How to read more: habits that actually work

Almost everyone says they want to read more. Almost no one lacks time. What gets in the way is usually friction, not willpower. The phone is closer than the book. The book is on the shelf, not in the bag. Make reading easier, and you will read more.

Keep a book within reach

Put one book on your bedside table, one in your bag, and if possible one near the place you sit most. When a spare ten minutes arrives, you will not have to go and find it.

Replace the first scroll

Many people pick up the phone on waking or in a spare moment. Try replacing the first five minutes of that with a few pages. It does not have to be every time. Even one change a day is a start.

Start with a number you can keep

Ten pages a day is small, and it adds up to a book a month for most. If ten is too much, try five. What matters is the habit. You can read more on days when you want to.

Attach it to something you already do

Read with the morning tea. Read on the commute. Read for ten minutes before turning off the light. A habit tied to an existing routine is easier to remember.

Choose books you want to read

This sounds obvious, but many people try to read what they think they should. A book you are not enjoying will make you read less overall. Give yourself permission to stop. Try fifty pages, and if it is not working, leave it.

Have more than one book going

Reading two or three books at once is fine. You can have a serious one for mornings and a light one for the night. If one stalls, the others keep you reading.

Use dead time

Waiting rooms, queues, journeys. An audiobook can turn a long commute or household chores into reading time. Many readers find that listening and reading together, with the same book, helps with focus.

Track gently

A simple list of books finished gives a sense of progress. Do not turn it into a target that makes reading a chore. Some people like to note a line or two about each book, as a record.

Make a place you like

A good chair, decent light, a blanket. It does not have to be fancy. A comfortable spot makes you want to go there.

Share it

Tell a friend what you are reading. Join a book club. Lend and borrow books. Talking about what you read keeps it alive.

Be kind about slumps

Everyone has weeks where they do not read. Life gets busy. When it happens, pick a short, enjoyable book to restart. Do not try to make up for lost time.

One last thing

Reading is a pleasure before it is a goal. If you remember that, the rest becomes easier.