People who suddenly decide to start reading often face a serious problem - they cannot find the strength to do it regularly. Having a strong motivation, a person thinks that nothing will stop him from spending time with literature every day. And a week later he wonders how to force himself to read books. If you give up everything and try again in a month, six months or a year, the result will most likely be the same.
The process of reading, which brings pleasure to many, becomes a challenge for some. Such people should pay attention to several important tips that will show how to accustom themselves to reading. By using them, you will learn to get real pleasure and benefit from spending time with any literature.
Choose
It is important to choose the right literature. You should not make spontaneous purchases, hoping for an annotation. It is recommended to study several reviews and then make a purchasing decision. It is not recommended to choose only from popular novels, because... fame is no guarantee of useful and interesting reading.
The best approach would be to consider representatives of your favorite genre or a proven writer. This will keep risks to a minimum. But they need to be “diluted” by reading something new, and they should be the basis.
Make a list
Making a future reading list is a good way to force yourself to read books every day. It should consist of dozens of options, and they should be sorted by priority, but not so strictly, but with the ability to choose one of the first.
The available options need to be checked. This means reading the abstract, reviews or testimonials, as well as skimming several pages. For convenience, you can make tags by genre, author or complexity.
Go shopping
Regularly visiting bookstores is one of the best ways to start reading more. It is especially effective for those who already enjoy spending time with a book, but is also suitable for those new to this activity. Walking past the shelves, it is impossible not to become interested in books. It will be easy to choose several interesting options.
The atmosphere that reigns in such stores makes you feel a craving for literature. It will not only make you return there again and again, but will give you a unique feeling that you need to read more. The main advantage is that there will be a desire to do this.
50 page reading rule
The fact that any book you read increases your level of intelligence is an undeniable fact. So count how many books you need to become twice as smart. Only 100. Quite doable.
Here you should resort to the 50 page rule. Read the first 50 pages, and if the book drags on with boring language and plot, just put it down. Maybe later you will return to it or give it to someone who will like it more.
Only a few percent of the books published each year turn out to be worthwhile. But even this figure will be unaffordable for you. Therefore, use this rule and read only what will hook you.
Form a Habit
Human life consists of habits. The more positive, the better. Habit is what beginning readers lack. It is important to develop it gradually, slowly. To do this, you need to read for 20 minutes every day. After a week, the amount of time can be doubled, and then tripled.
You cannot interrupt the process before the time that has been allocated. If there is an urgent need to do this, you should come back later and finish what you started. This is the only way to achieve results.
How to learn better what you read
You've probably had the experience that one book was given with great difficulty and required a lot of time, while another was “swallowed” literally in one sitting. The complexity of the text depends on many factors: mood, physical condition, type of material and the abilities of a particular person. To understand and absorb any book, your brain must process not only the words in order, but also their relationships and the context behind them. The author may use irony, sarcasm, subtext and metaphors - all of which the reader should perceive as intended. You can learn this with practice, which we will talk about in the article. Read more…
5
Create the conditions
When you want to make reading a part of your life, you need to pay more attention to the conditions. The maximum possible silence and solitude is the key to success. The reader should not be disturbed by extraneous sounds, electronics (TV, computer, telephone), people or pets. It is important to focus on the text.
You can, of course, and even need to, read on the way to work. But in cases where a person has a choice, he should prefer comfortable conditions. You need to choose a place where it is warm, cozy and comfortable.
You should think about time in advance. You can read as soon as possible, but there should be one specific time when you are absolutely sure you can read. It is better to do this in the morning, while your head is free and relaxed, but evening is also perfect - the main thing is that there are suitable conditions.
How to start reading books again instead of tape. Part 1
Over the past six months, I have read about 20 books and re-read a dozen more old and favorite ones. It’s not that much, but it’s five times more than I read six months before.
Why even read books and not news feeds, longreads or watch stories? Nowadays, even quite complex information can be found in a simpler and more entertaining format than 400 pages of solid text.
I realized that I like myself more when I perceive information in a stream, in large chunks. To read a book, you need to keep your attention on one task for a long time. The attention muscle is being trained.
