Monday, October 29, 2007
Dear Friends
Please leave me a line or two about my blog. I would like to know what you'd rather read apart from what has been posted in my blog. I would appreciate it if you could do the above. Thanks
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Development of Will Power is Everybody's Business
Everyone should develop Will Power. Whether you're the top executive of a company or a clerk; a student or a professor; man or woman; child or adult doesn't matter. You need to develop your Will Power.
Thus self-development is everybody's business. Whether we know or not, we are expressing ourselves through all our deeds/activities and thoughts. You cannot separate it from your activities.
Today self-development has increased in importance because of the following main reasons:
the competition has increased and one requires to use his full potentialities to survive
one needs his unique specialties to keep an advantage or for competence
one requires to handle more stressful conditions due to very fast and drastic changes.
So your survival, competence and happiness depends upon the level of your self-development.
"It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles. Then the victory is yours. It cannot be taken from you, not by angels or by demons, heaven or hell."
- The Buddha, 568-488 BC
Will Power - The First Step to Achievement
"You must have faith in yourself and in your powers. This faith is developed by overcoming obstacles cultivating 'will power', 'exercising' your will. You must learn to overcome the sordid heritage of olden days in yourself and outside you. Even a trifling victory over yourself makes you much stronger." Maxim Gorky
Importance Of Will POWER
Will power is that makes all and every endeavor one undertakes an instant success. The mind that is weak or fluctuating cannot reach the goal at all. So it is important that all of us who want to be successful in our respective fields should strengthen our will power. Again, if one does not have a strong will power, others who understand this would try to exploit it to their own advantage. Those who do not have a good will power fall prey to drugs, alcohol, terrorism etc because of the influence of those who have greater will power. In short, will power is not only important for making one a success but to maintain one's character and integrity as well. Strong will power is required to keep oneself away from illegal/unethical activities or to respond against such activities. Thus it is necessary that all of us should improve our will power.
Note: You should not mistake obstinacy for will power. Will power is a manifestation of your integrity and self-development whereas obstinacy is a manifestation of your weakness.
How To Develop Your Will
All will power is not conscious. In other words, will power is both conscious and unconscious. We can improve conscious will power easily. To develop your will power, you should develop those skills and attitudes that are conducive to the development of will and at the same time remove those blockages and negative parameters that hinder the development of your will.
Believe You Can
If you believe you can, you can.
So believe you can do what you want. Believe you can achieve what you want. Believe you can become a successful person.
YES! You are actually a successful person. What is needed to make it a reality is to believe in yourself and work for it. So tell yourself that you can achieve what you want, can do what you want, and can become immensely successful.
Believe in yourself.
Believe in your ability to become a successful and happy.
Auto Suggestion
The power of Auto Suggestion is tremendous. All of us use it knowingly or unknowingly. If you can use it knowingly, you can work wonders.
By suggesting to yourself that you can achieve what you want you really can achieve that.
Here are some statements you can suggest to yourself :
I can do this and I will do this.
I am OK and I will stay OK
I will become successful
I deserve success and happiness
I am worthy and useful
You can find out similar positive statements and say it to yourself.
Just create a list like the one given above and in your bed room in front of the mirror, tell this to yourself in a confident tone. And believe what you say.
HOW TO OVERCOME YOUR FEARS
There are two steps in overcoming fears. First step is to understand the nature and characteristics of fear in general and your own fears in particular. Fear is of course a state of mind, but it is also an instinct. So, to some extend, we need fear for our own existence. When your fear crosses that limit, you become ineffective and inefficient.
The second step is to encounter your fears. Paradoxically, the most practical method to overcome your fears is to actually encounter with what you fear. This is again done in two steps - encountering the fear situation mentally (i.e, in imagination) and encountering it in real life situation.
Once such an encounter is made safely, you automatically begin to transfer the effect to at least some similar fears.
HOW TO OVERCOME YOUR LAZINESS
Actually you are not lazy at all. You know that you have been very enthusiastic about at least one or two things. Say, in watching films or Cricket match, Collecting stamps, reading books you like and so on. So actually no one is lazy(provided one has got psychotic disorder).
