10 ways to develop reading habit

You all will agree, reading is an exercise for our brain. It helps us learn and discover new words and phrases. Reading improves our concentration and focus.

At any given point in time, you might feel that you need special classes and lessons to improve your reading, but that’s not the best solution. You can improve your reading skills by yourself. Just streamline your schedule and devise a strategy. This blog shares 10 strategies to help you to inculcate reading habit.

1. Make reading a part of your regular routine:  Introduce reading in your daily schedule and make it a point to read articles, journals, news items from various sources. Regular reading improves your vocabulary and word usage ability, thereby boosting your confidence and self-esteem. Reading not only makes you academically strong but is also a great stress buster.
2. Develop interest: To develop interest in reading, start with magazines, articles or books of your interest.  This will entice you to read more and hence improve your grammar and vocabulary. Similarly, you can pick up books by your favorite author. Once you get along with the flow, pick up books, magazines and journals on diversified topics.
3. Make reading fun, not frustrating: It is a common thought that one is more effective and innovative in a playful and pressure free approach. Same applies to reading. At the mental emotional level, it should not be something that frustrates you.
4. Begin with short exercises: Begin with modern short prose to develop a regular habit. Starting with “the classic” right away is not a good option.
5. Avoid apprehending every word: The main idea is that you should be able to comprehend the overall meaning of the sentence/paragraph. Going into the literal meaning of each word can demoralize you and shun your interest in reading.
6. Try reading a particular thing more than once: Once you have completed one article, book or any document, always try to read it again a few weeks or months later. This will improve your comprehending ability and will help you to understand the words you missed earlier.
7. Try to supercharge your reading speed: Your focus while reading should not only be to improve your lexicon or vocabulary. You should aim to enhance your reading speed. One of the reasons why people read slowly or have trouble improving their reading speed is sub-vocalization.
8. Search for translations of particular word:  The best practice to improve your vocabulary is to keep a dictionary while reading. Look for words that appear frequently and are very difficult to understand.
9. Look for an online tutor: When you think of developing a reading habit, you can always engage with a couple of websites that offer online tutor services. Once you are comfortable, you can carry the task of reading by yourself.
10. Do not break the routine: Manage your time, improve your concentration and focus but make sure you do not break your daily routine of reading. On a particular day, if you are unable to devote time to reading, take out at least a couple of minutes if not a few hours.

To conclude, reading is an enjoyable activity. Importantly, think it is enjoyable, to begin with it. Hope this post entices you to take it up as a habit.