It is believed that to create a habit, you must perform an action routinely for 21 days. During this time, you should enjoy the process so that you find it pleasurable to continue doing it. However, when it comes to reading, finding a book that hooks you into forming this habit can often be particularly difficult.
We don’t have to like all books, and it’s not always essential to finish reading them. The secret is to find the genre of literature that we are truly passionate regarding and to reconcile ourselves with the fact that we didn’t like something. “It is believed that one must be motivated to do something when one starts, but the motivation really comes later, when one begins to see results,” says writer Anita Aldana, founder of the reading club 30 Libros.
Aldana recommends asking yourself the question: Why do I want to read? This question will allow us to find the motivation that will help us not to give up reading in our own answers.
A matter of taste
Stories, tales, novels, chronicles, there are plenty, and finding a book that truly engages us can trigger uncertainty in choosing the right one.
Aldana recommends asking ourselves regarding our tastes to discover what really catches our attention. “Maybe there is a mystery series on Netflix that you love and when you think regarding it you discover that you like that genre; then you might start by reading a book of that same genre,” she explains.
The founder of the virtual bookstore Libros del Centro and a born reader, Ana Lucía Galicia, recommends doing some research before buying a book. “It is important to know what kind of book I am going to buy, to know the author, to have a broad context of the book’s narrative, to know it physically, to browse through it if possible, in order to be able to make an informed decision regarding reading it.”
However, Galicia mentions that it is also important to reconcile ourselves with the idea that if we don’t like a book, there are many other books waiting to be read and that “there is nothing wrong with letting that book go because we can find new readings that end up fascinating us.”
The reading habit
Both Aldana and Galicia agree that there is no magic formula to fall in love with reading. The trick is to create healthy habits that inspire us to continue and identify what we like and what we don’t.
Aldana, for her part, recommends creating a reading plan in which people can organize themselves and define aspects such as when to read, how much time will be dedicated to reading, and even how I will reward myself if I finish reading a book.
Using the psychology of human behavior to our advantage and realizing that doing something will give us a reward can be a motivation to complete our goals.
For this plan to be executed optimally, Aldana shares that it would be ideal to keep a reading journal that allows us to record and measure our progress.
Other recommendations
- Define clear and realistic goals for readingfor example, setting a goal to read 10 pages of a book every day.
- Don’t underestimate reading time. Sometimes short sessions are more efficient and productive than long ones.
- Be constantso as not to lose the retention of the narrative.
- Belonging to a community. Being part of a community, group or club can be motivating, having someone to share ideas with and connect with. It doesn’t have to be a lot of people – sometimes a “club” can have just two members.
Reading should be a pleasurable act, an activity that we enjoy and that allows us to entertain ourselves and reconnect with ourselves. The French writer Daniel Pennac in his book 10 rights of the reader, It talks regarding the right to not finish a book; it is okay not to connect with a reading, the important thing is not to give up and find the path that allows us to discover all the reading possibilities we have.
Other ideas
There are also technological tools that motivate us to continue reading:
Podcasts:
- Literature tour
- Let’s talk, female writers
- Sound stabs
- I choose to read
- Reader’s Coven
Applications:
- Goodreads
- Book Tracker: Reading list
Content creators:
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