How to Develop a Habit of Reading Books

Books are the best friends, a person can have, but only if they are utilized. These books are of no significance if their sole purpose is to decorate the shelves and accumulate dust. The biggest sources of motivation (in the real world) cannot be ignored for a long period of time by someone who seriously possesses a progressive mind-set. A common argument that is posed upfront is the variable need and the lack of motivation, for reading the books (among the populaces). Motivation is something that gets you started, but habit is what keeps you going- Jim Ryun. Technically, motivation can be assumed to have a wave-structure because, the intensity and amount of motivation can rise or fall due to many uncontrolled external factors. So, it is best advised to make the task (reading books) easy enough that it does not require any further motivation and what better way, than to develop it into a habit! No one can argue with the fact that, consistency is the key, to develop a habit, which is well complemented by the 21-90 rule. The 2 main reasons for reading a book are, genuine interest and necessity. Some people read books just for the sake of fun and enjoyment but that reason is enough for them to keep them going. The other category of people, is those who read books often, due to their work-life necessities, which arise due to their daily life requirements, about knowledge or other research-based purposes which forms an ultimate necessity. The best way to develop a habit is to identify our own category (by self -analysis) and to start reading. To successfully get into the groove we also need to abandon the All or Nothing Mentality, i.e. we need to keep reading consistently by staying in the safe zone (sustainable zone) rather than wandering off, in the laziness or the excessive burnout zones (read equivalent portions daily-not more not less because-It will be hard enough if you go fast enough Going ahead with this technique we can also follow an effective, initialized reading pattern. The methodology which is considered as most effective, is the book week methodology which goes as follows: Step1: Give yourself a treat of a 7-day Book Carnival wherein you pick up a book of your interest and read a few sections (this will give us a basic idea about the language, depth and the convincing power of the author.) Step 2: Repeat this process for 7 days (picking up a book of different genre every day). Step 3: Take a 2-day break to analyse that, skipping from which book, to the next day was most difficult (choose your favourite book). Step 4: The genre that you find most convincing at the end of the week is your unprecedented entry pass into the world of reading. Step 5: First, complete the book that you chose and read a couple more books of the same genre. Step 6: You have now acquired the liberty to chose your next book from the same genre or explore other categories as well. Step 7: Follow this habit consistently for at least 3-5 weeks. If all these steps are taken care of, then you are officially Welcome to the world of Reading!!! - By Dhairya Chawda (CAT Batch 2002)