Reading is a daunting task for some, and if forced to read each day, it can make one feel anxious. While reading has undeniable benefits, there is a whopping number of students who instantly feel demotivated by being asked to read as few as just 10 pages a day.
This article gives a few brilliant ideas on how one can make reading an ‘effortless’ habit.
- Avoid picking up voluminous books at the beginning
Begin your reading journey with short, crisp books of not more than 100 pages. Picking up huge and heavy books with a lot of content to digest will probably make you feel intimidated, and demotivated in turn. To keep your train of reading smooth and forward, pick books with lesser content.
- Start with the themes and genres that you’ll enjoy
To keep you indulged in the reading process, it is essential for you to start with the genres and formats that you think you’ll enjoy. If you appreciate poetry, there’s no problem with picking up a poetry book first and foremost; or if you think you’ll like a murder mystery or your favourite celebrity’s biography, start reading with that.
- Refer to Good Reads, BookBub and Amazon
Keep checking up on new book updates and book reviews on the platforms called GoodReads, Bookbub and Amazon for buying books, of course.
- Join Book Clubs
Consider joining book clubs online or offline. Sharing your knowledge on the books that you’ve read, exchanging books of your choice, finding people who like the same titles and genres as you keeps you hooked on the habit eventually.
- Keep books handy on your working desk or on bedside
Arrange your books creatively at someplace where you can see them each day. Keep a book by your bed-side IF in case you decide to read right before sleeping. Seeing the books, and seeing them in a nice, colourful arrangement keeps up the momentum of the habit.
- You are allowed to pick ebooks and audiobooks
If you find yourself hooked on the screen, start reading e-books or listening to audiobooks. Amazon Kindle provides an ocean of ebooks while platforms like ‘Audible’ provide audiobooks that you can listen to.
- Dog ears, bookmarks or underlining, your choice
Keep marking all points that you think are interesting or are great learning. Use bookmarks or fold pages, use a highlighter or a pencil to underline, whatever suits you.
Share a verse or two, or a fact or two that you read recently with people you know or with your community.
Viola…! Wish you a very smooth and happy reading experience. Note that, you need not read with the pressure to ‘learn’ from books. It is a slow and gradual process to be able to shift from reading for pleasure to reading for learning.