Beyond Sunday Worship

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5 Proven Tips For Reading More In 2012

I kind of hate New Years resolutions.

Yes, I love the beginning of a new year and the new start it proposes, but resolutions just don’t work. We start off strong for a week, maybe two, possibly of month. Then we’re back, trapped in our old habits.

While this isn’t a post about ALL your new year’s resolutions, it is a post about one: reading. You’ve heard your whole life that you should read, yet if you’re like most people, it’s a struggle.

Do you want to make a change in 2012? Yea, me too.

Photo Credit: stock.xchng (nkzs)

For most of my life, I’ve started off the year with a long list of great books to read.

At the end of the year, that nice list is still there, mocking my laziness.

What happened to the rest of the year? Well, I guess I’ll have to wait until next year to start again.

Sounds silly, but it’s the way many of us operate. When we don’t kick off the new year with success, our entire year seems to fade into the oblivion of crushed expectations.

We all have intentions to read, but it never happens. What are the excuses we use?

  • I don’t have enough time
  • I don’t know what to read
  • I lose interest
  • I’m distracted

I understand the dilemma because I live it. I love to read but oftentimes I’m too busy, have too many book choices on my Kindle, and can’t keep myself away from Twitter in order to concentrate.

5 Tips For Reading More

If you’re tired of not reading and want to do something about it, read on.

1. Don’t wait for the perfect atmosphere

Many of us resist reading because of the expectation we hold in our subconcious.

Coffee? Yes, there must be coffee. There also must be a very comfortable chair with soothing music and a beautiful view out a massive bay window. Mountains? Yes, the view must be of mountainous terrain or a limitless beach.

Point being, don’t wait for the perfect atmosphere. Just read.

Have 5 minutes on the bus? In the waiting room at the doctor’s office? Pull out your book and read a page or two. Develop the habit of reading during your downtime. I guarantee you’ll discover hours of time you never thought you had.

2. Get an easy to use device

No, you don’t need a Kindle in order to read. But it helps. Having all your books handy in a great portable device helps you defeat the resistance to not reading.

This doesn’t have to cost you money. If you have a computer, download the free Kindle app. There’s a mac version and a PC version. Get it for your smartphone as well. If you’re a book purist, buy a physical copy. That is still OK 🙂

The goal here is to have your books with you wherever you are.

3. Read faster

Yes, you heard me. Faster. Comprehend as best you can, but I advocate quick reading because slow reading fuels your resistance to never finish. Here’s how I recommend you read a book:

  • Read through the entire book quickly, underlining and taking notes as you go
  • Re-read the book, reading only your underlined portions
  • Write a summary. I recommend Michael Hyatt’s “book net-out” system.

Reading this way will encourage you to finish and comprehend what you’re reading.

4. Limit other forms of entertainment

If you say you don’t have time to read, I don’t believe you. You simply are not making the time. We all have more time wasters than we’re even aware of. Here are some tips to cut back on time wasters:

  • Delete the games on your smartphone. Read instead. A nice way to kill temptation 🙂
  • Discontinue cable for a month and challenge yourself to read every night. If you finish the month and feel you need cable, no shame. But at least try reading every night for a month.
  • Start a small book club with some friends or even just your spouse. Read a book a month and then meet to talk about it. Accountability is oh, so precious.

5. Escape your comfort zone

Many of us resist reading because we’re stuck in a rut of the same. Subconciously, we’re bored with reading the same genres. Who said you have to read one type of book?

Try this. Read something that you would never normally read. If you’re used to reference books or how-to reading, try some fiction. If you’re used to fiction, pick up a theology book. You may just discover a love you never knew you had.

I hope these tips help you read more in 2012.

If anything, you’ll never reach the end of a year and say, “Man, I wish I would have read less and watched more TV.”

Question: How do you plan to fight distraction and read more in 2012? Let us know in the comments!

Comments

  1. Chris Banks says

    Satan accuses us of our failures. God reminds us of our future in Christ. Paul said, “Leaving thise things that are behind, I press toward the mark…” That’s the starting point of change. Read the Bible daily is number two. It changes us from the heart outward. And three, avoid things entering thru our eyes, ears and mouths that defile our hearts even more. Then God gives us “the desires of our hearts”, meaning He puts His heart in us with greater capacity to want what He wants for us and the battle over “the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak” begins to turn around. Happy New Year!

  4. Rhonda Sue Davis says

    Reading the New Yorker or National Geographic in the waiting room is a treat.
    I know a pair of busy parents who got books they want to read for Christmas, but don’t think they will get to them for some time, and by that time, their copy may be on lost in the shelves somewhere.
    Might cover more ground in bits or while in transit if they used Audible (books on audio) or kindle downloads, as well as toting around that book on the shelf they got for the holidays.
    I like the audible versions, as I do the monthly plan for $16.95 and I can save the credits up and buy when I want at quite a discount. Sometimes there is a bonus in hearing a book read aloud by the author themselves, one of them being I can fold the laundry, do the dishes, work out, or cook dinner while it is running. And on the monthly plan, I am budgeted, planned, and could read or share with my kids up to twelve titles a year we do not have on our shelves or at the local library.
    Local libraries are upping to the new formats too, so you might be able to get books in the downloadable formats too. Our local library is doing that, and the beauty of the digital versions is, no late fees or gas to pick up and drop off the materials.

    • David Santistevan says

      I’ve been wanting to experiment more with audio books but haven’t fully taken the plunge yet. Do they only operate on a monthly “plan” or can you buy individual books?

      • Rhonda Sue Davis says

        I do a monthly plan to keep it easy & convenient and on my schedule for choosing titles, but you can always buys the books or use credits anytime by going to the audible site. Here is a link to the site I use.

        http://www.audible.com/

        I think a blog post from Seth Godin got me started on this one. A lot of great titles seem to be available in the audio format and I sure get through these titles a lot quicker than my kindle downloads. Audio versions are on Amazon too for most titles these days. Audio is nicefor people on the go who don’t care to sit still much or are stuck in a spot and have time to wait. And for putting 10 yr old boys to bed when they are not sleepy enough yet…

  5. Kevin Riner says

    I set a goal last year of fifteen and read thirty two books. How’d I do it? I turned off the tv. I made it mandatory at 9:00 when the youngun went to bed, the tv went off too and I read. I also read like you said in between things like when I was waiting. I always carried a book with me so I could read when given the chance.

    Oh and I also wrote a fifteen chapter book too. 🙂

  6. Glenda says

    So…have you been peeking in my window? I happen to be on vacation this week from my other job, and I…don’t have time, I mean.. you know what I mean. I absolutely LOVE to read, but for some reason, I can’t find the motivation to finish reading this book that I really want and need to read (our team starts it in two weeks, so I need to read it all the way through first, especially since I have MANDATED it lol) Worship On Earth As It Is In Heaven by Rory Noland. Anywhoo… I enjoy reading your posts immensely; but I supposed I should go read this book now. Ok. Going. Buh bye.

  7. David says

    David, I like the first paragraph a lot. This year I decided I’m not using a resolution list and its been a battle inside me wether or not I should. But I just learnt from the 1st paragraph that not putting together a resolution does not necesarily mean you don’t have goals.
    And on my reading list for 2012, well I’m yet to put together one but I’ll certainly do in the next few weeks.

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