But if you leave me alone, sooner or later I find myself reading articles like “10 useful articles for a designer”, “15 cases when the logic of kids baffled parents”, “Owners who were made fun of by their pets, but they don't get angry." This is goldfish mode. Read and forget in five seconds.
I envy you if it's not like that for you. This article is for people like me - with a weak will and base desires.
Goldfish is the default mode, a state of distracted attention and a desire for a simple buzz. It is impossible to defeat him by force of will. The will ends, the goldfish does not.
I’m a designer, and at work I look for splinters that the user encounters along the way, and then I carefully sand them down. I tried to redesign my reading process and it worked.
Automatism and habit
Factors that interfere with reading and pull you into goldfish mode
There is an established user pattern:
A dumb button can be Telegram, YouTube, Reddit, Twitter, Pikabu or a browser. It doesn’t matter what, the main thing is that out of habit you press this button even before your brain turns on. And then your eye catches on the first headline - and that’s it, you’re trapped.
Tip 1: Use automation to your advantage
It’s hard to turn on a useful button with an e-reader every time through an effort of will; the automation works faster than your will. I thought about how to fix this and simply rearranged the icons.
In the lower right corner, where the browser used to be, I placed an icon for the reading application.
Muscle memory takes a long time to turn off. For a couple of weeks I turned on the reading app without regaining consciousness, by accident. There was a simple, entertaining book open there. And if the book is already open, you immediately catch your eye on it and start reading.
By the time I started deceiving myself so simply, any large piece of information broke me a little. The goldfish occupied 99% of the brain. I did problems, being distracted every minute by a work slack, jumping from video to video, reading diagonally.
But in the couple of weeks it took to get used to pressing another corner of the phone, the attention muscle was pumped up. I remembered how to concentrate on one thing for more than five minutes.
Tip 2: Make reading your feed and shopping less attractive
Another transition hack: make visual content less attractive. To do this, the phone can be switched to black and white mode.
On an iPhone, this is done like this: “Settings” → “Accessibility” → “Display and text size” → “Filters” → “Grayscale”.
Instagram feed and online store in monochrome mode
Looking at the screen immediately became as disgusting as possible. In this mode, even chatting is unpleasant. Anything that includes any visual content becomes awkward.
The only thing that looks decent in this version is the reader, which is already black and white.
I lasted ten days in this mode. But it was useful during the transition period, to let sticky habits die out.
No deadline
The best thing about books is that they are here to stay. You bought them, they are there. You can read it today, you can read it in a year. Not samizdat, which must be read overnight and returned the next morning. And of two things, one of which has a deadline and the other does not, the one that does always wins.
Tip 3: Create an External Deadline
To read books, I bought a paid account in Bookmate and installed a telegram bot. But I still came across books that I would like to read, but they are neither here nor there. Then I found out that e-books can be borrowed from Moscow libraries on Litres.
Conditions for borrowing books from the library
Let's be honest, the conditions there are draconian. Books are issued on average two weeks to a month, sometimes longer, you need to read the book in 14 days, if you don’t have time, wait another month.
But this is the main thrill. It seems that the last time I waited for a book was several weeks, when the paper Harry Potter was passed from hand to hand. By the time it is issued, the book acquires a magical aura of scarcity, and this greatly helps in reading. I read all the library books, it seems, on the very first night.
I already had a library card, so I simply registered it on the website, and almost immediately a sign appeared on the pages of the books with the opportunity to request them from the librarian.
If you don't have a card, you just need to go to the nearest library. In Moscow they are very cool, you can work there, there are playrooms for children, a printer and clean toilets.
Library books can only be read in the Litres application. It is available on all platforms and is even installed on the reader. But there is one caveat: the notes in the book become unavailable after the book is returned to the library (only a preview is available for them). That is, you need to have time to write out all the important things for yourself within these 14 days.
Easier ways to get high in one click
Even if you paint the phone black and white and remove everything from there, there is still too much extraneous information left there. Surely they wrote something important for work. It’s also important not for work, someone is wrong on the Internet. Friends posted a new photo from their vacation. Again, you can always buy something very useful from an online store.
