Things that have helped me start reading twice as more
I spent the first 6 months of 2019 struggling to finish this well-acclaimed book I’d started reading. Halfway through the book, I was no longer hooked. I had to force myself to pick it up. When I managed to find the will power to open it, I’d fall asleep. All in all, I barely read.
In the last 6 months though, I’ve picked up over 10 books and found more time to read although my schedule got busier.
Somewhere along the way, I discovered the joy of reading again.
I managed to do this thanks to some advice from a few wise people. I needed to hear it ( yes, podcasts) in all it’s different forms for it to finally sink in. Here are some of the ideas and experiences that helped tremendously -
Never feel committed to finishing a book
I know so many people, including myself, that have lost invaluable time feeling guilty about abandoning a book they’d started reading. If you’re not enjoying a book, stop reading, move to the next one. If you find yourself unable to, trick yourself into believing that you’ll revisit the book sometime.
I managed to trick myself last year. Couldn’t be gladder.
Treat books like music
If you enjoy listening to music, you probably have a variety of playlists. Some songs you play at the gym, some on road trips, and some only when you need to destress. You wouldn’t ever force yourself to listen to a slow melody when you’re running at 12kph on the treadmill, would you? Let alone torture yourself and not switch songs. Why then, should you force yourself to read a book that you’re not enjoying?
The people I know that read a lot are always reading more than a few books at a time. David Cancel, CEO of Drift, says it’s hard for him to answer what book he’s reading cause he’s always reading so many concurrently( Just look at his 2019 list)
Pick up different books based on your mood. Develop an eclectic taste. Only then, will reading feel as less as a chore as listening to music does :)
Authors are required to fill pages sometimes
Recently, I learnt that authors can be obliged to meet a word limit in order to publish a book. Halfway through a book, if you feel like you’ve gotten enough value and you no longer feel hooked- stop. Move to a different one. For all you know, you may have already gotten to the essence of what the author intended to convey.
“Nobody ever went broke buying books”
David Cancel says this often. Being aware of a book’s cost can hinder you two ways- you either feel hesitant to buy ones that you find interesting or you punish yourself to finish reading one that you paid a lot for.
He says that if you’ve gotten *one* simple thing from a book, that’s more value for money than anything else can ever give you.
Reading is sacred. Don’t let money get in the way.
Create an irresistible buffet
Around the time I was losing interest in reading, I visited a friend’s house for the first time. He had this beautiful bookshelf with everything from comics to serious non-fiction. I felt this undeniable hunger looking at that bookshelf as a pauper at a table lined up with food would.
Naturally, I picked up a couple.
The next time you come across books that pique your interest, go crazy and order/download them right away. You’re bound to read more when you have a couple of them that you’re excited about at the ready.
FOMO is your enemy
The influencers in your profession or at your workplace are certain to be recommending books a lot. To top that, you must be stumbling upon reading lists- “ 10 books every entrepreneur should read” “25 books you should read this year”. While I absolutely love lists and recommendations, and they surely add a tonne of value, none of them is worth risking your love for reading.
Books shouldn’t be on your list of to-dos that you tick off grudgingly.
If you aren’t in the mood for that Steve Jobs biography, pick up a chick-lit or a fantasy. For all you know, that non-fiction will add more value when you decide to read it years later- when you actually *want* to read it and don’t feel the *need* to. Besides, you’ll have only gotten smarter reading other books during that time anyway :)
“Fiction is your gateway drug to reading”
If you barely get around to reading, I’d recommend starting with this article written by Neil Geiman :)
Last year, for the first time since I was a teenager, I felt exhilarated after finishing a book -A novel. I don’t have the prowess to describe how wonderful it felt. I think everyone deserves to experience that joy once in a while.
Internalizing what I’ve written here was a slow process that took me over a year. Sometimes, I still feel a little bad about not having finished books ( the list only keeps growing). It’s hard to get rid of it entirely, but I’m slowly learning to change.
I used to feel stressed about not reading ‘enough’. Stressed thinking about lagging behind as the people around me read more and learnt more.
Today, I don’t really care. I read only what I think I’ll enjoy. Ironically, it’s that mindset that’s helping me read more and learn more :)
