Foster the book worm in you

Reading books is one habit which we all had once at least in our life and mostly it was when we were young. As we grew up, our priorities changed and so did our interest and somehow we all became impatient. Who cares to read when you can get all in a few minutes of videos? Books falling prey to instant gratification? May be. But somehow we all have felt more than once to bring back the book ninja within. As it is rightly said “Anyone who has ever been great, read books”. Here are seven life hacks to grow the habit of reading.

1. Fifteen minutes of reading a day

Scheduling is the master art of action and sticking to it makes us a victor. Taking out 15 minutes each day initially will give the much needed kick start to reading. You may invest more time from the very beginning, but smaller the efforts initially, the better one is ritually invested in the long run. Making it a ritual is very important.

2. Read the right books

We all are quite aware what interests us, hence choosing the right books is very important. Be it fiction, literature, self-help, motivation, business, science or whichever genre that intrigues us, we must choose wisely. Books are meant for our individual growth and if a book does not offer so, we should stay away from it. Feeling lost? do not know where to start from? I would suggest starting from any self help book. Read few random excerpts of few of its chapters. See if you can connect. These books are a great source of inspiration and brings out the very best in us.

3. Finishing a book is not everything

Reading is for knowledge, wisdom and joy. It transforms our personality and redefines our attitude. But what good is a book if it does not interest us and reading it is more of a stress than feeling euphoric. If a book doesn’t feel right, then it isn’t. If the mind does not accept the book and it feels more of a burden to finish the book, stop it!

4. Always carry a book

Make the book your companion and it will stay for life. There are ample times of the day when we are left doing nothing because of circumstances like standing in long queues, waiting for a person, long commutes etc. These are moments to squeeze in sometime for the books. If carrying a book is difficult, use eBooks on your Smartphone or carry along a handy eBook reader. Even audio books are of great help here.

5. Set Goals

Keep a goal of the books you want to read in a month. Set the goals lower than what you confide in but gradually set the bar higher as you keep achieving it. Work out a small table or chart for the books which you want to read next, just like your favourite music playlist! Over time you might see a gradual change in your reading habit. Setting a goal and achieving it will make you feel more accomplished and propel to stretch even further.

6. Tabloid news and magazines are NOT books

Reading books is not same as reading tabloid stories. If there is something really important, you will get to know about it eventually from your friends or other sources. If it really doesn’t matter, then why to lend ears to such news or stories? Books are more of a journey, which when travelled through makes us more confident, wise and satisfied, whereas tabloid are more like a one-off which has almost nothing in terms of content in most occasions. So its better to stay away from such an abyss which is extremely addictive and difficult to give up.

7. Quiet zones

Each of us have some place in our lives where in we find the most in ourselves. Embrace it, value it, for it is something that can be used to our growth and so can be used to read books. Reading books when we are at the ultimate peace leads our brain to connect with the book in a profound way. Such a place can be the study, bedroom, terrace or park bench, whichever you may prefer.

I hope few of these life hacks may bring you back to your long lost love for books! :)

Happy reading.

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