Tip 4: keep an e-reader or book nearby
I like to read from a separate reading device. Readers are almost never discharged; they need to be charged less often. They have a softer light. When you read in the dark, even the softest mode on your phone hurts your eyes and disturbs other people. The reader shines with a smaller, more red light, but the letters are clearly visible.
The main problem with the reader (and with paper books): there is no habit of keeping them within a meter 24 hours a day. The smartphone is always nearby by default, and you will be too lazy to get up for an e-reader or a book if it is left in your backpack and you are already in bed.
It’s hard to pull off a commonly used life hack, but I started reading from an e-reader to my child before bed, so now the e-reader magically moves from the backpack to the bed without my participation.
Tip 5: Find a convenient device
The most unpleasant stage of reading on e-ink readers is downloading books. I had three e-readers: two Pocketbooks (with and without Internet) and Onyx.
In a reader without the Internet, the barriers to reading are very high. You need to get a laptop, find the book file, find a cable (microUSB, no type-C), transfer the book and only then read. In a pocketbook with the Internet, everything was a little simpler: books could be synchronized via a Dropbox folder. But for me, the most convenient option turned out to be Onyx, where you can install the Litres application and read library books, and you can still synchronize books through Dropbox or Yandex.Disk.
How I defeated the goldfish
During the transition period, while the attention muscle is being pumped up, I made the screen black and white to make entertainment content less attractive, and moved the reader icon to the most clickable place.
I updated the e-reader so that there was a separate convenient device for reading, and made sure that it was nearby at the time when I usually read.
But it’s not enough to get rid of bad motivation; you also need to find the right one. Let's call these triggers that pull you into Leo Tolstoy mode. This is a mode of concentration and comprehension of content. I'll tell you about this in the second part.
Consider the volume
Even an interesting book risks being put aside and forgotten forever. Some people, thinking about how to start reading more, pick up a major novel. It may even be relevant and captivating, but in the end it will still end up unread because the reader did not take into account its length. You should start with not too large works, and not choose a thousand-page novel.
The constant appearance of the same characters gets boring. Even great interest can fade for this reason. It is optimal to start with 200-400 pages
.
Remember the fun
It is impossible to force yourself to read every day if the thought of it causes negativity. This must be done in such a way as to feel pleasure, comfort and freedom. If you are not in the mood, then the idea should be postponed until later. You need to pick up a novel and get down to business with desire. Otherwise, it will turn into a routine, and there is absolutely nothing good here.
This also applies to those cases when negativity arises only with a certain writer’s creation. You can’t force yourself to finish reading something you don’t like, hoping for changes by page 200. If you really want to, you can give him a second chance, but later.
The only exception can be the first attempts to join the literary world. They often cause difficulties; many people become bored or find it difficult to concentrate. Then you can put a little pressure on yourself to overcome these problems and achieve results.
Realize the benefits of reading
Everyone knows that reading is good, but many underestimate the benefits of this process. The author of books, articles and monographs N.A. Shcherbakova writes that the reading process is a way of self-knowledge, reflection, an opportunity to harmonize the inner world, systematize norms, knowledge, values, needs and behavior.
Reading:
- awakens the imagination, expands the worldview;
- stimulates thinking, improves brain activity;
- develops intelligence, increases the level of knowledge;
- enhances the ability to concentrate;
- promotes self-development;
- enriches vocabulary, develops speech;
- helps to correctly formulate sentences;
- relieves stress, improves sleep quality.
Don't force yourself to read. Try to put aside prejudice and hostility. Psychologies notes that when reading ceases to be an obligation or a necessary part of the learning process, the reader experiences a sense of freedom won from routine.
Don't tackle everything at once
Some are sure that to read more than 1 book at one time. Some people prefer not to follow this rule, while others support it 100%. Both categories of people are right. However, there is also a third one - its representatives take on a large amount of fiction and scientific literature at once. And so they just make a mistake.
