Until I decided to change it.
I have never really liked sitting in one place and reading for hours. I always preferred something more hands on like recycling junk or painting or trying to build a website.
I always knew that books are one of the greatest resources that can transform you.
But I just could not get past the third page if the book hasn’t picked my interest.
I keep doing one of these experiments with myself where I take up something I feel I need to work on and then do it till I get better at it. And starting to read more has been one of my personal projects that I’ve just graduated from 🙂
So here are few things that worked for me:
Commitment brings motivation.
We cannot wait the whole day trying to find that one perfect article or book you will read. There have been tons of books I wanted to read but couldn’t because I lost interest. So instead of waiting for motivation, I decided to commit. I decided that reading will be the first thing I do in the morning and the last before bed and I stuck to it.
Reading doesn’t always include books.
For those non-readers, I know it is hard to succumb the desire to get up and do something more exciting than to sit in a corner and read. But you don’t have to read large books! Start small with articles, anything that interest you — on art, psychology, entrepreneurship, history, politics, anything — 500 words are not so hard to read, right?
Consistency matters.
Commitment works only when consistency is there. Reading first thing in the morning is my routine now. Push yourself to do it every single day for the next 30 days and you will start liking it. Trust me ☺
Don’t be hard on yourself.
Give yourself the time to pick the pace and slowly build your capacity. It could be hard but it is the last mile that builds your capacity — the last mile you run when your body and brain are screaming to stop.
Find your trigger
It is always easier to form a new habit when you use a trigger to do it. Like I will read one article after I get up in the morning. I will read an article while I wait for the train everyday. Find a slot for reading in your daily schedule and put it next to something you do every single day like getting up in the morning, taking the train to work or having breakfast.
Several days and pages later, today I don’t hate reading.
I still start new books and stop it but nobody told you that you must finish that book to be a reader! So are you starting with an article a day?
Thanks for spending the last 5 minutes with me!
Feel free to comment below or write to me at hello@aryamurali.com. I’m always looking for ways to improve 🙂