How to develop a taste for reading

Would you like to be that person who reads a lot of books, but can’t? Every time you try, you end up finding it boring, you have no motivation to continue and you end up not developing a taste for reading?

So, here are some tips to help you overcome this barrier to entry and create a pleasurable relationship with reading.

Remember, it’s small, consistent daily efforts that make us grow. A year from now, the version of you that reads will be incredibly superior to the version of you that doesn’t read.

The importance of developing a taste for reading

Reading is perhaps one of the habits that most distinguishes people in terms of success.

The great American writer Mark Twain said: “The man who does not read has little advantage over the man who cannot read.”

But, I understand that in a world full of distractions where we always have our cell phones within reach, it can be quite a difficult task to set aside a moment to dedicate to edifying reading.

That’s why I’ve put together 7 very objective tips for those of you who don’t have the habit yet, but want to develop a taste for reading from now on.

1) Just ten minutes

Choose a time now and set aside just ten minutes a day to dedicate to reading. It may seem difficult at first, but it’s like starting to exercise. If you can overcome the initial barrier of the first few days, it will get easier later on.

2) Create a Ritual

Have a ritual, the same time, the same place. Try to make the reading environment pleasant, have a cup of tea or coffee with you, for example.

3) Whatever works best for you

I like to read in the morning, before I start work, but for you it could be at lunchtime, at bedtime, choose whatever time works best for you.

4) Start slowly

Start with short, easy books until you develop your “mental reading muscle.” The feeling of reading the last page of a book and finishing it is very important.

5) Time to start and finish

Set a timer on your phone for ten minutes. It is important to have an exact time to start and end your reading. If you find ten minutes too short, feel free to increase it.

Just don’t be tempted to start big and then stop because you find it tiring. It’s better to do ten minutes consistently than just an hour in the first few days. A great app for this is Brain.fm.

6) Close the book without mercy

If the book is boring or tiring, don’t hesitate to stop and pick up another one! This tip is super important! In the beginning, more important than the content itself is creating the habit.

7) Don’t force yourself to read everything

Along the same lines, don’t feel obligated to read every chapter. Depending on the book, read only the chapters that really interest you.

But what books should I read?

Here’s the big question! I usually divide books into 4 categories:

1) Practical:

These are more modern, easy, hands-on books, with short chapters and practical tips that you can start applying right now. One example is “The Monk and the Executive”, by James C. Hunter.

2) Classics:

Works that have stood the test of time and, even after 50, 100, 300 years, are still successful. One example is: How to Influence People and Win Friends, by Dale Carnegie. Don’t fall into the classics before you are more prepared to read them.

3) Biographies:

These books are great sources of inspiration because they portray the stories of great personalities, their successes and virtues, as well as their failures and flaws. A good example is: As Vidas de Chico Xavier, by Marcel Couto Maior.

4) Fiction:

Fantasy, romance, religion, and spiritual works are tales and stories that make the mind dream, travel, and expand. They are excellent for escaping our daily lives for a while… Ex.: The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho.

So where should I start? With the ones that you feel most drawn to. Remember, in the beginning, your main goal is not to absorb the content of the books themselves, but to develop a taste and habit for reading!

The trick…

Reading a book for ten minutes today or tomorrow, just like meditating or exercising, won’t make any difference in your life, but the key is to see the effect it will have in the long run. Where will you be in 12 months if you dedicate yourself to reading every day compared to the version of yourself that doesn’t read? You have to be able to see the difference and the benefits you will reap, the person you will become.

The choice is yours: continue living like most people, or seek to develop yourself to become an extraordinary person, capable of achieving the things you dream of.