Reading Habits

Quick Ways to Build Your Reading Habits

Although written and spoken language are very similar, there are differences, particularly in how our brains process visual versus verbal language.  The more you exercise the connections between your visual and linguistic centers in your brain, the easier it becomes to organize your thoughts on the page.

Unfortunately, not everyone has time to sit down and just read a novel.  And let's be real: some of the assigned reading you get is just really f***ing boring.

So what do you do?  How do you start reading more during your free time?  Here are my tips:

• Read what you care about.  If it doesn't interest you, then find something else to read.  Whether your read relationship advice columns or comic books, every word you take in will give you a better feel for written language.  Even doomscrolling through a long list of social media status updates will build those word muscles in your brain.

• Replace some video time with reading.  It's hard, I know — all those short viral clips are just so d*** entertaining.  And 24/7 video streaming means you can watch whatever you want, whenever you want.  But life is short — we have only so many hours in the day.  If you're watching a couple hours of YouTube each day, consider reading for ten minutes before switching to YouTube.  Maybe tomorrow it'll be fifteen minutes.  Read whatever you want, and work your way up to reading a bit more each week.

• Read to your children.  Family responsibilities can be very draining — and you can't just ignore your kids to go read a book.  So blend the two!  Whether you're reading picture books to your toddler or The Hunger Games to your middle-schooler, everyone wins.  Until your middle schooler dubs you President Snow and then tears apart every district of your home.

Deep Dive: How to Increase Your Daily Reading

One of the biggest problems I see among students is difficulty reading.  It's not that my students can't read, and it's not that they don't have the vocabularly — but some struggle when I assign something challenging.

If you read very often, an assigned book feels like having a muscle that's out of practice — your brain get real sore, real fast.  And reading is different from listein  If you don't read regularly, then your eyes and brain will struggle when faced with longer paragraphs and harder words.  This ties back to the neurology of language — your ability to use and enjoy words depends on your ability to process them.

Read for Fun

So how do you get better at reading?  First, read whatever the hell you want.  Reading is just like exercise — the more you read, the easier it gets.  It doesn't matter whether you walk, run, or do Tai Chi — any physical activity will make you stronger.  Likewise, it doesn't matter whether you read novels, poems, or horoscopes — every word you read trains your brain to process those letters on the page.  Seriously — don't listen to those who insist "you should be reading x book," or "reading x is a waste of time."  Every single word you read will help you read better.

That said, cross-training helps.  For example:

• Novels enhance your ability to follow complex stories, and they normally follow the grammatical standards you need for college writing.

• Poems give you a feel for the rhythms of language.

• Comic Books vividly display the relationships between action and dialogue.

• Status Updates build emotional connections with your friends while keeping you in-the-know on the latest slang.  Also, if you want language that keeps it 100, status updates will do that.

Ways to Increase Your Daily Reading

But what if you haven't been reading much?  How do you get back into it?  Here are my suggestions:

1. Don't Blame Yourself!  Thanks to online streaming, our normal communication styles have become very visual and multimodal.  Also, you likely have responsibilities with work, family, and just trying to get by.  Trying to fit in reading can feel like a lot, and that's why I recommend starting small.

2. Start Small: Pick out something you enjoy, and read that.  Whether it's ten minutes of tweets or a couple chapters of your favorite fan fic, you can start a daily habit of reading.  Honestly, Reddit posts are some of my favorite reads — they're wild, their entertaining, and they never get old.

3. Make It Social: Do something that involves your friends.  This is one reason why status updates are so helpful for reading — that connection gives you motivation.  Also, if there's something you care about — your favorite band, sports team, or pet shelter — then following their pages will help you know more about them.

4. Work Your Way Up to More Challenging Reads: Yes, some novels are hard to read, but they can be very rewarding.  Start with the short online reads, move up to short novels, and then look for those longer books.  Do you have a favorite book from grade school or high school?  Go ahead and give it another read!

5. It's Okay to Skip the Boring Books!  The goal here is not to punish yourself.  If you find a book you don't like, it's okay to set it aside and pick another.

6. It's Okay to Read Whatever!  Ever done a deep-dive on Wikipedia?  Ever found yourself clicking through all the links on your favorite love advice column?  Go for it!  Enjoy the journey!  So what if someone claims you have a short attention span.  If you're reading, your learning.

7. Beware the Online Videos!  Yes, I love a good video.  I have caught myself scrolling through YouTube Shorts and Facebook Stories.  Remember that online platforms do their best to keep you hooked — and they will feed you a continuous stream of videos you can't stop watching (pun intended).  It's good to take breaks from the screen — put the phone down and pull away.  Even if you replace ten minutes of video with ten minutes of reading, that will help you feel better when you read.