Many of us promise ourselves that this is the month that we will finally get back into reading. From forming a book club with our friends to taking trips to the bookstore, these are great first steps to getting back into this habit. But after the first few chapters, work starts to pick up and calendars fill with endless activities. Then there’s the carpool, the meal planning and the laundry. Slowly, our excitement about our new literary find gets lost in the hustle, and before we know it, we are googling a summary of the book so we have something to talk about at book club.
Want to make a habit that sticks? Try these five easy tips to hit the books and keep the pages flying!
Ask for Recommendations
The most important step toward becoming a true book worm is finding books that you actually enjoy reading. Oftentimes, we resort to reading whatever is on the bestseller list for the week without doing any exploration of our own. Talk to your friends, search websites such as Goodreads for book recommendations, or look up popular authors in the genre of your choice. When you find a book you enjoy, it’s going to be a lot more difficult to put it down!
Set Weekly Checkpoints for Yourself
It’s unrealistic to expect to finish a book cover to cover in just a matter of days. Setting small goals for yourself will help to keep yourself in check and ensure that you’re making progress. Mark these weekly checkpoints with sticky notes to help you track your pace.
Find a Bookworm Buddy
While book clubs are a fantastic way to socialize with friends, book discussions often get buried in the flurry of planning, gossip, snacks and cocktails. Instead, try to find one friend to buddy up with who will read the book with you at the same or similar pace. Have weekly discussions about your favorite part. It’s a lot easier to get excited about reading when you have somebody to talk about it with!
Replace Your Scrolling With Page Turning
It’s easy to get sucked into the endless cycle of social media scrolling. Instead, download an e-reader app so your books are just as accessible as your favorite social platforms. Now you can pass the time waiting in line or riding the train with reading. It’s a great way to squeeze in a few extra pages in the spare minutes of your day.
Log Your Reads
Find a fun way to show off your book progress! Journal your thoughts about your favorite scenes from the book. Post to your social media about what you’ve read. You can also download tracker apps on your phone, such as StoryGraph. This is a great way to track how many pages you’ve read throughout the year while also providing you with recommendations for what to read next!