It is recommended to take on 1-3 books
straightaway. If you exceed this amount, then it will be simply impossible to follow the plot or explanation of something serious, and in addition, severe boredom will appear. The optimal combination would be a work of fiction with a popular science book.
What benefits does regular reading give?
In addition to the usual reading pleasure, reading fiction and educational literature has other beneficial effects. Let's highlight the most important:
- Development of imagination
.
As you read, you involuntarily draw images in your head, trying to imagine what the characters and the environment in which certain events take place look like. Thanks to this, regular reading significantly develops creativity and imagination, and in the future you use this in your work without even noticing. - Expanding your vocabulary
.
Any person knows many more words than he uses in conversation. Reading can significantly bridge the gap. As you read, you constantly see how different authors formulate ideas using different words. This makes it easier for you to use rare words in conversation. - Memory improvement
.
Reading any literature is associated with memorizing information. When you finish reading a three-hundred-page detective novel, you have to keep a lot of facts in your head in order to solve the main mystery of the work together with the main characters. This is a pleasant and effective exercise that significantly improves the quality of memory. - Keeping your brain in good shape
.
Reading is an excellent workout for the brain, allowing you to keep it in good shape. Read every day and your thoughts will be clear and pure. And people who constantly read are much less likely to encounter sclerosis and other age-related diseases. - Increased concentration and attention
.
Almost every person has encountered inconvenience due to their own absent-mindedness. This is where reading can help, as it develops the ability to concentrate on a specific task.
Reading is a great way to combine business with pleasure. The tips below will help you consolidate this habit.
Take your time
Many beginners think about how to learn to read a lot and quickly. It’s one thing to study, and another thing to constantly think about it. Such thoughts lead to a decrease in the quality of assimilation of the text, which has a bad effect on results and pleasure. There is no need to rush, especially if you are only taking on your first novels.
It is important to experience the book, to develop a habit, to start enjoying it. Only then can you get acquainted with speed reading techniques. More on this below.
The Complete Guide to Reading: How to Do It Profitably
Reading is perhaps the simplest and most enjoyable way of self-development in almost all areas of life. However, even such an easy method has its own nuances. How to read with maximum benefit? What to read? Where can I find time for books? How to make information better remembered? Should you use speed reading techniques? In this article we will talk about the effectiveness of speed reading, choosing a book format, and ways to get the most benefit from any book. We are sure that this material will help you expand your boundaries as a reader and reach a whole new level. Read more…
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Communicate
Discussing a novel you have read is an important component of the entire process of getting to know it. This will allow you to express your opinion and hear someone else’s, which can open up a new perspective on the work, as well as radically change your ideas about some moments from it.
If among your friends there are no people who read, then you can join some club where you can find new friends. Communication with them will give you even more motivation. And the opportunity to receive a list of recommendations will fuel interest in making new acquaintances. Read more literature, and you will become even more interesting in the eyes of others.
Why do most people read little?
- Most of us read our first books at school. No one asks children what they are interested in, and the classic stories and novels provided in the program do not instill a love of reading in everyone.
- Parents force their children to read, prohibiting them from playing and doing other things until the prescribed reading limit has been read. This approach also discourages the child from reading.
- Children are often not given truly interesting books that they themselves would enjoy reading.
- Many people are simply too lazy to read. Therefore, to implement such a useful habit as reading into life, you need to try to get rid of laziness.
- Many modern people are sure that time is an extremely scarce resource, so they deny themselves the opportunity to read.
- Reading and education are not in fashion today. To look erudite, you need to know about the latest movies and read popular public pages on social networks. And today it is customary to quote not classics, but status messages from the same social networks.
Despite all these obstacles that alienate the modern generation from books, we should try to read as much and as often as possible.
Don't miss out on opportunities
It often happens that a person does not have time. But it only seems so at first glance. If you think about it, there is always time. While you are on the road, having lunch, taking a bath, sitting in line, waiting for someone, you can always read. You can buy a small format book to carry with you everywhere in any store.
