make reading a daily habit

Reading comes with numerous benefits. It has been reported that reading for as little as six minutes every day can lower stress levels by 68%. In addition, reading helps us live longer, boosts our memory, improves our vocabulary and communication skills, makes us more empathetic, enhances our creativity, and develops our knowledge and wisdom bank. No matter what your chosen line of work is, reading can play a significant role in your life. 

Let’s face the truth, intellectually we all know how beneficial reading can be. Then, why do we still find it difficult to pick a book and read? Why do we prefer to direct our time and attention towards constant news alert and social media notifications, video streaming platforms like Netflix, Disney Plus, and YouTube, and irrelevant podcasts, and let reading fade away in the background? Of course, now as we go through this crisis and spend all our time indoors, all these different forms of media are competing for our attention more than ever. But if we choose we can make this obstacle and confinement an incredible opportunity for ourselves; there’s never been a better time than right now to start reading more. 

Spending even a little time every day to read a book can go a long way. It’s time that you schedule reading in your calendar and make it a daily habit. As Rachel Cruze advises, “Make reading a part of your daily routine, whether it’s in the morning or before bed. You’re less likely to find time for something you enjoy if it’s not worked into your routine. Carve out a few minutes every day where you set your phone across the room, unplug and read a book you’ve been wanting to read.”

Alternatively, you can also adopt the habit stacking approach. This is a simple and effective way to add tiny chunks of reading time on top of our day to day habits. For instance, reading a meditation from a daily devotional book while you brew your morning cup of joe. The key is to start small and make reading an easy thing to do so that you are able to gather momentum and integrate it into your daily life.