8 Steps to rapidly develop a long lasting reading habit

I am glad you are giving your precious time right now to this post and I presume that you are very much interested in developing the precious habit of reading, therefore I hope this post provide solution to your problem and justice to your time.

Before jumping straight on the topic I would like you to take a deep breath and pay attention to the questions listed below -

Q. Has it happened to you that you have taken a New Year resolution to develop a reading habit and couldn’t abide by it?

Q. Do you feel bad about wasting time every day which you must have dedicated to reading books?

Q. Had you made up your mind to read last weekend but ended up watching a ton of movies?

Q. Or you don’t simply have a hobby and want to develop reading books as the main hobby?

If the answer of all these questions is ‘Yes’ then you are completely normal and are on the way of developing a reading habit and be a voracious reader. Although, you just need a little push!

To develop a reading habit you must first understand the basic issues which hinder you from reading consistently.

1. You get bored at the first page only.

2. You get your first yawn once you flip a couple of pages.

3. Your reading time is taken over by the telecast of your favourite movie on the television.

4. You simply procrastinate because you think that you will read tomorrow.

5. Or you don’t read because of numerous other reasons

So, if you face or have faced such obstructions then DO NOT WORRY!

This post will not only tell you how to develop a reading habit but the places you can use to make reading a big part of your life.

By going through these simple tips and, of course, following them you will be associating books and lots of knowledge to yourself.

However, doesn’t matter how simple these tips are to implement but do remember that you are the one who will implement them; so I insist you to preserve your enthusiasm for the time span mentioned in the tips below.

(Day 1)

· Your Sleeping time - Pick Up the novel of Sherlock Holmes or any Ruskin bond book on day 1. It is mandatory that you consider a book in which the total number of pages does not exceed 200-220.

On the first day, you do not have to take out a specific time from your schedule in order to read the book.

When you wake up in the morning, you obviously take some time in coming out of the bed because of the after-sleep effect that engulfs the body and the mind. You need to make use of this time and begin reading the page 1 of the book. Keep reading and do not stop until 5 minutes are over.

You will have to stay true to yourself i.e. don’t distract for 5 minutes and after the time is over don’t think about reading at all.

"A capacity, and taste, for reading gives access to whatever has already been discovered by others" - Abraham Lincoln

(Day 2)

· Now, you will already be a day old in the world of reading, moving ahead step by step. It is the time for you to go in your balcony. Do not worry if your house does not have a balcony, just go by the window and pick up the same book, open the page bookmarked on day 1 and start reading again.

Do not stop reading until 10 minutes are over then close the book and do not think about the book or reading anymore.

"How well he's read, to reason against reading" - William Shakespeare

(Day 3)

· On day 3 you will realize that your mind has already formed a relationship with the book, but do not get carried away and restrict your reading to only 12 minutes.

I suggest, on day3, your luxurious sofa with super-soft cushions will be an ideal place to sit, relax and read for 12 minutes.

"Learning gives creativity, creativity leads to thinking, thinking provides knowledge, knowledge makes you great" - APJ Abdul Kalam

(Day 4)

· Day 4 is the day to push your momentum up, therefore, increase your reading time to 18 minutes; it is an increment of 6 minutes but since you are already halfway so it will be a piece of cake for you.

The terrace might be a good place for performing the reading activity on day 4. However, beware of not looking elsewhere but in the book only.

Keep in mind that most people give up reading on day 4, why?

The answer is they become complacent about their success on the last 3 days.

"Books are only made so that they may point the way to a higher life; but no good results unless the path is trodden with unflinching steps" - Swami Vivekananda

(Day 5)

· Since you geared yourself up on day 4 it’s the time for you to relax because too much of everything is not at all good.

So, on day 5, you need to add 2 more minutes to your reading time and make it 20 minutes overall.

Please do note that you have to continue reading the same book during implementing these tips.

(The reason I mentioned the note above is because before publishing this post I gave it to a wise friend of mine for reading and he proved his wisdom by picking up 5 different books on 5 days. His action hit my head like a bazooka!)

"Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing" - Benjamin Franklin

(Day 6)

· I guarantee that you will feel really content on day 6 and it will be your time to rev the engine up and drag the reading time up to 25 minutes.

You will notice that reading the book will be a piece of cake for you now. You deserve a cake too today hence reading your book while eating your favourite pastry will add sweetness to your reading practice.

"Coming into contact with a good book and possessing it, is indeed an everlasting enrichment." - APJ Abdul Kalam

(Day 7)

· You need to do nothing special on day 7; it will be following day 6 again i.e. reading for 25 minutes but on day 7 make sure to sit in a chair and do it because it is said that a good and comfortable chair is the best place where the mind grasps quickly from the book.

"Read 500 pages every day. That's how knowledge works. It builds up like compound interest" - Warren Buffet

(Day 8)

· Day 8 carries the most essential tip but before proceeding with reading promise yourself not to give up here.

You will already be finished with one cycle of reading by Day 8 and therefore you need to perform 2 more of these 7 days cycles. Once you stay consistent you will feel content to see the number of pages you have finished in this process of developing the reading habit.

The reason I am telling you to perform 2 more cycles is because every good habit takes 21 days to complete and come into role. This habit will stick to you for life if carried on for 21 days.

build a reading habit in just 8 days by reading for a few minutes

Wrap Up

Reading books can have a perennial positive effect on your brain; you will be able to grasp things quickly and bail yourself out of the petty problems that have bothered you hitherto.

Students looking out for a job often face problems of mentioning hobbies in their curriculum vitae. If you are a student and are going through this problem then this is your chance to add a good & ever-appreciated hobby to your resume.

People often say that they tried a lot but couldn’t succeed in reading books. But let bygones be bygones.

At present, you must give these 8 steps a shot and I assure you that you will see a big progress in your reading habit.

However, do keep in mind that these steps will accomplish last 90% of your task, but the first 10% will be covered by your commitment to develop a good reading habit.

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