How to Do Something Your Don Know: How to Read More

There is so much to read, and so little time! Many people struggle to find time to read amid the demands of work, school, and child-rearing. The constant information-barrage of modern life may make settling into a book seem like a daunting task. However, there are simple steps that you can take to read more: find material that fascinates you; find a quiet, secluded space; set aside "reading time", turn off your phone, and be fully present.

EditSteps

EditMotivating Yourself to Read

Find reading material that fascinates you. The best way to read more is to make yourself excited to read, and the best way to get excited about reading is to get excited about ideas.
- Explore. Turn over every book that you see and read the back cover. Open it up and read the first few lines. Find something that piques your interest and pursue it.
- If you are genuinely intrigued by the subject matter--if you let yourself get hooked--you may hardly be able to stop yourself from turning pages. Reading is an edifying habit, but it can also be deeply joyful and wildly exciting.
Consider the sort of information that you want to absorb. You are reading in order to fill your brain with ideas and information: so what do you want to think about?
- Consider reading nonfiction books: history, politics, science, economics. This is a great way to get yourself thinking more deeply about the systems and patterns that are woven through the world around you. Read widely and variably, or pick a subject matter and delve deeply into it.
- Consider reading classic literature: anything from Shakespeare to Hemingway to Kerouac. Books that are labeled "literature" tend to illuminate the human condition. Read about triumphs and tragedies, joys and sorrows, exquisite details and broad truths, and you may gain insight into your own situation.
- Consider reading the news: you can subscribe to a local newspaper or read about current events online. News articles vary from the conveniently brief to the deliciously in-depth, and they can provide fantastic fodder for meaningful conversation. Stay up to date with current events and plug in to the world.
- Consider reading "genre" stories: fantasy, science fiction, romance, vampires. Pulp fiction is a great way to inflame the imagination with an air of excitement and mystery--or perhaps simply escape the mundane realities of everyday life.
- Read poetry; philosophy; magazines; fan-fiction; wikiHow articles; anything that excites your imagination and beckons you deeper.
Ask friends and family for recommendations. Ask people about books that they have found particularly insightful or well-written.
- You may find that certain books and articles come up naturally in conversation--don't be afraid to ask questions. If a book comes up in conversation, there is a good chance that you'll find it interesting.
- Don't be afraid to borrow books. Your social network is the largest and most relevant lending library. If you see a book on someone's shelf, strike up a conversation about it and express your interest. If the conversation goes well, ask to borrow it.
- Choose a book from an online list like "The Greatest Books of the 20th Century" or "Classic Books That Everyone Should Read". These types of lists are necessarily subjective, but they will generally suggest well-written books with broad appeal. Pick something that piques your interest.
Browse a library or a bookstore. The next time you have a free hour, duck into a local bookstore or public library. Wander the shelves, peruse books that catch your eye, and commit to bringing home one book that you will finish.
- Don't be afraid to get lost. If you find a book that particularly interests you, take it off the shelf and begin to flip through it. Libraries and bookstores provide a safe space to explore and expand your reading tastes.
- In the U.S., you can usually sign up for a library card for free. You do not need a library card to browse most libraries, but you do need a card to take a book out. Find a librarian at the check-out desk--usually in a central location--and ask to sign up for a library card.
Consider joining a book club. Even though your participation is voluntary, a book club may give you the structure that you need to develop a disciplined reading habit.
- Social obligation is a great way to make yourself read more, and you may interact more deeply with a book if you're able to talk it over with a group of friends.
- Look into joining an online book club. This is a no-cost, low-obligation means of sharing your thoughts about what you read. You can read as much or as little as you like, although you may find that you must read a certain amount to keep up with the pace of the group.
- If you can't find an existing book club, start your own. Speak with friends or family members who read a lot. If you like to read the same sorts of things--science fiction, for instance, or philosophy--then suggest that you read the same book and discuss it.
- Bear in mind that while a book club may lend social structure to your reading habit, you may wind up reading a book that doesn't absolutely fascinate you if the group decides upon it. On the other hand, you may gain new perspectives from engaging with books that you wouldn't otherwise read.
Make a list. Write down the titles of five or ten books that you really want to read. Tack the list up onto your wall and cross the titles off as you read them.
- Commit to yourself that you will finish the list by a certain date. Even if you don't meet the deadline, this will certainly get you started.
- If you give yourself an "assignment"--finish these books by this date--you may be more likely to get it done. Promise yourself something for each finished book: treat yourself to a nice meal, splurge on something you've wanted to buy, or just buy a new book. This can give you an incentive to read, even if it's just for yourself.
- Consider using a reading-log app like ReadMore (http://readmoreapp.com/) for a digital record that you can carry with you.

