Presently it’s difficult to know when a new book is published let alone becoming a prolific reader. Even the classics are not spared from going unnoticed. Nonetheless, most people still agrees that readers are leaders. Why is there decline in reading culture? The answer is not farfetched.
This is decline is as result of over consumption of YouTube, smartphones, social media, music and video streaming sites. There are a lot of distractions now than before. But reading makes a man, and it’s far more enriching and rewarding than spending hours on chatting on social media.
Are the Benefits of Reading More?
Knowledge is built up through reading and where there is abundant of knowledge, there lies success. No wonder people like Elon Musk, Oprah Winfrey Bill Gates and Warren Buffet even with their supposed tight schedules spare an hour or two reading every day.
Creativity and thought are refined through reading. Each time you read a book; you make a deliberate but unconscious deposit in your memory reservoir of ideas. Maria Popova a Bulgarian writer describes it this way:
“…in order for us to truly create and contribute to the world, we have to be able to connect countless dots, to cross-pollinate ideas from a wealth of disciplines, to combine and recombine these pieces and build new castles.”
Reading consistently and frequently can change your life in many ways.
The more you read, the more insightful and confident you become.
In this article, are tips that will help you enjoying and become a prolific reader.
1. Identify Your Perfect Reading Time
Dedicate a given time of the day when you’re energetic enough to read, it could be in the morning. Commit to keep to this reading appointment. You may discover that different books more engaging at different times of the day. You may favor reading non-fiction in the early hours of the day and fiction late in the evening.
2. Read a Chapter Every Day
Committing to reading at least one chapter of a book every day is great way of setting yourself up for success. And this will also help you properly internalize what you read. You can probably get through that many chapters in under 45-minutes depending on its page content.
It doesn’t take much of your time read a lot and turn prolific. If you read a chapter with 10-25 pages a day for a week, it therefore means by the end of the week you go through 70-175 pages. Is this not incredible?
3. Keep More One Book Per Time
Keep more one book on the go. This empowers you to switch from one book to another without getting burnt out. Reading multiple books sustains your reading appetite.
The approach is not to read so many books at once than you can finish. But, to create variety and keep your reading interest refreshed. This multiple book reading should not exceed three books at a time.
From my experience, fiction books are ideal night reading while non-fiction books best enjoyed during the day.
4. Read Other Materials
Read informative and educative post and articles. Many people find it difficult to read lengthy post even on social media but reading more is not just about good books. Save important articles or posts on your phone and read through them on the go. Your online activities should go beyond just entertainment.
5. Set A Reading Goal
Goals are good way to keep me accountable and focused. This way you’re intentional and deliberate about becoming a prolific reader. Set a goal for the number of books you want to read in a month or year.
You could further break down the goal into different genres of book. Additionally, you could attach a reward or penalty to your reading goal to serve as an added motivation.
6. Track Your Reading Habits
Reading consistently is a habit, much like working out or meditating. If it happens that you’re reading less than you like, then discipline yourself to make daily reading a routine. Trust me at first this won’t be easy but stay on it. Always remind yourself the importance and benefits of establishing this habit.
7. Join or Start A Book Club
A book club involves a group of individuals who commit to a book reading schedule. They may gather online or offline to discuss about a book they all have read.
One fantastic thing about a book club is the commitment and accountability it brings. Any member who falls short of the commitment must turn up and explain why they didn’t finish the book. Joining a reading club will greatly improve your reading culture. But you could as well start one and invite your friends and family to join. And you can easily achieve by creating a group for it on WhatsApp.
8. Keep A Book with You at All Times
Keep a book with you always to productively engage your free time that go to waste. Keep yourself busy with reading while waiting for a flight, train, an appointment, or during school runs.
When you have a few minutes to spare, rather than spending time on social media, start reading whenever you have spare time rather than eating junks from social media.
9. Change the Book
Change the book if you don’t like it, there are other good books available. Don’t read a book with the singular purpose of just to finish it. Because you’ll end up wasting you time and gaining little or nothing from it.
Take your time to read book description or summary before buying the book.
Reading at most three books at once could help sustain your interest. Because sometimes it might be that you’re just bored of the book and need refreshing. This works best when you alternate between different book genres.
10. Audiobooks
You can become a prolific reader by listening to audiobooks. Audiobooks are enjoyable because you can listen to them while driving, taking a walk, at the gym or just seating at the garden.
If your get bored of reading print or ebooks, audiobooks are a perfect alternative. They are equally great for visually impaired readers. The interest thing is that you can convert your ebooks to audiobooks or patronize online stores like Amazon.
Conclusion
On your journey to becoming a prolific reader, you might read many books at once in a given month. While at other time, you may go a while without reading any long book. This is bound to happen and it could be because of daily life challenges. Don’t be hard on yourself. Reading, like any activity, has its ups and down. Pick yourself up and keep moving forward.
