Reading is one of the most important habits you can establish in life. Not only does it help you to learn, but it will also strengthen your ability to focus on one thing at a time.
It’s becoming harder to finish reading good books in our modern world thanks to distractions. Today, we are distracted by social media, smartphones, emails, streaming sites such as Netflix, and our friends.
While it might seem like scrolling through social media is more rewarding than reading, the opposite is true. Most of the activities that people consider to be fun have no consequences. Watching a Netflix show or chatting with your friends online has no major consequence in your life. However, reading books more often can transform your life.
Benefits of reading books
The majority of successful people spend as much as three hours reading books every day. Why do they read so much? Well, there are a lot of benefits that you’ll enjoy by reading books regularly. They include:
Gaining knowledge
This is one of the most obvious reading benefits. Unlike watching a video on YouTube about Ordinary Grace or listening to a podcast, reading ordinary grace summary will help you understand the themes and access in-depth information. Books help you gain knowledge. And knowledge helps you form new positive habits. To achieve your biggest goals in life, you have to read books.
Exercising your brain
Reading is important because it exercises the mind. Various research studies have confirmed that reading stimulates a network of circuits and brain cells. The more you read, the more these networks become stronger. The human brain has a popular policy – use it or lose it. If you fail to exercise your mind regularly, your cognitive abilities will decline.
Boosts your focus
Your ability to focus for an extended period is essential to your health and success. When you read regularly, you train your brain to concentrate on one thing at a time. This skill is becoming rare as the world progresses due to constant multitasking and distractions. To achieve your goals, you have to focus. And to improve your focus, you need to read more books.
What’s your ideal reading time?
You should read books when you have lots of time and energy. Most people prefer reading in the morning when their minds are fresh and there are fewer distractions in their environment. You might also discover that different genres are more engaging at different times during the day. For instance, you might enjoy reading non-fiction in the morning and fiction in the afternoon or evening.
Read a specific number of pages every day
When you commit to reading a specific number of pages every day, you’ll set yourself up for success. You can easily read 15 pages every day in less than thirty minutes. If a book is made up of 150 pages, you’ll only take ten to fourteen days to read the entire book.
Have a reading list
If you love reading, you’ve probably found yourself surfing the internet when you should be reading or reading a completely different book. To avoid this, you need to have a reading list. Having a reading list will help you overcome procrastination and avoid losing track.
Read multiple books
Some people get bored reading one book for an extended period. If you are one of them, it might help to read two or three books This practice will help you switch from one book to another without getting bored. You don’t have to force yourself to read one book to completion. You should focus more on understanding key concepts than on finishing a book.
Join a book club
A book club is a group of people who get together virtually or physically and talk about the books that they’ve read. The most important thing about joining a book club is all members commit to reading. Otherwise, they have to explain why they haven’t read. You need accountability partners to keep you on track, especially when forming the reading habit.
Listen to audiobooks
If you spend a lot of hours commuting, walking, or working out, one of the best ways to read more books is by listening to audiobooks. Most audiobooks are often narrated by the author. Audiobooks are a great alternative to reading print books. You can easily find most audiobooks on YouTube, Amazon, and Spotify either for free or for a few bucks.
Conclusion
Reading is a habit. And like any other positive habit, it takes time and energy to form it. When you are forming this habit, don’t give up. Instead of being hard on yourself, accept that there will be times when you don’t have the time or energy to read. Using the tips that we’ve discussed here will greatly increase your chances of success.