The main reasons for laziness are:
You are not interested in the work or the work is boring
The work is not well defined or meaningful to you
The outcome of the work or the benefits that it may bring to you are not so clear to you
You are a perfectionist or you fear criticism by others on your work.
Some tips to overcome laziness:
Love your work.
Take interest in your work. This is actually a difficult task to many.
But it is actually easy
Thus self-development is everybody's business. Whether we know or not, we are expressing ourselves through all our deeds/activities and thoughts. You cannot separate it from your activities.
Today self-development has increased in importance because of the following main reasons:
the competition has increased and one requires to use his full potentialities to survive
one needs his unique specialties to keep an advantage or for competence
one requires to handle more stressful conditions due to very fast and drastic changes.
So your survival, competence and happiness depends upon the level of your self-development.
"It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles. Then the victory is yours. It cannot be taken from you, not by angels or by demons, heaven or hell."
- The Buddha, 568-488 BC
Will Power - The First Step to Achievement
"You must have faith in yourself and in your powers. This faith is developed by overcoming obstacles cultivating 'will power', 'exercising' your will. You must learn to overcome the sordid heritage of olden days in yourself and outside you. Even a trifling victory over yourself makes you much stronger." Maxim Gorky
Importance Of Will POWER
Will power is that makes all and every endeavor one undertakes an instant success. The mind that is weak or fluctuating cannot reach the goal at all. So it is important that all of us who want to be successful in our respective fields should strengthen our will power. Again, if one does not have a strong will power, others who understand this would try to exploit it to their own advantage. Those who do not have a good will power fall prey to drugs, alcohol, terrorism etc because of the influence of those who have greater will power. In short, will power is not only important for making one a success but to maintain one's character and integrity as well. Strong will power is required to keep oneself away from illegal/unethical activities or to respond against such activities. Thus it is necessary that all of us should improve our will power.
Note: You should not mistake obstinacy for will power. Will power is a manifestation of your integrity and self-development whereas obstinacy is a manifestation of your weakness.
How To Develop Your Will
All will power is not conscious. In other words, will power is both conscious and unconscious. We can improve conscious will power easily. To develop your will power, you should develop those skills and attitudes that are conducive to the development of will and at the same time remove those blockages and negative parameters that hinder the development of your will.
Believe You Can
If you believe you can, you can.
So believe you can do what you want. Believe you can achieve what you want. Believe you can become a successful person.
YES! You are actually a successful person. What is needed to make it a reality is to believe in yourself and work for it. So tell yourself that you can achieve what you want, can do what you want, and can become immensely successful.
Believe in yourself.
Believe in your ability to become a successful and happy.
Auto Suggestion
The power of Auto Suggestion is tremendous. All of us use it knowingly or unknowingly. If you can use it knowingly, you can work wonders.
By suggesting to yourself that you can achieve what you want you really can achieve that.
Here are some statements you can suggest to yourself :
I can do this and I will do this.
I am OK and I will stay OK
I will become successful
I deserve success and happiness
I am worthy and useful
You can find out similar positive statements and say it to yourself.
Just create a list like the one given above and in your bed room in front of the mirror, tell this to yourself in a confident tone. And believe what you say.
HOW TO OVERCOME YOUR FEARS
There are two steps in overcoming fears. First step is to understand the nature and characteristics of fear in general and your own fears in particular. Fear is of course a state of mind, but it is also an instinct. So, to some extend, we need fear for our own existence. When your fear crosses that limit, you become ineffective and inefficient.
The second step is to encounter your fears. Paradoxically, the most practical method to overcome your fears is to actually encounter with what you fear. This is again done in two steps - encountering the fear situation mentally (i.e, in imagination) and encountering it in real life situation.
Once such an encounter is made safely, you automatically begin to transfer the effect to at least some similar fears.
HOW TO OVERCOME YOUR LAZINESS
Actually you are not lazy at all. You know that you have been very enthusiastic about at least one or two things. Say, in watching films or Cricket match, Collecting stamps, reading books you like and so on. So actually no one is lazy(provided one has got psychotic disorder).
