13 Tips for Getting More Reading Done

Habits: 13 Tips for Getting More Reading Done.

Of my hundreds of happiness-project resolutions, and of the habitsI’ve tried to form, one of my very favorites is to read more.

1. Quit reading.I used to pride myself

on finishing every bookI started.

No more. Life is short.There are too many

wonderful books to read.

2. Read books you enjoy. When I’m reading a book I

love, I’m astonished by how much time I find to read. Which is another reasonto stop reading a book

you don’t enjoy.

3. Watch recorded TV. It’s much more efficient to watch recorded shows, because you skip the commercials and

control when you watch. Then you have more time to read.

4. Skim. Especially when reading newspapers andmagazines, often you getas much from skimming

as you do byleisurely reading.

5. Get calm. I have a sticky note posted in our bedroom that says, “Quiet mind.” It’s sometimes hard for me to settle down

with a book; I keep wanting to jump up and take care of some nagging task. But that’s no way to read.

Sometimes I feel like I should be reading one book when I

actually feel like reading something entirely different. Now I let myself read what I

want, because otherwise I end up reading much less.

6. Don’t fight your inclinations.

7. Always havesomething to read.

Never go anywhere empty-handed. It’s a great comfort.

8. Maintain a big stack.I find that I read much more when I have

a pile waiting for me.

9. Choose your own books.Books make wonderful gifts – both to receive and to give –but I try not to let myself feel pressured to read a book just

because someone has given it to me.

10. Set aside time to readtaxing books.

For Better Than Before, my book about habit-formation,

I tried a new reading habit, “Study.” Every weekend, I

spend time in “study” reading — which covers books that I find fascinating, but that are demanding, and that I might

put down and neglectto pick up again.

And finally, some tips fromgreat writers and readers:

11. Randall Jarrell:“Read at whim! Read at whim!”

12. Henry David Thoreau:“Read the best books first,

otherwise you’ll findyou do not have time.”

13. Samuel Johnson:“What we read with inclination

makes a much stronger impression. If we read without

inclination, half the mind is employed in fixing the attention;

so there is but one half to be employed on what we read.”

Download My FreeHabits Manifesto

Learn more tips for a happier life and healthier habits at GretchenRubin.com

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