Reading has helped everyone for a long time as we discover the inner-self and grow ourselves. However, it is also a tough task to read and enjoy simultaneously. Here, I will tell you about the ways that worked for me and many others to enjoy reading even more.
When I didn’t used to read, I used to be frustrated and angry all the time. Even watching movies, or playing didn’t helped him. But, as I started reading, I found out on how much I had missed before. If you are also among non-readers community, you too are missing on the best adventure, one can experience. Books are important for our grades, vocabulary, writing, health, entertainment, etc. and many of us doesn’t bother because of laziness or unawareness.
Reading for some time with the same routine developed a love for books in me which made me enjoy reading books. I looked out for my favorite genre which is mystery and then started reading those which I liked the most and left the ones with a boring story. A perfect routine of study for a particular time increases interest and love for books with time.
Since, you are facing the similar issures, don’t you worry though, I will share my experience as to how I got myself into this habit of appreciating books and you can decide for yourself which significant steps could be helpful for you. Just to remind, these strategies are for all kind of books including academics, however the main focus is on the novels either non-fiction and fiction.
11 Strategies to Enjoy Reading More
If you are determined to enjoy reading a book to try something new to change your life, I suggest you to follow the given strategies below.
1. Identify your Genre
Before taking any further step, you must discover the genre you like the most and will never in any sense will bore you.
Identifying your genre is the basic and most important of all steps. Reading a book of the boring genre for you could be disastrous and develop a negative mindset of yours towards novels.
Reading a book which you like is a key to enjoy books. Suppose, you like swimming doesn’t mean you know to swim in fast flowing river. The same is with reading. If you like adventurous books doesn’t mean you will like romantic too.
2. Schedule your Reading Time
After deciding where your interest lies you need to make a schedule for reading.
Some individuals like reading before bed time while some read in the morning or evening. Everyone has their own schedule of time and an avid reader always takes up some time to read from his busy schedule.
I being busy during day with my friends, and studies used to read before bedtime or in the evening.
You should too try to continue with the same to read at least 20 minutes a day either in morning, evening or during night. Don’t rush to read lengthy novels as they will demotivate you as you will find it difficult to finish a boo which will be frustrating at the start.
Try starting with the easy and thin book at the start to dissolve into the habit to further increase your level later.
3. Stop Reading If You Don’t Like It
There is no rule that you should complete a book once you start it.
The key to enjoy book is to read only the one you like. Leaving a book in between could feel like quitting but sometimes it is the best thing to do.
Suppose you have read half the book and has not understood the story or the author has lost you, you must keep it down, and pick only the one you will like.
Even I haven’t liked many novels and had quit them in the middle just to get past that boring book and picked another. Although, it shouldn’t be done regularly, as some books are must reading ones.
Reading a good book leads you to read more good books whereas a bad book might demotivate you to read further.
This thing doesn’t applies to genre!
Suppose you know you are into romantic stories, although hasn’t liked the book you picked. This doesn’t mean that you are no more into romantic novels, however there may be the chance that the book you picked didn’t touch your heart or wasn’t good enough.
Because it’s your opinion that matters the most at the end rather than of another person.
4. Carry Books Everywhere
I am fond of carrying a book everywhere with me. I even took it to a trek to read at the top amidst pleasant weather.
To enjoy reading books, developing a habit is important and to develop a habit, you need to practice it often.
Carrying a book everywhere gave me confidence to read in my spare time rather than spending time on social media scrolling through feeds and chatting with friends.
Books are another friend of ours and needs to be read in every spare time in order to develop a habit of it.
5. Keep the Track of Books
Read books you like and were recommended by your friends, relatives, family members, or even websites and keep the track of the books you’ve read.
I never suggest to show your books as accomplishment you’ve achieved, however, keeping a list to yourself is always welcome as it’s a personal achievement as opposed to those who doesn’t read.
Everytime I look at that list, it encourages me to read even more and might will motivate you to also read more which in turn will bring knowledge, and wisdom to you to make you smarter and brighter encouraging you to read even more.
6. Make the Notes
Many readers do wonder that why they doesn’t remember what they read some time ago or even yesterday. Not making notes might be one of the reasons.
Every reader must have a notebook or diary with them where the important lessons and lines must be written. It has helped me rather consistently. I am used to maintain a journal everytime I reads something interesting, if I have my journal with me.
While reading our mind learns yet we forget very soon in case we don’t try to cram it. It is human conscience.
So, make sure to maintain a diary of your books where you mention everything you learned from book, because when you write down something, it is highly likely that your brain will remember the lines you’ve written making it easy for you to remember.
And once we remember everything we read, it makes it even more fun.
7. Share it with Someone
We all love movies because most of us do watch them regularly and only few of them reads books. It is because we can share our reviews of movies and relate our views about that movie with someone else.
Therefore, sharing the lessons of the book with someone else always helps. While you share what you learned, you teach them and teaching is the best way to learn something thoroughly.
I love sharing my experience and knowledge with others, because it helps me revisit that book and helps me to enjoy it even more.
Involving others in my experience of books helps me even more to read more books, others have read.
These are the 7 strategies which I used constantly to develop a reading habit and enjoy reading all kinds of books. Since that time, I have never looked back and have devoted my time to experience the thoughts of different authors and enjoy the different stories either fiction or non-fiction.
In case, these strategies doesn’t work out for you, you can try different strategies suggested to me during my time written below:
8. Listen to Audiobooks
I do not prefer audio books. Though I started listening to one but didn’t like it and never finished it because I like reading as opposed to audio books.
Yet many readers prefer audiobooks in their free time when they do not have access to books and many have developed a habit of reading books by listening to audiobooks in their free time.
You too can try out this strategy during your free time or long drive or while sleeping. You may enjoy the audiobook and then can move towards paperback editions of the book.
9. Read Critic Reviews or Book Reviews
Relating you views about a particular book with a book reviewer can help better your experience about a book.
I used to do the same while reading a book. Hearing or listening to the book reviews help me actually relate my views with that of a critic and makes me feel, I am not alone in disliking a book or liking a book.
While if the views are not alike, I can totally relate as to how they didn’t like that particular part of the book or not.
10. Choose Your Place of Reading
While some readers prefer reading outside under a sunny weather while some prefer it indoors. For me I like to read in a quite place in a room mostly just before bedtime as I am free of my day’s work and study and free of all tensions.
You can try it for yourself with a slow music. It feels good while reading. Many readers have tried reading with book and found it amusing.
Who knows it may work out for you. Indoors or outdoors depends on you totally wherever you feel comfortable.
11. Setting up a Mood
Setting up a mood with different ingredients is necessary for everyone. I like to sit comfortably in bed with 2 pillows behind me along with a journal. It sets me up for a nice little reading.
Every individual prefers different settings as per their comfort needs.
I heard it somewhere a while ago when a reader was talking for setting up scented candles in a room for better experience or using essential oils for scent to set a different kind of mood.
I never heard of that before neither tried it. However, this may become your mood setting.
Conclusion
Reading is an art as I said before in my previous post, yet to uncover this art we must enjoy reading books. Without adoring a book, we cannot expect to enjoy it.
Books are a great source of information which helps us in growing as we need to change ourselves in this ever-changing world to meet with our expectations.
Read anything you like, either fiction or non-fiction or academic books or magazines, just make sure you read to help you in different aspects of life. Just pick a book and start reading for at least 20 minutes a day.