The main reasons for laziness are:
You are not interested in the work or the work is boring
The work is not well defined or meaningful to you
The outcome of the work or the benefits that it may bring to you are not so clear to you
You are a perfectionist or you fear criticism by others on your work.
Some tips to overcome laziness:
Love your work.
Take interest in your work. This is actually a difficult task to many.
But it is actually easy
Develop Willpower
He who lives without discipline dies without honor
If we are to be the master of our destiny, we need self-discipline, self-control, willpower, or self-mastery. Although it's known by many names, I'll call it WILLPOWER in most of this article. We are born to rule or be ruled. If we do not rule ourselves, we will be ruled by our emotions, bad habits, or others. All the other creatures we share the planet with act as they were programmed to. Only man has the potential to act as he wills. Although we have that potential, many of us fail to live up to it. We can be heard to sigh, "The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."
However, not everyone wants to improve. Some people say life is short, so they want to be free to do whatever they please, free to smoke pot, free to party every night, free to hang out until the wee hours of the morning, free to chase after sex. Did they say free? Since when is enslavement to bad habits freedom? How can you achieve freedom if you fail to follow your highest aspirations? Only if you conscientiously apply willpower can you reach your dreams. So, he who lives without discipline dies without honor. When we gain honor it remains with us forever, but when we chase after passing fancies, they fade away, leaving us diminished, leaving us less than what we could have been.
All right, so we agree willpower is necessary, but how do we strengthen it? It's like a muscle: use it or lose it. The more you use it, the stronger it becomes. Start with baby steps (for a hilarious example of self-improvement by taking baby steps, be sure to rent the video What About Bob with Bill Murray). During each day we make countless choices. We choose between doing the right thing or succumbing to temptation. We choose between the easy way and the better, but more difficult way. Be aware of your choices, and no matter how small the decision, do the right or better thing. Each time you do so, you strengthen your will.
You can also deliberately do what you'd rather not. For example, when I was about 12 years old, I discovered I didn't like butter pecan ice-cream. So every time I had ice-cream, I purposely ordered that flavor, just to strengthen my will. Even silly, trifling actions, such as one's choice of ice-cream can become an exercise in willpower. Practice doing the right, better, or hard thing every day and self-control will become habitual. Eventually, you'll be using willpower without thinking about it. Today, baby steps, tomorrow, self-mastery!
Suppose I were to place a 15-foot long by 2-foot wide plank, 6 inches above the ground and offer you $500 to walk across it, would you do so? Sure, why not? You'd certainly have the willpower to do so. But what if the plank were at a construction site and ten stories high? Would you walk across it on a windless day for one million dollars? If not, what happened to your willpower? Well, it was overwhelmed by your imagination. You imagined that you may fall and get killed! If there is a conflict between imagination and willpower, imagination always wins. So, if you're stuck, you're going to have to change the images you imagine. In this case, tell a construction worker that if he teaches you how to walk the plank without fear, you'll pay him $10,000. Do this and you both will have a lot of motivation and the will to succeed. So, if you do get stuck because of an overactive imagination, think things through and look for a solution.
Another hurdle for willpower to overcome is the extra effort that is needed when doing something unpleasant. This can be overcome by focusing on the long-term benefits instead of the short-term discomfort. For example, I love going to the airport. The reason for this is that I do not focus on driving in the rush hour, parking at Park-and-Fly, waiting in the check-in line, waiting for my flight, waiting to board, waiting to arrive, and waiting to get off. Instead, I focus on the pleasure and excitement that awaits me at my destination. Don't you do the same when you are waiting in line at a concert, theatre, or amusement park ride? Instead of complaining, you're probably cheerfully chatting with a friend as you look forward to the pleasure you will experience. Treat every unpleasant task the same way. Anticipate the future pleasure!
We know what is best for us. We know what we should do, but it's not what we know, but what we DO that counts. "What a person wills," writes Robert Lindner, "and not what they know determines their worth or unworth, power or impotence, happiness or unhappiness." Well, now that we know a little more, let's DO a little more; let's DO what's right, what's better, and what's more difficult!
