4 Ways to develop a good reading habit.

Have you ever wondered how successful people get to read many books? Reading books is one of the most talked about habit by successful people. In an interview with the New York times in 2016, Bill Gates shared that he reads around 50 books per year. According to celebrity net worth Bill Gates net worth is 118 billion dollars. Warren buffet became most successful investor because of his reading habit to learn everything there was to know about every industry. Elon Musk was able to build rockets because he read books. Pius Muchiri, CEO of NABO capital, in an interview with Cleaning the Airwaves, a youtube channel, talked about how when he was young, he would go to the library to read. He also said in his adulthood he would wake up early just to read.

Reading is essential for learning new things, thinking differently and becoming wiser day by day. Therefore, you are able to make better decisions in life and work and thus become successful. Mark Zuckerberg, founder of facebook, noted that books allow you to fully explore a topic and immerse yourself in a deeper way than most media today. In Tom Corley’s book, change your habits, change your life, which was a 5-year study of the daily habits of self-made millionaires, he noted that 88% of his wealthy respondents spent at least 30 minutes every day reading. Whether it means reading self help books or reading in school, you need to develop a good reading habit. We have stated 4 ways for you to develop a good reading habit.

1.Have a set time dedicated to reading

As you go through your day allocate a certain time for you to read. For example, 30 minutes after you wake up or 40 minutes before you go to bed. It can also be the 1 hour you are on a bus as you go to work or the 30 minutes lunch break if you eat alone. For a student you may have a set timetable that will direct you to read for example Monday 5:00-5:30am-Biology. These set times are times that you will read no matter what happens each day. Effective time management is an essential skill.

2. Always have something to read.

Wherever you go, make sure you have a book that you can read. With technology, this has been made easier. You may have an e-book on your phone. So as you wait to see the doctor or as you wait to meet a friend at the coffee shop, you can read the book. If you are a student, you can have softcopy notes on your phone or short notes that you can revise.

3. Set goals.

A goal is a desired result. You may desire to read one or two books a month. You may also desire to read a topic in a certain subject every day. Periodically assess your goal, set a new goal and keep a record of your progress. Once you set this goal, it will fuel a motivation and therefore you are able to build a reading habit. For example, the goal of every student when joining campus is to get good grades, graduate and land a job.

4. Avoid destructions.

You cannot concentrate if there is a destruction in the vicinity. Find a quiet place. Destructions may be your TV, your phone or radio or even chatty friends. Disconnecting and sinking into a book takes some will power but once you are able to avoid the destruction you are able to read. Find a comfortable place in your home where you can read without interruptions.

Reading does not stop at books. You may take an online course by enrolling at Finstock Evarsity as you try out these 4 ways of developing a good reading habit.