Have you had a hard time enjoying reading? Are you trying to enjoy reading but struggle? During my middle school and early high school years, I read a lot. It used to be one of my favorite things to do. You couldn’t catch me without a book in my hand. As I aged, my love for books never died, but I find it harder to enjoy reading like I used to. Sometimes I have to push myself to read, because in today’s world there is so much to do and see. Reading might feel like a chore at times because you have other things to do. Here are some rules to help you ignite or reignite your love for reading.
The 15 Minute Rule
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This is one of those rules Roxy taught me. The 15 minute rule is an easy one to follow. If you lack the motivation to start reading, force yourself to dedicate 15 minutes a day to it. 15 minutes is not a long time, and once you get reading it can extend to 30 minutes, 45 minutes, maybe even an hour. The 15 minutes rule is to just get you started reading again.
Really this rule works for starting on any task. Want to clean the house but lack the motivation? Just dedicate 15 minutes to it and maybe you’ll find yourself cleaning longer. Instead of browsing those social media sites, looking at memes, talking to robocallers, use that time to read. Anyone can find 15 minutes of free time during their daily lives.
Bring a Book Rule
This rule is almost an extension of the previous rule. If you want to read more, bring a book with you everywhere you go. You might have downtime in unexpected places. Instead of pulling out your phone, you can grab your book. Doctors appointments, waiting in line, your child’s baseball game, are all great places where you will have plenty of time to read.
When we take vacations or visit friends or family for extended weekends we always bring a book with us. When I eat breakfast or lunch by myself, I grab my book. A lot of times we do not think about how much down time we have in our everyday busy life, times where we can sit down for a little and enjoy a good book.
Only Read Rule
This rule is also an extension to the 15 minute rule. When you sit down for your 15 minutes or longer you can’t focus on anything else except reading. Put the phone away, turn off the television, tell your partner to not talk to you for 15 minutes, whatever you have to do to only focus on the book. You’re more likely to get invested into the book if it’s your only focus. Distractions can pull us out of a good story or force us to put the book down.
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One of the best times to read, for me, is right before bed. It helps me focus on only the book. It helps settle my brain and relax it enough to sleep. If I constantly looked at my phone while reading, I’d get distracted and my reading time would be less relaxing. Find times that work for you and only focus on the book.
Read What You Want Rule
If you aren’t in school anymore this rule especially applies to you. Finding the right book is one of the most important things one can do to enjoy reading. If you like biographies read biographies. If you like aliens read science fiction. I promise there is a book out there for every person. Some books can even seem written exclusively for you.
Don’t read what people expect you to read. This is the easiest way to get burnt out. I have never read a single book of Oprah’s book club. If you ask me, it’s for pretentious book snobs. I don’t need a famous person telling me what books are a must read. There is nothing wrong with reading comics or graphic novels if that’s what you like. Those people might tell you otherwise. Read what you want and let no one tell you what you should like or what you should read.
Put the Book Down Rule
This also goes with the previous rule. If you’re 20 pages in and not enjoying the book, it might not be for you and that’s okay. We try to finish all the books we read but only because we want to review them. If you have no plans to start a book review blog, there is nothing wrong with putting down a terrible book. Don’t feel bad about it. Ignore the people who might say something about it. The best thing you can do is find another book you want to read. Trying to finish a book you hate will not bring you joy or help you find that love of reading again.
Read Something You Love or Something Short
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Finishing a book leaves me with a sense of accomplishment. Finishing a series even more so. If you are trying to pick up reading again, why not reread something you used to love. Dust off those Harry Potter books, or in my case the Percy Jackson books. Reading old favorites brings back some of the joy you had the first time in reading them. It helps you remember what you liked about reading in the first place.
There are short books out there, novellas. Finishing a good novella can leave you with the feeling of accomplishment. Maybe it’s the first book you’ve finished in awhile. It can lead to you reading even more books. If you are looking for some short reads and want to try and get into classics, I would personally recommend Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck or Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. These are two I read semi recently to help me get back into the reading swing.
Surround Yourself With Readers Rule
This sounds harder than it actually is. I have friends that like to read, Roxy and Marissa included, but also other friends. Talking about books to friends or family inspires you to want to read more. My friend and I constantly text each other book recommendations to help us find our next book. Roxy and Marissa often ask “Hey, have you read this book yet?” or they inform me what they are reading and what they like and dislike about the book. Having someone to slightly hold you accountable to reading motivates me to keep reading as I hope it motivates them as well.
You don’t have to have friends that read to find other readers. There is bookstagram accounts on Instagram or book subreddits on Reddit. You can even join book clubs to help you talk about books and keep you accountable. Yes, that even includes Oprah’s book club if you truly enjoy those types of books. They have other book clubs out there for every kind of genre you can join one you like and read along with a bunch of other people. Check out bookclubs.com, they have an entire community of different book clubs to join. Or maybe follow along with your favorite book blog (wink wink).
Easy Access to Books Rule
Get a library card and/or find a used book store. Having access to cheap or free books makes it easy to find your next read. Going to the library often can lead to friendships with readers or even with the librarian who can suggest the next great read. Books are expensive nowadays which can make it harder to get back into reading. Finding a used book store helps limit the amount of money you have to spend to find that next great book. Some used book stores you can even sell your last read to help pay for the next one.
Make it Fun Rule
Reading is a fun hobby. You can do things to enjoy it even more. Try picking up a book that has a movie counterpart. After you finish the book, watch the movie and compare. Talk about the book you read with friends. Read the same book with people so you can discuss it. Maybe you enjoy writing or art. Annotate the book, doodle little drawings on the side in reference to the book. Make custom bookmarks based on the book you are reading. Write a book review or summary. Reading does not just have to be reading. A hobby is supposed to be fun and enjoyable. There are a ton of things you can do with a newly found or refound love of reading. Enjoy every second of it.
Conclusion
I hope one or more of these rules help you spark the joy of reading in your life. I know I use some of them to help me get through hard to read books, and push me to read more. What rules do you have for me? Did you use any of these rules to help you read? Let us know down below in the comments we love to hear from you.
As always, happy reading!