9 Tips to Read More Books This Year

The simplest, most straightforward way to either make reading a habit or lose it altogether is the decision to carry a book (or Kindle) with you everywhere. Commuting on the train? Get in a chapter or two. In the waiting room at an appointment? Read a few more pages. By making reading a convenience for yourself during those gaps in the day and not using your phone as the go-to crutch, you’ll be amazed by how many more books you can crank out in a year.

Whether or not you recognize it, we all have nightly rituals we tend to stick to, and if reading is not already in yours, reconsider. Not only will carving out those 30 minutes at the end of the day provide time for you to dedicate to your book, but it will be much easier to fall asleep and stay asleep.

Sometimes, there is social pressure to read the books everyone else is reading or go for the picks that make you look smarter, except there is one problem: You don’t actually like what you’re reading. Sticking with options you simply don’t like will not only delay your reading, but also make you more resistant to reading. So, go for what you like, even if that means “The Diary of a Wimpy Kid.” The point is that you like it and end up sticking with it for that reason.

Accountability and a designated space to share your thoughts on what you read are great ways to progress your reading habit. You’ll be excited to fly through chapters as you’ll get to regularly discuss the content you read with other people. As a potential bonus, you may make new friends from the experience.

If you already have friends who are bookworms or passionate about getting back into reading like yourself, then you can design a list of books to read together. Or, simply commit to reading a certain quantity together and have regular check-ins. This is another option to create some form of accountability while keeping the activity lighthearted and enjoyable.

You may not have enough hours in the day to get in that extra thirty minutes to an hour of uninterrupted reading time. An efficient alternative would be any audiobook subscript like Audible. Instead of finding time to sit down and read, you can simply pop in some headphones and listen while driving around, commuting to and from work, cleaning the house or simply going on a walk. The audio format of a book will allow you to stack your “reading” on top of other tasks in the day while making it overall more accessible.

For the more goal-oriented people, setting achievable milestones is another way to incentivize and reinforce a newly established reading habit. Writing out how many books you would like to read monthly, pages daily or even abstract reading goals will give you something to strive for, even when it seems challenging to actually sit down and open up a book.

Get excited to read more by compiling a list of books you want to read. This way, even if you are absolutely in love with your current read, you always have something else to look forward to. Listing out the books you want to eventually read makes it easy to know what comes next instead of wallowing in the absence of your previous marvelous read.

Tracking progress with logs and stickers doesn’t only just work for children. It’s a precedent to set for yourself to stay motivated and focused. Alongside monitoring your progress, you can also promise yourself certain prizes or treats after hitting various milestones as even more incentivization to continue going.