If we are to be the master of our destiny, we need self-discipline, self-control, willpower, or self-mastery. Although it's known by many names, I'll call it WILLPOWER in most of this article. We are born to rule or be ruled. If we do not rule ourselves, we will be ruled by our emotions, bad habits, or others. All the other creatures we share the planet with act as they were programmed to. Only man has the potential to act as he wills. Although we have that potential, many of us fail to live up to it. We can be heard to sigh, "The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."
However, not everyone wants to improve. Some people say life is short, so they want to be free to do whatever they please, free to smoke pot, free to party every night, free to hang out until the wee hours of the morning, free to chase after sex. Did they say free? Since when is enslavement to bad habits freedom? How can you achieve freedom if you fail to follow your highest aspirations? Only if you conscientiously apply willpower can you reach your dreams. So, he who lives without discipline dies without honor. When we gain honor it remains with us forever, but when we chase after passing fancies, they fade away, leaving us diminished, leaving us less than what we could have been.
All right, so we agree willpower is necessary, but how do we strengthen it? It's like a muscle: use it or lose it. The more you use it, the stronger it becomes. Start with baby steps (for a hilarious example of self-improvement by taking baby steps, be sure to rent the video What About Bob with Bill Murray). During each day we make countless choices. We choose between doing the right thing or succumbing to temptation. We choose between the easy way and the better, but more difficult way. Be aware of your choices, and no matter how small the decision, do the right or better thing. Each time you do so, you strengthen your will.
You can also deliberately do what you'd rather not. For example, when I was about 12 years old, I discovered I didn't like butter pecan ice-cream. So every time I had ice-cream, I purposely ordered that flavor, just to strengthen my will. Even silly, trifling actions, such as one's choice of ice-cream can become an exercise in willpower. Practice doing the right, better, or hard thing every day and self-control will become habitual. Eventually, you'll be using willpower without thinking about it. Today, baby steps, tomorrow, self-mastery!
Suppose I were to place a 15-foot long by 2-foot wide plank, 6 inches above the ground and offer you $500 to walk across it, would you do so? Sure, why not? You'd certainly have the willpower to do so. But what if the plank were at a construction site and ten stories high? Would you walk across it on a windless day for one million dollars? If not, what happened to your willpower? Well, it was overwhelmed by your imagination. You imagined that you may fall and get killed! If there is a conflict between imagination and willpower, imagination always wins. So, if you're stuck, you're going to have to change the images you imagine. In this case, tell a construction worker that if he teaches you how to walk the plank without fear, you'll pay him $10,000. Do this and you both will have a lot of motivation and the will to succeed. So, if you do get stuck because of an overactive imagination, think things through and look for a solution.
Another hurdle for willpower to overcome is the extra effort that is needed when doing something unpleasant. This can be overcome by focusing on the long-term benefits instead of the short-term discomfort. For example, I love going to the airport. The reason for this is that I do not focus on driving in the rush hour, parking at Park-and-Fly, waiting in the check-in line, waiting for my flight, waiting to board, waiting to arrive, and waiting to get off. Instead, I focus on the pleasure and excitement that awaits me at my destination. Don't you do the same when you are waiting in line at a concert, theatre, or amusement park ride? Instead of complaining, you're probably cheerfully chatting with a friend as you look forward to the pleasure you will experience. Treat every unpleasant task the same way. Anticipate the future pleasure!
We know what is best for us. We know what we should do, but it's not what we know, but what we DO that counts. "What a person wills," writes Robert Lindner, "and not what they know determines their worth or unworth, power or impotence, happiness or unhappiness." Well, now that we know a little more, let's DO a little more; let's DO what's right, what's better, and what's more difficult!
Friday, October 26, 2007
Try these tips to cultivate a lifetime reading habit:
Set times. You should have a few set times during every day when you’ll read for at least 5-10 minutes. These are times that you will read no matter what — triggers that happen each day. For example, make it a habit to read during breakfast and lunch (and even dinner if you eat alone). And if you also read every time you’re sitting on the can, and when you go to bed, you now have four times a day when you read for 10 minutes each — or 40 minutes a day. That’s a great start, and by itself would be an excellent daily reading habit. But there’s more you can do.
