Building a Reading Habit: Practical Steps to Read More Books
Reading should be a fun, leisurely activity, but why does it feel like a chore? Join us as we walk through some tips on how to build up your reading habits!
When was the last time you read a book or an article that wasn't about the medical field? Can't remember? We know how you feel. It seems like reading was always something we "had to do," whether for Accelerated Reading (AR) points in middle school, assigned textbook chapters in high school/college, or clinical trials for topic discussions and presentations.
What happened to reading for fun?
If you are a paid subscriber who keeps up with our monthly recap posts, you may be familiar with the lists of books that our RxTeach founders include in their personal thoughts section. Admittedly, reading for fun did not begin until after the completion of fellowship and residency. This doesn't mean YOU cannot start incorporating leisure reading into your day-to-day!
This article will include some tips and strategies to increase your reading habit (or start building one). Thank you to a dear colleague and extremely avid reader, Emily Marler, PhD, who contributed her thoughts and advice to this post. See the bottom of this article for her short biography.
Let's get into it!
There are 9 tips/tricks we recommend to enhance your reading frequency. Click on each tip to expand that section and learn more!
***Our #1 Tip: Audiobooks
RxTeach authors:
- Super useful when completing house chores, baking, cooking, walking, driving/traveling, etc. This is where I get the MOST of my "reading" time.
- I make it a point to take a walk during lunch every day at work when it is nice outside. This is 20-30 minutes I dedicate to my health and my audiobooks. I usually listen on 1.75x speed.
- Listen during exercise! This one for me is hit or miss. Sometimes on long rides outside I can put on an audiobook, but unless I am REALLY into the book, I can't listen to audiobooks during a run/ride. I enjoy the flambouancy of podcasts, more! But everyone is different 😄
Dr. Marler:
- To add here, also when crafting/crocheting/knitting, specifically when working on a consistent pattern and you can mentally focus on the audiobook.
- Tip: Not all narrators are enjoyable to listen to, so don't force yourself to listen to someone whose voice you dislike!
Join a Book Club, or Start Your Own!
RxTeach authors:
- Book clubs and accountability partners!
- I have a friend group back in IL that participates in monthly book clubs. They also have themes for their meetings based on the book they all read. It looks SO FUN and I wish I had something similar! This extra motivation helps the group continue to read (even if it is a book they might not particularly enjoy) while making a social event and creative discussion about it!
- To add to this, I recently met a friend out here in VA who is a part of a small book club. She invited me to join and I am so excited!
Dr. Marler:
- Libraries tend to have multiple book clubs that are genre-specific, so usually there is something for everyone.
- Independent bookstores may also have their own book clubs.
- Make your own! Choose a genre or just general fiction and invite friends, even if it’s a one-time thing. You could also create a Facebook or Meetup group dedicated to your book club and create an event. This is easier to do with a theme/genre.
- I once found a walking book club at my local library and that was a fun way to read more books while also making friends and exercising.
- Even if you and one other friend want to read the same book, do it together and plan a date to discuss it!
Ask for Suggestions to Get Started
Dr. Marler:
- Have friends, co-workers, peers, or librarians/bookstore workers make suggestions based on what you’ve enjoyed reading.
- Sometimes the hardest part about reading for me is finding books that I think I’ll enjoy, so I often take recommendations from friends. However, libraries generally offer a service where they will provide recommendations, too!
- I’ve also been to bookstores and have been recommended books based on one or two books I’ve enjoyed.
Use an App to Track Your Progress and Set Goals
RxTeach authors:
- Calendar/Plan: Many lifestyle, habit, and fitness challenges have a task on the checklist of "read 10 pages a day." This may sound small, insignificant, and easy, but once you start practicing the "at least 10 pages every day" habit, you'll find it's rather difficult. Especially when you are about to go to bed exhausted and you realize you didn't read that day. What do you do? Enforce discipline and read, or tell yourself "I will read 20 pages tomorrow?" Regardless, this new habit is getting yourself into the planning aspect of setting aside time to read, even if it is only 10 pages.
Dr. Marler:
- Use an app like Goodreads to keep track of your progress and set a goal for the number of books you want to read in a year. This can be a good way to keep yourself accountable. Goodreads and other apps will make recommendations based on books you’ve read and enjoyed. Storygraph is another app you can try.
