(This is part 2 of a 3 part series on reading. Click to read part 1 & part 3)
I know why you aren’t enjoying reading.
I’ve been working on college campuses for 12 years and one thing has stood out to me: people don’t know how to read.
I’ll ask guys to read a passage from the Bible or section from a book and it’s a struggle.
No wonder they don’t read much. It’s not fun. It’s hard!
But it doesn’t have to be.
Reading is a skill. We get better through practice.
We’re spending 3 weeks focusing on how to read faster and better. You can read the first article here. Here’s the next tip to read faster and better:
Read consistently.
You need to read every day.
For some of you, that’s not a problem. You do it already. If that’s the case you need to push yourselves to up the number of pages or times you are reading.
For others, this tip sounds like a chore. I promise consistency is key.
The only way to get better at reading is to read more. The only way you are going to stick to it is if you build this habit every day.
Here are 3 keys to be more consistent:
Key #1 – Make Habits, not goals.
Most people get excited about reading and set a goal. You’ll say something like, “I’m going to read 25 books this year.” That goal does you no good, though, if you don’t set any habits. A goal without a habit is a wish. I wrote a whole article about why you shouldn’t set goals but set habits.
A goal without a habit is a wish.
Reading must become a habit.
A goal says, “I want to read 10 books.” Nothing changes. A habit says, “I’m going to read 10 pages of a book every day.” That changes your life.
If you read 10 pages/day you’d read 3650 pages a year. If the average book is 225 pages you’d read 16 books this year.
However, you’re not reading every word one every page now. You’re reading strategically!!
So, in the same amount of time, you could easily read 20 pages a day and get the MAIN ideas of 32 books!! Start to get exciting? What if you did that twice a day? That’s 64 books this year!! That can happen in about 20-30 minutes per day.
Key #2 – Pick a time
The best time to do this is in the morning when you wake up or at evening before bed.
I try to read after my devotional time. I’ll read the Bible, pray, and then try to spend that last 10-15 minutes reading a book. It’s amazing how much you can get through in that time.
Your mind will be fresh, your fellowship with the Lord will be strong, and you should be reading something in the area in which you are wanting to grow.
The next best time to do this is before bed. Put a book you want to read on your nightstand and make it a non-negotiable to read 10 pages before you go to sleep.
The internal battle to auto-play the next episode will be REAL. But once you get in the routine of reading you wouldn’t have it any other way.
Key #3 – Make it visual
To build consistency in your habit you need to see your progress. You need a board, journal page, calendar, or SOMETHING that you see all the time.
For a while I had a calendar on my bathroom mirror with 31 checkboxes for each day of the month. I checked them off every night I read my desired amount.
Those checkboxes become your personal trainer. They keep you on track.
Lately, I’ve been using an app called Habit that keeps track of my progress. I check in every night and mark if I’ve done my habits for the day.
Pick a system that makes your reading habit visual to you! Use it.
I promise you are going to improve your consistency in reading and learn to improve your reading! When that happens, you can’t help but enjoy it more. That enjoyment is going to lead you to read more and so the snowball begins to roll.
So what habit will you set for reading this week?