Always carry a book. Wherever you go, take a book with you. When I leave the house, I always make sure to have my drivers license, my keys and my book, at a minimum. The book stays with me in the car, and I take it into the office and to appointments and pretty much everywhere I go, unless I know I definitely won’t be reading (like at a movie). If there is a time when you have to wait (like at a doctor’s office or at the DMV), whip out your book and read. Great way to pass the time.
Make a list. Keep a list of all the great books you want to read. You can keep this in your journal, in a pocket notebook, on your personal home page, on your personal wiki, wherever. Be sure to add to it whenever you hear about a good book, online or in person. Keep a running list, and cross out the ones you read. Tech trick: create a Gmail account for your book list, and email the address every time you hear about a good book. Now your inbox will be your reading list. When you’ve read a book, file it under “Done”. If you want, you can even reply to the message (to the same address) with notes about the book, and those will be in the same conversation thread, so now your Gmail account is your reading log too.
Find a quiet place. Find a place in your home where you can sit in a comfortable chair (don’t lay down unless you’re going to sleep) and curl up with a good book without interruptions. There should be no television or computer near the chair to minimize distractions, and no music or noisy family members/roommates. If you don’t have a place like this, create one.
Reduce television/Internet. If you really want to read more, try cutting back on TV or Internet consumption. This may be difficult for many people. Still, every minute you reduce of Internet/TV, you could use for reading. This could create hours of book reading time.
Read to your kid. If you have children, you must, must read to them. Creating the reading habit in your kids is the best way to ensure they’ll be readers when they grow up … and it will help them to be successful in life as well. Find some great children’s books, and read to them. At the same time, you’re developing the reading habit in yourself … and spending some quality time with your child as well.
Keep a log. Similar to the reading list, this log should have not only the title and author of the books you read, but the dates you start and finish them if possible. Even better, put a note next to each with your thoughts about the book. It is extremely satisfying to go back over the log after a couple of months to see all the great books you’ve read.
Go to used book shops. My favorite place to go is a discount book store where I drop off all my old books (I usually take a couple of boxes of books) and get a big discount on used books I find in the store. I typically spend only a couple of dollars for a dozen or more books, so although I read a lot, books aren’t a major expense. And it is very fun to browse through the new books people have donated. Make your trip to a used book store a regular thing.
Have a library day. Even cheaper than a used book shop is a library, of course. Make it a weekly trip.
Read fun and compelling books. Find books that really grip you and keep you going. Even if they aren’t literary masterpieces, they make you want to read — and that’s the goal here. After you have cultivated the reading habit, you can move on to more difficult stuff, but for now, go for the fun, gripping stuff. Stephen King, John Grisham, Tom Clancy, Robert Ludlum, Nora Roberts, Sue Grafton, Dan Brown … all those popular authors are popular for a reason — they tell great stories. Other stuff you might like: Vonnegut, William Gibson, Douglas Adams, Nick Hornby, Trevanian, Ann Patchett, Terry Pratchett, Terry McMillan, F. Scott Fitzgerald. All excellent storytellers.
Make it pleasurable. Make your reading time your favorite time of day. Have some good tea or coffee while you read, or another kind of treat. Get into a comfortable chair with a good blanket. Read during sunrise or sunset, or at the beach.
Blog it. One of the best ways to form a habit is to put it on your blog. If you don’t have one, create one. It’s free. Have your family go there and give you book suggestions and comment on the ones you’re reading. It keeps you accountable for your goals.
Set a high goal. Tell yourself that you want to read 50 books this year (or some other number like that). Then set about trying to accomplish it. Just be sure you’re still enjoying the reading though — don’t make it a rushed chore.
Have a reading hour or reading day. If you turn off the TV or Internet in the evening, you could have a set hour (perhaps just after dinner) when you and maybe all the members of your family read each night. Or you could do a reading day, when you (and again, your other family members if you can get them to join you) read for practically the whole day. It’s super fu
Always carry a book. Wherever you go, take a book with you. When I leave the house, I always make sure to have my drivers license, my keys and my book, at a minimum. The book stays with me in the car, and I take it into the office and to appointments and pretty much everywhere I go, unless I know I definitely won’t be reading (like at a movie). If there is a time when you have to wait (like at a doctor’s office or at the DMV), whip out your book and read. Great way to pass the time.
