Reading, to me, is one of the joys of life and one of the best habits we can incorporate into our lives.

Reading nurtured in me the love of words and made me realize the power that words have to move us.

As an only child who was socially awkward, with very few friends, reading offered a temporary escape from feelings of loneliness.

Books were my friends, and they remain so to this day. I would be a very different person without the companionship and influence of books throughout my life.

Reading cultivates our imagination, exercises our thinking muscles, introduces us to different experiences and perspectives, provides insight into our humanity and inhumanity, fills us with knowledge on countless subjects, helps us become better writers, teaches us how to dream, shows us what may be possible, inspires creativity, awakens ideas, encourages conversation, offers an escape from reality. And the list goes on.

I truly believe that reading is one of the most worthwhile, important and impactful activities we can partake in.

If you would like to make reading a regular routine in your life, here are some suggestions:

How to Make Reading a Regular Habit

• Find a book you want to read

This may seem obvious but in order for you to want to read regularly, you have to find a book that you actually look forward to reading; otherwise, reading will feel like a chore. And we don’t want that. We want to associate the act of reading with pleasure, not work.

*I understand that with the current technologies available to us, there are multiple sources that we can read (blogs, audiobooks, ebooks, etc.), not only physical books. But for the sake of simplicity and because I’m biased, I will refer to books.

• Make your book your constant companion

Take your book with you wherever you go and pull it out whenever you have a free chunk of time. If you take transit, for example, this would be an excellent time to read rather than staring at people’s shoes or aimlessly looking at nothing to avoid making direct eye contact with your fellow commuters.

• Mark it on your calendar

If you’re one of those super-busy types of people with a packed daily schedule, schedule in your reading time. Literally block out a space of time on your calendar to devote to reading.

• Designate a reading space

To enhance your reading experience, create a specific area in your home or piece of furniture (den, porch, couch, chair, rug, etc.) devoted to reading. And make it cozy so that you can get lost in what you’re reading rather than thinking about how much your back or butt hurts. Also, if you’re aesthetically inclined, make your reading space attractive and inviting so that you’ll want to be there.

• Read yourself a bedtime story

Go to bed a bit earlier than your regular bedtime and do some reading before dozing off. Basically, you’re pairing two activities together and creating a pattern of the desired behaviour. I believe this may be what James Clear in Atomic Habits refers to as stacking habits (granted, sleeping is not a habit but a necessity). I could be wrong, but I’m too lazy to verify because that would mean I’d have to get up from my desk to walk the three feet to my bookshelf.

• Set goals to keep motivated

You can make a game of your reading progress and stay motivated by setting targets and challenges. For example, how many pages do you want to read per day? How many minutes? How many chapters? Or, how many books would you like to read within a given period?

You can create a reading challenge on your own or you can join a community of book lovers on Goodreads, a website dedicated to book lovers. They have a reading challenge every year, where users publicly pledge to read x number of books. You get to choose how many books you’re challenging yourself to read within a year. Not to worry – no one throws virtual tomatoes at you if you fall short of your goal. It’s just a nice way to have a virtual record of all the books you read in one year.

• Get a reading buddy

One of the added joys of reading is to be able to talk about what you’ve read with others. Having a reading buddy can also be useful in keeping each other motivated and accountable. If you can find a reading buddy, great. If not, you have the option to join a book club. Try finding one near you through Meetup. I recommend finding a book club that organizes more intimate gatherings. With a large group, it can get noisy depending on the chosen venue. You want to be able to have the opportunity to express your thoughts about the book and have a good flow of conversation with other group members.

• Take yourself out on dates

That’s right. Go on a date with yourself. Regularly. And take a good book with you. Reading may be a solitary endeavour, but this type of solitary is welcome. I find the mere thought of going to a coffee shop by myself to read so appealing and romantic. With a good book to keep you company, you’re not really alone.

So open that book, turn the page and watch the words change your world.