Why I Decided to Create a Reading Habit (and How You Can Too)

   Hello all! Happy end of February! I am so glad that I am writing to you now with our coldsnap done and over, and that the days are warming up and getting longer, giving me waaayyy too much hope for springtime. We still have March to go so I really shouldn't get too excited about the snow melting and temperatures rising just yet. 

  But despite some of the bone-chilling cold, the global pandemic still wreaking havoc in most people's daily lives, 2021 has so far been an overall successful couple of months on my end. I've got a lot of work to keep me occupied in my day jobs, and I'm actually AHEAD in my writing goals, I've even been getting regularly into my sketchbook again! But one of my favorite accomplishments from the year so far has been the amount of reading I am getting done. 

  The last couple of years have been pretty dismal for me on the reading front, which has disappointed me to no end. In 2019 and 2020 I didn't even meet my very manageable Goodreads goals. Well, I decided this year that was going to change. Though I set my Goodreads goal to a meager 25 books, I fully intend to surpass that. By how much? I have no idea! I know the year will only get busier as the weather improves and my workload piles up along with it, but I am confident that I will not only accomplish my goal, but go far beyond it!

  I have started off strong with 10 books completed and an 11th in motion, and I have definitely felt a lot better for it. I am a bookworm. When I get sucked into a book, not much can break my focus. Especially when I was young and had the luxury of simply reading constantly, with no interruptions from work or adult life. There is honestly something so therapeutic in that, and so relaxing. I am incredibly thankful that I made this change in my life. 

  So, why the change?

  I changed my reading habit simply because I decided to. Honestly, when it comes to habits, that's really all there is to it. I want to read more, so I am. But why have I even bothered trying to read more when there are so many other things in my life I need to do?

  Well, there are multiple reasons why I decided to do this:

• Because reading is part of writing.
• Because reading helps me focus, and retrains my brain from the endless scrolling and short-term entertainment from phones. 
• Because there are so many stories I want to read.
• Because there are so many stories I want to reread.
• Because there are things I want to learn. 
• Because it helps me "escape" in a healthy, constructive way.
• Because it fuels my creativity.
• Because my TBR will kill me if I don't start making a dent in it.
• Because I want to challenge myself. 
• Because I want to be inspired.

  Those are just a few of the reasons I decided to pick up my reading habit once again. And I can already see a huge improvement in myself in just these couple of months, making a dedicated effort to fit more and more books into my schedule. I have also already discovered some pretty awesome new series and authors, and that is it's own reward (Holly Black's Folk of the Air trilogy, anyone???) 

  But how do you create a reading habit?

  Well, after you decide that you really want to do this, here are a few of my biggest tips for making a reading habit, and more importantly, making it stick. 

#1 SET GOALS 

  A Goodreads goal is a great place to start! Make it as big or small as you like, record what you've read, and feel the dopamine rush as you begin to fill your quota for the year! I love having a Goodreads goal and keeping track of my books on there, it streamlines everything and really helps you get pumped up to read and read. 

#2 READ WHAT YOU WANT

  The quickest way to kill a reading spree is to attempt to force yourself into or through a book that you really don't click with. If you're struggling to get through your TBR, and the next book you pick up is Les Miserables, you might have a hard time getting through it (unless you're a weirdo who really likes giant, wordy classics and reads them as compulsively as others might read crime novels). If you're having a hard time getting yourself into a reading mode, don't try to do it with a book you won't enjoy. If there's something catching your eye, read that! Read whatever you want to and don't try to fill some mysterious expectation of your own making.

#3 READ WHAT YOU LOVE

  If there's an old favorite that you've been through a dozen times, don't hesitate to pick that up when you're in a slump! Don't feel bad for going back to something familiar, a reread is still a read! As long as you're reading, who cares that you've already read it 27 times?

#4 BETA READ

  If you have a bit of an eye for editing and are up for new adventures, why not try beta-reading or ARC reading a brand new release? If you love seeing things before anyone else, this could be a great option to get you really excited and into a book. Bonus points: you'll be seriously helping an author put MORE books out into the world. Who wouldn't want to be a part of that process?

PS. I am often on the lookout for beta and ARC readers, so if you like anything I've written, I would love to have you on my team someday. ;) 

#5 BE INSPIRED

  Follow other book-worms on your social platforms and keep an eye on what they are reading! This is 85% of how I find out about new books, which ones to try and which to avoid, plus seeing people's reviews, bookstagram photos, and bookish merch always gets me ramped up to dive into a new story! Let yourself go where the wind, and the tides of bookstagram, take you!

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:

My Most Beloved Fictional Tropes (And Why They're Amazing)

My Best Books of 2020

Favorite Tropes to Read - A Guest Post by Hanne T

LET'S TALK. 

  There you have it! The whys and hows of my new and improved Reading Habit! How has your reading life been in 2021? I assume that if you're here, you are also a bookworm, haha. Do you have a favorite read from this year already? Let me know in the comments below!