Join a Library
Dr. Marler:
- Libraries are an excellent way to read a lot for FREE! And there are so many ways to read at the library--physical copy, Kindle, on your phone, audiobook, eBook, etc.
- Most libraries require a piece of mail to verify your local address and a form of ID. That's it!
- Libraries also have summer reading programs: if you read a certain amount of books from various categories, you can win prizes.
Make it a Habit to Bring a Book with You
RxTeach authors:
- Make it a habit to carry a book with you rather than setting a hard goal. You may find that having the book accessible to you will lead results in reading a few pages here and there when you have a few moments of downtime!
Dr. Marler:
- Often when we’re bored, we scroll on our phones.
- Instead, try bringing a book, or headphones for an audiobook, with you. Whenever I go to various appointments, I bring a book with me so I can pass the time reading instead of scrolling on my phone.
- You can also download reading apps on your phone (Kindle, Hoopla or Libby from your public library access, etc.) to read instead of scroll social media.
10 Pages/Minutes Before Bed
Dr. Marler:
- Make it a habit to read 10 minutes before bed! It’s much better than viewing a screen and can make you tired/more ready for bed.
Trial a Subscription on Kindle Unlimited
RxTeach authors:
- Use tech, Kindle, iBook, etc.
Dr. Marler:
- For a flat fee each month, you have access to thousands of books.
- You can try it out for a week (maybe a month?) to see if it has selections you’d be interested in.
Switch up Genres to Avoid Boredom and Burnout
RxTeach authors:
- I echo what Dr. Marler says below! I am the same way.
Dr. Marler:
- Sometimes when I read the same genre for a while, it burns me out of reading and I need a break.
- I find it helpful to switch up the genre I read so I never get used to one specific type of story.
Final Thoughts
We wrote down some thoughts that didn't necessarily fit into our advice buckets above. We will leave you with two last tips and a short video (if you prefer to listen/watch as opposed to read our entire post).
1. Self-identify as a reader
- There is research published about self-identities and how this can influence the choices we make. Take a look at the passage below for a quick explanation.
The identity-based motivation model clarifies that identity-congruent behaviors are preferred and that this preference is independent of any evaluative judgment about the value of the behavior. Once a behavior is identity-congruent, it becomes what ‘we’ do, separate from utilitarian concerns about whether it is a good or useful thing to do. Just as one's in-group may have negative attributes or make poor choices, but these choices and attributes are still in-group defining, choices can be congruent with one's personal identities, even if they are negatively evaluated. (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3079278/)
- Many of us identify as medical professionals. Through that, we gravitate towards conversations about the medical field, reading medical literature, and perhaps following social media pages about medical topics.
- I used to identify as a soccer player. I collected jerseys, always had cleats and a ball in the trunk of my car, and followed several soccer pages on Instagram. Over the last few years, I have drifted away from this "self-identification" because I don't play the game anymore. Because of this removal from identifying as a soccer player, I honestly could not tell you where the nearest soccer field is, where my cleats are, and if I still follow any Instagram pages.
- My point is if you want to build your reading habit, start self-identifying as a reader. Carry a book with you, join discussion threads, and follow social media pages on book reviews or books of the month. Manifest what you want to be, and science shows that you will become that person.
2. Don't feel like you need to finish a book if it sucks
- This one is HARD for me, but I finally "DNF'd" my first book the other day. I made it 30% in by the time I realized I really didn't enjoy it. I typically power through and finish, because I feel like I wasted time, but think of it this way: you spent some time understanding and reflecting on the book. You have opinions and thoughts, got your brain working, and realize it is not for you. Why spend MORE time finishing something 1) you don't enjoy 2) no one is tracking your progress 3) there are many other books out there to grab your attention!
- A video for our visual/audio learners:
Co-Author Bio
Emily Marler is a teaching professor at the University of Missouri St. Louis. She attended Southern Illinois University Carbondale for her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Saint Louis University for her Master’s degree and Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology with a specialization in Cognitive Neuroscience. In her downtime, Emily enjoys walking her dogs and watching questionable 80’s movies.