Gadget lovers can buy an e-book. Modern models do not have a negative effect on the eyes, have a large memory capacity and are very mobile. It is convenient to use both at home and anywhere else.
Set goals, track progress
Accomplishing any serious task requires setting goals. You can set a goal for yourself to read 10 works in six months or 2 in a month. An additional incentive, for example, will be the goal of completing at least 20 pages a day. After a while, goals will seem too simple, and then they need to be made more difficult.
Keeping a log of what you read, whether on paper or electronically, is also important. This will allow you to see your own achievements, which will give you additional motivation and a sense of your own success.
Learn to speed read
Some people can quickly skim through a text, absorbing the information in full. Others, at the slightest attempt to speed up, begin to lose bits, which is why the picture of the novel does not appear in front of them in the form it should. Sometimes the latter manage to catch up with the former, but this happens only as an exception. How to train yourself to read every time at maximum speed, without losing a piece of meaning from the text?
There are many speed reading techniques. They are studied in specialized literature, in trainings or lessons, in individual educational institutions. Everyone has the opportunity to achieve high speed with 100% assimilation of text information.
Online program "Fast Reading"
In this online program, in just 4 weeks, with the help of special games and techniques, you will develop speed reading and memorization skills that you can use in work and study. The program is for you if you are over 13 years old and you need to read a lot and remember information about your studies for a long time. If in your work you deal with a large amount of textual information that needs to be mastered. If you strive for continuous development and read a lot to improve your professional and personal skills. If you often forget what a book you recently read was about, you don’t know how to quickly search for the necessary information and structure it. Find out more...
With a serious approach and regular practice, you can improve your reading speed in just a few weeks. And if you continue to study, in a matter of months you can learn to literally “swallow” dozens of interesting books. Practice and you will succeed! Good luck!
Challenges, deadlines
The last tip is similar to setting specific goals. However, it implies a slightly different method. The difference between a challenge and a goal is that it is a test of yourself, and with a bit of excitement. After completing a task, a person passes it on to someone else. You can set up a challenge for yourself – read for 20 minutes every day.
This is what Mark Zuckerberg did in 2015. He decided that he would read one book about technology, history and culture every 2 weeks. By doing this, he gave motivation to many other people who were able to successfully complete the test.
Interesting Facts
- Warren Buffett - read up to 1000
pages a day, devoting maximum time to literature, considers this the key to success;- Elon Musk - with the help of literature, he learned to build rockets on his own in order to circumvent the issue of huge financial costs for such a service from third parties;
- Tony Robbins - mastered 700
books in all areas that could change life, was able to achieve success, become strong, having been born in a dysfunctional family;- Mark Cuban - devotes 3 hours
every day, extracting all the best ideas from any text;- Bill Gates - with an extremely busy schedule, allocates enough time to add 50 works a year to the list of completed goals.
How often do you read?
A real-life story about the importance of making the right choice and how to determine your genre and love reading
Somewhere in my second year at university, I made a friend who was an excellent student, but did not like to read at all. The maximum she could master was 1-2 sections of the textbook while preparing her homework.
At the same time, there were no apparent reasons for her dislike of reading: she grew up in an educated family and as a child loved having fairy tales read to her.
In some way, I helped change her attitude towards reading. During my student years, I was a lover of fashionable gloss, which I often shared with her.
Despite the fact that at first she only leafed through magazines, over time she began to increasingly focus on columns of advice from psychologists. This is how she and I were able to determine that psychology was her “topic.”
Having mastered many psychological books, over time she began to read others. In such an imperceptible way, my friend developed a love of reading.
The moral of the story is simple: choosing the genre of book to read is very important if you are trying to instill in yourself a love for this activity. If you find yours, you won't need to be forced anymore. After all, there are a lot of books, and there is a bestseller for you.
Important: you can develop a useful skill at any age, regardless of profession, field of activity or interests. If you didn't love reading as a child, you may not be able to love this activity as an adult.
Just don't think about what you have to read. Do it of your own free will. Set yourself up for the fact that you will become much more erudite, and new horizons will open up before you with every book you read.
