Most people wish they read more. However, some don’t even read a single book. Reading is an activity that is both fun and enlightening. It can help us be more knowledgeable and successful. However, it is an activity that many people don’t engage in very much. Looking at the other end of the spectrum, research shows that if you read 10 books a year, you are in the top few per cent of all people as readers.

The following are some suggestions to help you strengthen your reading habit — ways to find and make more time for reading.

Always have a book around

Don’t go anywhere without reading material. Keep magazines or short stories in your bathroom. Always have something in your bag to read. Keep a book(s) by your bed. Having things available makes it easier for you to steal otherwise lost moments.

Set a reading goal

Determine how much time you want to spend reading, or how many books you want to read over time. Your goal might be a book a month, one per week, or it might be to read 30 minutes a day. Start out with something attainable but still a stretch. As your habit builds, you might set higher goals.

Keep a log

Keep a list of the books you have read, or keep track of how much time you

read each day. You might keep these lists in your journal or your day planner. It doesn’t matter where you keep it, just do it.

Keep a list

Make a list of things you want to read in the future. Ask your friends what they are reading. Watch for recommendations in the newspapers. Once you start looking for good books, you’ll find them everywhere. By knowing what great stuff you want to read, you will reinforce your reading habit.

Turn off the

television

Television is one of our major time consumers. Make your television watching more conscious and less habitual. There is nothing wrong with watching television shows you really enjoy. Where the time gets lost is turning it on, and scanning to find ‘something to watch’. Those are the times to turn it off and pick up your book!

Visit the library/ bookstore often

You have your list, right? So you’ll have some ideas

of what you are looking

for when you walk in. But there is more to be gained by walking through

places where books reside than just to make a transaction. Take time to browse! Browsing will feed your mental need to read, and give you plenty of new things to read.

Build your own strategy

Decide when reading fits your schedule. Some people read first thing in the morning, some before bed. Some decide to read as they eat their lunch. It is okay to be reading more than one book at once. It is okay to stop reading something before you finish if it isn’t holding your interest. It is okay to skim the book, getting what you want or need, without reading every page. Determine what works best for you, develop your own beliefs and ideas.