Books have become trendy again – were they ever not, though? One of the most popular new year’s resolutions is to read more, but that doesn’t always work out. If you want to make reading a habit and read 50 books per year, then these tips will help you!
Make a TBR list
The first step to reading is knowing what to read. Make a list of books you’d like to read in the future. Try to only include books that you’re excited about, not just books you think you should read because they’re popular. Also, don’t add too many books or else your TBR will be too long! Finally, don’t feel pressure to buy all the books on your TBR immediately. Pick one or two that you’re truly excited about. If you buy too many at once, you might end up with a lot of unread books.
Figure out how you like to read
It’s important to identify how you like to read – physical books, e-readers, or on your laptop? While all of these methods have their merits, using the method you like the most will probably help you read a lot more. If you force yourself to get into using a kindle, not only will you probably not read as much, but you’ll have wasted a lot of money! Read however you like, and don’t succumb to pressure.
Track your books
To give you a sense of achievement, you should try tracking the books you read! Apps like Goodreads or The Storygraph (this is the website I personally use!) are great ways to do this, or you can go analogue and write it in a notebook. Either way, this is a great way to stay motivated and track your progress. Also, if you do decide to track your books on a website, you can create a TBR list there!
Find your favourite genres
When tracking your books, you’ll probably notice that there’s certain types of books you read the most. Find books similar to those, because that means you’re more likely to enjoy them. You’re also more likely to want to read them, so you’ll end up reading more books! Again, apps are a great way to spot paterns in the books you like to read and to get recommendations based on your favourite books.
Set aside time to read
If reading is not already a habit you have, then you need to actively choose to read. You can’t just expect to magically form a new habit – it takes lots of hard work and forethought. Set aside around 30 minutes a day to read, since this means you can get through 20 pages a day. Make sure you put this into your calendar, or you won’t do it!
