Self Development

BUILD UP YOUR BRAIN How to Read Books For Beginners 5 Actionable Steps To Make Reading More Fun & Enjoyable

One of the most common habits that every successful business owner or every great achiever has is reading. You can ask every high performer, and they’ll tell you that reading books have a very strong positive influence on their life. And on top of that, over 75% of self-made millionaires reported that they read at least 2 or 3 books a month. Reading truly holds power to change people’s lives. Because we humans influence each other. Subconsciously, we constantly learn what other people are doing, and we try to act the same way. That’s why cultures, slang, and certain behaviours are born. You are just a product of your environment. However, if you surround yourself with successful high achievers, you will be adopting their mindsets. They will brainwash you into thinking that you can achieve anything you desire. And what’s fantastic about reading is that authors put months, years or even a lifetime of experience into 150–300 pages. So you don’t have to spend years getting painful experiences just as they did. That’s why reading is so important to improve your life. However, there are some people out there who are just starting to pick a reading habit. And it’s kind of hard to stick to that habit in the beginning. So, today I’m going to share 5 practical tips that you can use to make reading your new habit, all the while making it more enjoyable.

#1: Read the Books You Enjoy This was something I was guilty of doing in the past. When I started to make reading my new habit, I thought I needed to pick a really popular book, the book that everyone is reading. But as time went on, I felt bored. The book wasn’t appealing to me, so instead of reading that boring book, I most often played games on my phone. But eventually, I found out that reading a book that seems interesting to me made me stick to the reading habit better than any other tips I came across on the Internet. So, my advice here is… When you are still a beginner, only read the books that you enjoy reading. What I realized later in life is that to create a good habit, we have to make it interesting and appealing. If a new habit is tiring and dull, we will not do it, even if it’s a positive one. That’s the reason why people aren’t able to stick to good habits. They don’t find it attractive as much as their bad habits, like playing games or watching TV. So, if you are a beginner, start reading books that you enjoy; whether fiction or nonfiction, it doesn’t matter. This will make you read more and more books further down the line.

#2: Use Habit Stacking Stack Your Habits You probably have a lot of behavioural patterns that you’re not aware of. For example, You might wash your hand every time you use the bathroom. You might be using your phone every time you wake up in the morning. You might turn on the TV every time you sit on the couch. Those behaviours are automatic, and you do them without thinking. But you can use these already formed behaviours or habits to your own advantage to create new positive habits. And that is called habit stacking. Let’s talk about how you can use habit stacking to make reading easier and more accessible. If you have a habit of checking your phone in the kitchen every morning when you wake up, place your book on the counter. So when you wake up and go to the kitchen, you’ll find your book. Since it’s easily accessible, you can now read a few pages instead of checking the latest updates on YouTube. And later, you will form a habit of reading first thing in the morning. That’s the power of habit stacking. Extra tip: make it more accessible. Instead of putting your book somewhere on the shelf, put your book in a place where you can easily see and pick. When there’s no hurdle or obstacle, you will find it much easier to pick and read the book.

#3: Lower the Bar This is very, very important for people who are beginning to read. Reading can be quite hard for us sometimes. There will be days when you don’t feel like picking up a book. However, building a good habit needs consistency; otherwise, it’ll fall apart. When it comes to forming habits, we need to start small. After all, if someone has been completely sedentary and wants to begin exercising, it doesn’t make sense to start doing intense push-ups workout for two hours every single day. Their odds of success are far higher if they just begin with something hard. Instead, he should have started by doing a light workout that doesn’t require too much effort. This also applies to reading as well. So, don’t try to read 25 pages. Instead, just read 3 pages. Yes, I know it’s really small, but it’s obviously better than nothing. And there’s almost no mental resistance blocking you from doing the thing. You won’t be procrastinating reading since it’s only 3 pages, right?

#4: Don’t Overachieve This is also a mistake I made when I started reading. I was really motivated by people who read 4 books a month. Then, I tried to do the same, just like them. And it didn’t work. It was a daunting task, and I couldn’t keep up with it. And every time I find myself not accomplishing that goal, I would flagellate myself and beat myself up, making me miserable. But now I understand that if we put a very high standard of something and don’t achieve it, then we’re unlikely to do it because it’s unrewarding. So, set yourself a considerable standard. It’s ok to be only able to read one book per month. Don’t beat yourself up. After all, you are making progress, right?

#5: Shift Your Mindset While it may seem extremely simple, it’s probably one of the most important things to keep in mind. Because if you self-identify as someone who doesn’t like reading, then you are building some unnecessary mental blockades towards something you’re trying to do more of. Whereas, if you identify yourself as someone who likes reading, you’re breaking down mental barriers, and you’ll be enjoying reading more and more. Simply shifting your mindset can give a lot of benefits.

Now that I’ve shared tips for reading books, it’s time for you to pick up a book and start reading. Apply at least one or two tips I’ve mentioned above, and I’m certain those tips will definitely help you.