I hope to contribute so that the reading habit will also flourish there

I’ve been completely crazy about books since I was little. I remember that the library near my parents’ house allowed me to borrow only two books a week – which made me indignant, as I devoured them all in the first three days. I also remember that from a very early age I asked for magazine subscriptions as a birthday or Christmas gift. I think this is the great advantage of this habit: the more you read, the more you want to read.

But that love, like any relationship, went through a crisis: with the arrival of social media, I practically abandoned books. Initially, I tried to convince myself that I had only switched to the reading platform, since I see part of my consumption of online content as a medium of information, knowledge and entertainment.

But I saw that the list of books I wanted to read was growing exponentially, along with my frustration at not having more time on the agenda to read them. And then Netflix also arrived and things only got worse.

Put reading as a goal

I realized that the only way was to put discipline ahead of motivation.

When making my list of goals back in early 2020, I decided that one of them was to read more (initially and in a modest way, I stipulated one book per month).

To achieve it, I defined that, if I read only 15 minutes a day, I would be able to finish two books of 200 pages per month, on average. It looked great and workable – after all, 15 minutes a day can fit into any schedule, right?

Find the best time – what works for you

The problem is that my favorite time to read was always before going to sleep, but I saw that it didn’t work anymore: I read a page and was already super sleepy.

As I was wanting to have a more peaceful and pleasant morning routine, I took the tips of the famous “The miracle of the morning” and included 15 minutes of reading per day for breakfast. Of course, this is not always the case, but I have been trying to maintain that average. And it’s working.

I think that finding the most pleasurable moment is an important point for the habit to really establish itself. In my case, starting the day doing something I love still feels so good …

But I think an important point is also not just waiting for the perfect moment: I always have a book with me, be it physical, on the Kindle or on the Kindle app on my cell phone.

Have you noticed how much time we lose in queues, in waiting rooms or even in traffic? Instead of running to the cell phone, I have been trying to prioritize my passion. And this substitution of “distraction” in these small breaks is also something that has impressed me: we take the phone on automatic and don’t even realize how many things I could do at those moments.

 

Make a list of books and start with the ones you’re dying to read

I have a list of 112 titles on Evernote (I just counted and, I confess, I got scared!). These are suggestions from friends, people and professionals that I admire, indications that I see on the internet and in magazines.

I prioritize which one I want to read according to my moment of life (personal or professional) or even according to the repercussions,

I think this is also one of the secrets to increase reading time: prioritize books that we really, really want to read. And yes: just stop by the nearest bookstore and I am absolutely sure that, even if you do not have this habit, you will find something that interests you.

The offer of good titles is so great that there are great options for all tastes, all profiles and all professions.

This year, the goal continues, but now it is three books a month. I am finishing the third of January, happy for the discipline and excited to have returned to dedicate myself to a hobby that brings me so much pleasure – and, of breaking, repertoire and knowledge!

Find your class

Another nice idea: in my condo, we created a group called “Sharing the reading”, in which we give tips on books, make loans, donations and exchanges. Being in such a community naturally ends up stimulating this habit as well.

What I learned in this process

When I revisited my goal with great honor last year, even if in a modest way, I was reflecting on some lessons learned:

  1. There is no lack of time for the things we like: there is a prioritization of agenda and discipline before motivation;
  2.  It is better to read two pages a day before going to bed than to wait an afternoon all free to read (which is almost impossible – does anyone remember any free afternoon? Haha.). After all, the deed is better than the perfect one (the mantra that the Virgo here has tried to use for everything in life, by the way!) And the small steps lead you to walk, even if slowly.

I hope, therefore, to contribute so that your reading habit will also flourish there.

By the way, is there a book that you are reading and loving? Tell me – I found that not only do I love to read, but I also love to build lists of what I want to read!