By Bashir Aliyu Limanci
Reading, as some experts acknowledge, is an habit that makes a person stand out from crowds, and several experiments have shown that reading expands a reader’s horizon. The declining reading habit in Nigeria has underscored everything that is wrong with the way our people think and behave.
However, people have become a little distracted, making it more likely that people can lay their hands on wrong books or titles that are not exactly related to the kinds of books that should be on their reading list at all.
Therefore, here are five steps to help you develop an effective reading habit in a distracted world:
- Read a book that is relevant to your life or career
Anytime you visit a bookstore, the first thing that likely comes to your mind is, this is a great opportunity to stock up and equip yourself with as many suspenseful books as possible. But the truth about reading is, not everything is worth buying. for example, as you grow older, career challenges, finance, family and interpersonal issues are likely to weigh heavily on your health and overall performance in life. In this case, you should note that Nigeria is not located in Europe or America, and the policies and success stories that you read that worked out in America and Europe may not necessarily work out here in Nigeria. So buying made in Nigeria books is an ideal way to restrict your mind to books that are relevant to you. The most interesting fact about Nigeria is it is a home to some of the best writers whose works have fared well in different parts of the world. So don’t hesitate to patronize Nigerian books. They are quite relevant to you.
2. Read even one page a day
The power of habit should never be underestimated. To develop an effective reading habit, you need to be patient by assigning yourself a task to read even one page a day. Modern work life and social media have made it even harder for people to allocate time for books. So how can you stay focused and develop reading habit in a distracted world? The thing about reading is the deeper you cruise into a book, the stronger the chance that you would develop a habit of reading more than one page, and that the more you stay engrossed in its pleasurable exercise. I developed my reading habit by forcing myself to read a book even if I am not mentally ready to read. This is because I always focus on the rewards and benefits of reading books. This is what has enabled me to read at least 50 pages everyday.
3. Join book clubs
Sometimes, getting in touch with your fellow bookworms is a blessing. By frequenting visits to the libraries where public readings are being organized would whet your appetite for books, exposing you to arts aficionados and talented artists from different walks of life. Joining book clubs has been described by the likes of William Faulkner, Stephen King and Virginia Wolf as a habit that gradually turns a person into a voracious reader. In Nigeria, there exists book clubs in every state. So, you won’t struggle to get in touch with like-minds.
4. Engage your family members
Sometimes, being able to cleave to reading habit as a parent is a challenge given the fact that children and exigency of the office means you have little time be alone and read books. The truth is engaging your family members such as your spouse and kids can go along way in inculcating the virtues of reading habit in children. Multiple researches have shown that children who are being read to grow up being passionate about reading books. To help your kids develop passion for books and positive attitude towards reading culture, read to your kids before they go to bed, and encourage them to read by incentivizing them with toys and souvenirs anytime they round off a book.
5. Read one book at a time
One of the biggest obstacles for budding readers is procrastination. They buy books hoping to read them one after another, but don’t be surprised if you end up losing interest in the books before you even open them, hoping to one day set aside time to read. The fact that our brains are susceptible to developing resistance which is caused by negative thoughts and feelings, fear of rejection and criticism. To overcome procrastination, it is recommended that you stick to one book at a time to enable you to assess your progress which would further motivate you to read more without having to hum and haw over reading many books at a time, making it easy to lose interest in the reading in the long run.
It is interesting to note that a habit is always a work in progress. We can only develop a reading habit if we learn to stick to these strategies for a long period of time. Read, read and never stop reading.
