My reading habits have changed a lot in the past 11 months. My goal was to read 2 books a month; I traversed that threshold and finished 27 thick books in 10 months. Here are a couple of things I did for measuring my reading goal. The following reading habits might intrigue you to accomplish your reading goals.
- Use Notion: an online productivity tool to write down your thoughts on the book
I am using Notion, an online productivity tool, to measure my book reading habit and write a book report. It’s working wonderfully; after completing the book, I usually write a summary about 2–3 things I learned from the book. - A comprehensive e-book reader is must
The spooky fact I did to develop sustainable reading habits, I purchased an iPad mini in 2015 to read. I know it’s odd that why an iPad when there are great e-readers. Therefore, I recently switched to Kindle Paperwhite, and I must say I love it and reading even more, especially to take notes while reading the book. I also use a tool called Readwise to see revisit my notes coherently. - Learn the purpose of your reading before growing the habit
I believe reading should be purposeful to build a streak. For example, if I want to learn any topic, I buy a couple of highly reviewed books, originally published articles and spend a focused 20 hours to understand the subject. - Using the Pomodoro technique
I started to focus on doing more work especially reading. I will share my detailed Notion template later; it might help someone to boost their reading goals. - Change book topics if you are bored with one topic
As an adult, my reading preference has changed to read 3 different non-fictional books at any given month if I get bored with one topic. - Grow your physical book collection
I proactively keep an eye on amazon, chapters, etc., to buy books on sale. - Follow a book reading method and read everyday consistently
I read every day for at least 60 minutes — 25 minutes focused Pomodoro method. - Limit your phone use to essentials only
Here is a crazy trick I practice to get extra time for reading; I am a huge Apple fan and love their product’s reliability factor. iPhone screentime is a game-changer; I do not spend more than 90 minutes a day on the phone. When I started to build this habit, I used to spend roughly 3–4 hours per day on the phone by continuously checking Gmail, Slack, Insta, Quora, LinkedIn, etc. - Join a book club or, join with a bookworm
Get a book buddy or join your local or online book club to share your progress. - Track your progress!
Get a wall or desk calendar, place it wherever you want to do your reading. In my case, I put it on the wall to tick the date to build my best streak. If you are tech-savvy, you can even use Kindle insights.
Conclusion
Reading has always been a significant part of my life. Reading stimulates the brain to get more ideas in life and spend some quality.
Happy reading!
