair. Life changed after I met my girlfriend, who reads many books, especially English books. Since then, I’ve been reading the English version if the original edition is written in English.
I don’t know how busy my friend is, but I also have a busy life, especially when living alone in recent years. After work, I go to the gym. Then I go back home and cook my dinner. When I finish my dinner and some housework, it’s already ten o’clock. I have to take care of 2 weekly blog posts and work on side projects in music, photography, coffee and finance. But I can still manage my time to have some reading.
My tip is simple – dedicate a timeslot every day to reading. During this timeslot, switch off your mobile phones, TVs and computers. Free yourself from distractions. Pick a book and read it. It doesn’t matter whether it is an hour or 5 minutes. We love tiny steps. Tiny steps cost a little, but at least you feel you accomplished every day. If you feel comfortable after a few weeks, you may increase the duration of the timeslot. Now you have developed a reading habit.
For some unknown reason, I usually wake up 30-60 minutes earlier than the alarm I set on the weekdays. In the old days, sometimes I grabbed my phone or table and flipped whatever apps I could. Sometimes I closed my eyes, hoping I would fall asleep, but mostly didn’t. Nowadays, instead of these actions, I wake up and grab my book.
Early morning is the best time for me to read books. There isn’t any distraction in the morning. My brain is fresh and ready to input new materials. This, of course, isn’t the best time for everyone. Try to find the best time and dedicate it to reading. You will find yourself improved over time.