Do you have a new year’s resolution to read more books in 2023? If you are anything like most people you’ll start a book, get halfway through, put the book down, and never pick it back up again.
With the number of things competing for our attention every day it can be hard to find the time to start a book and finish, let alone read multiple every month.
In this article we will talk 6 tips on how how to read and finish more books in 2023:
- Pick books you are interested in
- Pick books with pages between 100-300
- Choose to read over watching tv-social media-video game
- Read 10 pages as soon as you wake up
- Read 10 pages right before you go to bed
- Just Stick With It
Pick books you are interested in
Have you ever been recommended or given a book by someone else, and you decided to read it, to find out that it isn’t your cup of tea and you cast it aside because it was boring or didn’t tickle your fancy?
Maybe you bought a book thinking it looked good and everyone has been raving about it but for some reason you couldn’t even get 50 pages in without being bored.
Some people have acquired the ability to read whatever books come their way, even if it is something they aren’t completely interested in. They have mastered the skill of reading for learning, instead of reading for enjoyment.
Just because you don’t have that skill now doesn’t mean you can’t acquire it yourself.
Before you start diving into 800-page novels or reading a dictionary to learn, I would suggest you start reading books on topics that you enjoy.
Ask yourself these 3 questions
- 1. What are my hobbies?
- 2. What is one thing I want to change in my life today?
- 3. What is a skill I’d like to learn?
These 3 questions will help you build a basis of what sort of topic you are looking for to narrow down your search. You will also be more excited to read it daily to ensure that you will finish.
Pick books with pages between 100-300
The second step when you are getting into reading, is to pick by page number. The last thing you want to do is purchase a book with 500 – 800 pages, you can almost guarantee you are not going to finish it in a timely manner.
The sweet spot is between 100 to 300 pages. Think about it, if it is a 300-page book, to finish it in a week you would only need to read about 43 pages a day. 20 pages in the morning, 20 pages at night.
When you hold a book in your hand that is 800 pages and you start reading, even if you get 50 pages in it still seems like you haven’t made a dent. When you hold a 200-page book and you look at it, you’ll think I made a good dent in this book and can’t wait to read 50 more. By then you will be halfway through the book.
Moral of the story, don’t pick the biggest books on the shelf. Pick something you can handle at first and work your way up.
Choose to read over watching tv-social media-video games
Many of us fill our days with tv, scrolling on our phones, and playing video games. Although there isn’t anything wrong with that but if your goal is to read more books, you may need to rethink how you are spending your time.
According to ExplodingTopics.com the average person spends 3.5 hours on their phone every day. Yup, you read that right, 3.5 hours!
If you were to take 30 minutes a day, you could probably knock out 20 pages of a book you are reading and still have 3 hours to fiddle with the phone.
Now some people spend 3.5 hours on their phone, then watch another hour or 3 of tv, and then go hop in an online squad game for a few hours.
If that is you, no shame, just focus on doing better. Which I am sure is the reason why you are reading this right now, so good job!
Now don’t get it twisted. You don’t have to give up all your time in your pursuit to read more. Simply set aside some time in the morning and before you go to bed to knock out a few pages.
Read 10 pages as soon as you wake up
How can you read in the morning when you’ve got so much to do?
Simple answer: wake up earlier.
It is easier said than done, that is for sure. It is a well-known fact that reading in the morning has amazing benefits for you like:
- Retention: You actually retain more information when you read right when you wake up because your brain is refreshed and ready to start a new day. Make it a daily habit.
- Goals: if you have a goal to read more, you can literally check it off your list and you know what that means right? You are a highly successful goal achiever and that will have major influence on your day.
- Mood: You can highly influence your mood and attitude toward the day. If you are someone who wakes up grouchy and isn’t a morning person, then start reading when you wake up and you will be amazed at how your life will change by just doing one simple act
You can read more about how starting your day with some learning can benefit you throughout your day and in your life here: Basmo.app
Read 10 pages right before you go to bed
Do you have trouble sleeping at night?
Often times when we lay our heads down to sleep, our minds are flooded with the stresses of the day we just had and the day to come. This allows your mind to continuously wander and it is very difficult to fall asleep when your mind isn’t calm.
Many people like to grab their phone as soon as they lay down to scroll through social media feeds as a reward and relaxation technique. The fact is cell phones before bed actually stimulate your brain causing you to have difficulties falling asleep.
Reading, however, actually has the opposite effect. According to Headspace. Reading before will help you reduce mental chatter, help your brain fall into a quiet relaxed state, and allow you to drift off to sleep. You can read more about better habits right before bed here 3 Easy Steps Fall Asleep Faster At Night
If you can knock out 10-20 pages before bed every night throughout the month you can finish a book quickly.
Just Stick With It
“Habits are the compound interest of self-improvement” That is from James Clear who wrote The Atomic Habits
Just like we wish our investments to compound and grow, we should wish that our knowledge can compound and grow. No matter what stage you are at in life, reading is healthy for the body, mind, and soul. These little habits that we form each day will allow you to compound your knowledge, and even though they seem small, 365 days from now you will look back and realize how much you learned and grew.
Question is do you want to look back a year from now and say “I should of read more.” Or do you want to look back and say, “I read 52 books this year and I am damn proud of that”?
If you start a book, just stick with it until you finish. The great thing is, if you don’t like the book you can always get another when you are done. You control what you accept as knowledge and truth. If something doesn’t resonate with your beliefs or what you are trying to accomplish, throw it aside and only retain the things that are conducive to you dreams.
Conclusion
Key take aways:
- Pick books you are interested in
- Pick books with pages between 100-300
- Choose to read over watching tv-social media-video game
- Read 10 pages as soon as you wake up
- Read 10 pages right before you go to bed
- Just Stick With It
The only person who can do it for you is yourself. Try not to look for excuses or put blame on anything or anyone. You oversee your life, and you control what you do. If reading more books throughout the year is a new year’s resolution you have, then do it!
Life is far too serious to let bad habits rule. Create new ones, ones that will push you, and ones that will help you get to where you are going.
They key to making lasting change and creating new habits, is a desire. Don’t let the fire in your belly burn out over time. Remember the feeling that came over you to read more, hold it with you, and call upon it when you are feeling unmotivated. You got this!