EditMaking Time to Read

Set aside time to read. Nothing else. Just read. Create reading triggers: tie your reading habit to specific routines that run throughout your day.^[1]
- Read on the train to work; read during meals; read in the bathroom; read before bed. Read whenever you have ten minutes to spare, and you will begin to form a habit.
- Read a certain amount of pages to start the day--say, 10-20 pages each morning.^[2] Pick up your book as you wake, or flip pages as you sip your morning coffee. Let reading be the first thing you do each day, before the distractions and complications of life begin to buzz about your brain.
- Read before bed. You may not want to process heavy or complex information before bed, but you can relax your mind with stories before you go to sleep each night. This is a great way to get into the habit.
- Try to read for at least half an hour at a time. Let yourself be drawn into the pages to the point that you aren't thinking about anything else. If you have somewhere to be, set an alarm--but avoid checking your phone.^[3] The goal is to achieve a flow state.
Be present. Be here, now, and focus only on the words that fill the page.
- Sit somewhere comfortable and lose yourself what you're reading. Block out all thoughts of past and future, and try not to think about work. There will be time for everything, and you will do everything that you need to do--but right now, you are reading.
- Silence your phone, and consider turning it off. If you need to be somewhere, consider setting a timer so that you don't feel the need to check your phone.
- Before you read, take care of any obligations that may distract you. Feed the animals, reply to your emails, take out the trash, and put everything in order. Order your surroundings so that you can order your mind.
Read in a peaceful space. Read away from people, traffic, distractions and loud noises, and you may find it easier to become absorbed in your book.
- Read in a park, in a library, or in a quiet room. Read at home or read in a coffee shop. Choose a place that allows you to forget about the outside world.
- Turn off the television and close your Internet browser. Screen yourself away from extraneous information to deepen your immersion into the book you're reading.
- If you can't find a quiet space, wear headphones to block out surrounding noises. Play soothing music at a low volume. Consider using a noise-generating website like Rainymood (http://ift.tt/jDUJRX) or Simply Noise (http://simplynoise.com/).
Make a habit of reading. The more you read, the easier it will become.
- Commit to reading every day for a week, even if you only read for 20 minutes each day. Once you've read every day for a week, commit to reading every day for a month. Gradually increase the amount that you read in each sitting.
- Start small; don't intimidate yourself with something too weighty from the offset, or you may procrastinate. Start reading something that you know you will finish, and then finish it. Build confidence and work your way up, slowly, to heavier texts.
- Consider breaking your reading into natural increments: say, commit to finishing a chapter each time you sit down to read, or read until the next natural stopping place. If you're reading an adventure story, for instance wait to lay down your book until the characters go to sleep for the night. Immerse yourself in the story.
Consider reading e-books. You can read e-books on a Kindle device, or you can download the texts directly onto your phone or computer.
- E-books are convenient if you don't want to carry a heavy book around. You can carry a vast and diverse library in the pocket of your jeans, read whenever you have a spare moment, and pick up exactly where you left off.
- Check out Project Gutenberg, which offers thousands of free e-books.^[4]
Consider using a speed-reading app. These apps speed the reading process by blocking out subvocalization--the act of saying words aloud in your head as you read them--and firing words into your brain at a rapid pace.
- The average human reads around 200 words per minute. Speed-reading apps allow you adjust your words-per-minute intake on a slider, from very slow (less than 100 words per minute) to blisteringly quick (as much as 1000 words per minute).^[5]
- Many of these apps exist, and they are usually free to use or download. Try Spritz (http://ift.tt/1k2R0WP) or Spreeder (http://ift.tt/vN8Qo9).
- Bear in mind that the more quickly you must process information, the less you will be able to retain. There is a reason that we naturally read at the speeds that we do. Speed-reading apps are great for burning through large swaths of information quickly, but they may not aid your reading comprehension.