Why you are struggling to adopt the habit of daily reading?
Habit is what makes all people wear clothes. But what about the habit of daily reading?
I used to be an avid reader. English literature and urban fiction writers made it easy for me to merge with the idea of daily reading. Later, I discovered the world of non-fiction and audiobooks and it seemed the goal was reached. I finally adopted the habit of daily reading.
But life swiftly flooded in and I dived into freelance with more serious intentions. My time was split into 3 hour pieces and little by little I started skipping my reading hours. My habit of daily reading turned into a habit of daily avoidance of reading.
So, I did a research and found out a few quite interesting facts about why are we struggling to read books.
Unresolved stress
For example, did you notice that now, being in lockdown, you somehow feel less like reading a book and if before Covid-19 you could easily read a novel or two a week, right now you struggle to read even a few pages. It’s all because of the unresolved stress.
What is unresolved stress: it’s emotional pressure that continues for a prolonged period of time in which an individual has little or no control.
Sounds familiar?! I bet. Half of the world is in this condition of unresolved stress and it’s not a surprise that reading became so challenging for most of us.
Unresolved stress initiate problems with focus and concentration and can also be the cause of anxiety.
Distraction
This one seems logical. But did you know that distraction can come not only from outside but from inside as well?
It’s that situation when the flood of your own thoughts, not only on mental level but on physical as well can be the reason why you are struggling to sit down and read a dozen of pages in one sitting.
Usually you have so much on your plate: house chores, work obligations, family and friends, social media, bills, etc. Weighting your brain with all these things can lead to mind overload and as a result be the cause of mental distraction.
So if you feel itchy each time you take a book in your hand, this may be why.
Depression
Yes, if all of a sudden you lose interest in reading though just a few weeks ago you were an avid reader, then this should ring a bell to you.
Everyone knows that it's hard and can take months and months to diagnose depression but my close friend who has been suffering with depression for past three years says that there are always first signs that people so easily miss that tell you that probably you are spinning down with depression.
Losing interest for things you enjoyed and loved before is one of those signs. In this case, please, make an appointment with your general practitioner as soon as possible.
So, does it mean that the habit of daily reading can be only a dream, since most of us can relate to at least one of those three categories above? The answer is yes and no.
And before we jump right into some tips to help you adopt the habit of daily reading, I want to share with you this quote: Today a Reader, Tomorrow a Leader by Margaret Fuller which I think might add a bit of motivation to some of you.
Let's go!
Tip #1 Create a wise book list
This is one of my favorite monthly routines, but wait, what do I mean by telling you to create a WISE book list?
A wise book list is the list that you can handle for the period of a month. Let’s say, 100 books would be impossible to read in a month and I know for a fact that once you start creating your monthly book lists, you naturally start adding every single book that caught your eye. This is a huge mistake that will later discourage your attempt at adopting the habit of daily reading.
Instead, pick 2-5 books and try to be selective in your choice. Aim for your interests: find a few books to help you in your business, profession, or the ones that will contribute to your personal growth.
Also don’t forget about a book for enjoyment – it can be your favorite Stephen King or something from Classics that you might simply enjoy reading.
As a bonus to this blog conversation, I want to share with you my wise book list on June. I picked three books.
- Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind By Yuval Noah Harari
- Stop Doing That Sh*t: End Self-Sabotage and Demand Your Life Back By Gary John Bishop
- The Girl in the Green Raincoat: A Tess Monaghan Novel By Laura Lippman
This list is simple and aims for my current life interest which is personal growth, and I am super excited to read all three of these amazing books. If you have already created your wise book list, please, share in the comment section below. We all are dying to know what is your reading plan on June looks like.
Tip #2 Time zone
This tip is tricky but manageable. I’m never tired of being extremely surprised to this single fact – time management is the crown on the head of our lives.
All you need is two 30 minutes pockets to fit your daily reading. I recommend you to find 30 minutes in the morning to read your book of interest to charge your day with a vibe of motivation and inspiration. Personal growth books are just amazing to start your day with. And another 30 minutes before bed to give yourself a boost of enjoyment before finishing your day.
I keep my ebook reader or a book close to my bed so each time I happen to get in it I can easily remember to take on my 30 minutes of reading. And you know what, it works really well!
Tip #3 Audiobooks
Yes, listening to audiobooks is not a cheating. This can also be a part of your habit of daily reading and I must admit that listening to audiobooks helped me to make my morning routine, bath time, running, work out time, etc., as productive as never.
I have a whole list of amazing audiobooks, Audiobooks. Lockdown. And new Opportunities, and I’m sure you will find there a few interesting books to add on your wise book list.
I used to carry my ebook reader or a book around each time I left my house but honestly, reading on a bus is not really my thing. Listening to an audiobook though, always works for me.
Now, even in the moments of your emotional instability, or unresolved stress you still should not forget that your actions have a direct impact on your habits, because
actions is what forms your habits.
And as another bonus to add some more value to this blog post, I want to remind you about the magic of daily journaling (Journal Yourself Out of Anything) that helps me to deal with any kind of distraction which as we talked above can be a reason why you struggle to adopt the habit of daily reading. Click on the link and know more about the power of daily journaling.
If you find this blog post useful, let me know by clicking on the ‘like’ button or/and leaving a comment below.
My appreciations to each and every of you.
