Getting the habit of reading

25 Sep 2014

It's been some time since I've finished a book. I try to read when I can, I mean really just sit down and read for a while, but sometimes there's just other stuff to do.

I remember reading books as a child, and loving it. I would read every Sherlock Holmes book that got in my way, those were my favorites. I also read The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling, which was also really good, and I also really liked the Disney movie based on that book.

I know that my father taught me how to read when I was like four years old, and then he tried to form me the habit of reading. I still have memories of him reading for himself, and the fact that he always carried a book with him, I suppose to read whenever he had a spare moment. I guess every kid wants to be like his dad, so maybe that's why I tried to get into the habit, and I did read a number of books, although maybe not a lot. And I'm not sure I understood everything that I read. I tried to look some things up some times, or ask my parents, but other times I would just get to the next part and not worry about not getting the concept completely. I would just make my best guess and move on.

The importance of reading

As I think of those memories that I have of my father and me reading, it occurs to me that I want that for me and my son. I want him to read as much as possible, and I want to read to him, teach him that reading is a really good thing. I want him and me to just sit and read in the afternoon, and I want to try to answer all of his questions. I want us to be all about reading, since I'm convinced reading is a very important habit to have.

There have been times in my life when I've thought of reading as a boring activity, I mean, from the outside, if you look at someone reading, there's really not much excitement, they're just sitting there. But I now know that it can be exciting, just the thought of knowing all that you can learn and imagine and do with what you read, it's really motivating.

Reading is a habit that supports another habit that I think is very important too, which is writing. Since you can't write if you don't have anything to write about, reading gives you the ability to expand your knowledge, to explore different ideas and thoughts that other people have had, to make new neuronal connections in your brain and create new ideas of your own, and all of this gives you infinite material to gather from, when it comes time to get your own words out.

The habit of reading can also give you a quiet moment to be with yourself, and I know you won't be exactly meditating, but it's still a peaceful time that you spend with just you. You're not rushing to get something done, or trying to fill the background with noise like when you watch TV while coding (I don't do this, by the way). So it can be a zen moment as well.

So what can we do to read more?

There are really tons of benefits to reading, and I'm not just about to list them all here, so just take my word for it, and start reading. Here are a few tips that you can try:

• Don't think of it as boring, think of it as a calm peaceful moment that you're spending by yourself.
• Be aware that you can spend a lot of time reading a book that gets you hooked, so try to limit your reading time if this is a problem for you. You must have other things to do, so don't procrastinate by reading.
• Like with any other habit, don't worry if you miss some days, just get back to it, remember how much you enjoy it.
• If you're going to read at night before bed, try something not too exciting, something that doesn't let you wanting to be awake and do stuff. For me this means nothing related to technology or programming at night. Fiction works well.
• Reading doesn't mean going through your RSS feed, and scanning as much articles as you can. You need to grab a book that you want to read from start to finish, and just read a little bit each day. Soon you'll realize you can get through at least one book each month, which means 12 books in a year, that's pretty decent.
• You can make it even more enjoyable by grabbing the hot beverage of your choice. I like tea, but a cup of coffee will also work. Just watch that caffeine.

Overall, just enjoy the process, and soak in all the knowledge. Before you know it, you'll be teaching other people stuff, which is awesome!