Make a list. Keep a list of all the great books you want to read. You can keep this in your journal, in a pocket notebook, on your personal home page, on your personal wiki, wherever. Be sure to add to it whenever you hear about a good book, online or in person. Keep a running list, and cross out the ones you read. Tech trick: create a Gmail account for your book list, and email the address every time you hear about a good book. Now your inbox will be your reading list. When you’ve read a book, file it under “Done”. If you want, you can even reply to the message (to the same address) with notes about the book, and those will be in the same conversation thread, so now your Gmail account is your reading log too.
Find a quiet place. Find a place in your home where you can sit in a comfortable chair (don’t lay down unless you’re going to sleep) and curl up with a good book without interruptions. There should be no television or computer near the chair to minimize distractions, and no music or noisy family members/roommates. If you don’t have a place like this, create one.
Reduce television/Internet. If you really want to read more, try cutting back on TV or Internet consumption. This may be difficult for many people. Still, every minute you reduce of Internet/TV, you could use for reading. This could create hours of book reading time.
Read to your kid. If you have children, you must, must read to them. Creating the reading habit in your kids is the best way to ensure they’ll be readers when they grow up … and it will help them to be successful in life as well. Find some great children’s books, and read to them. At the same time, you’re developing the reading habit in yourself … and spending some quality time with your child as well.
Keep a log. Similar to the reading list, this log should have not only the title and author of the books you read, but the dates you start and finish them if possible. Even better, put a note next to each with your thoughts about the book. It is extremely satisfying to go back over the log after a couple of months to see all the great books you’ve read.
Go to used book shops. My favorite place to go is a discount book store where I drop off all my old books (I usually take a couple of boxes of books) and get a big discount on used books I find in the store. I typically spend only a couple of dollars for a dozen or more books, so although I read a lot, books aren’t a major expense. And it is very fun to browse through the new books people have donated. Make your trip to a used book store a regular thing.
Have a library day. Even cheaper than a used book shop is a library, of course. Make it a weekly trip.
Read fun and compelling books. Find books that really grip you and keep you going. Even if they aren’t literary masterpieces, they make you want to read — and that’s the goal here. After you have cultivated the reading habit, you can move on to more difficult stuff, but for now, go for the fun, gripping stuff. Stephen King, John Grisham, Tom Clancy, Robert Ludlum, Nora Roberts, Sue Grafton, Dan Brown … all those popular authors are popular for a reason — they tell great stories. Other stuff you might like: Vonnegut, William Gibson, Douglas Adams, Nick Hornby, Trevanian, Ann Patchett, Terry Pratchett, Terry McMillan, F. Scott Fitzgerald. All excellent storytellers.
Make it pleasurable. Make your reading time your favorite time of day. Have some good tea or coffee while you read, or another kind of treat. Get into a comfortable chair with a good blanket. Read during sunrise or sunset, or at the beach.
Blog it. One of the best ways to form a habit is to put it on your blog. If you don’t have one, create one. It’s free. Have your family go there and give you book suggestions and comment on the ones you’re reading. It keeps you accountable for your goals.
Set a high goal. Tell yourself that you want to read 50 books this year (or some other number like that). Then set about trying to accomplish it. Just be sure you’re still enjoying the reading though — don’t make it a rushed chore.
Have a reading hour or reading day. If you turn off the TV or Internet in the evening, you could have a set hour (perhaps just after dinner) when you and maybe all the members of your family read each night. Or you could do a reading day, when you (and again, your other family members if you can get them to join you) read for practically the whole day. It’s super fu
DEAR(Drop everything and read)
Looking at the other end of the spectrum, research shows that if you read ten books a year, you are in the top few percent of all people as readers. Simply stated, it doesn’t take much to be well read, but we do need to know how to get started. The following are ten suggestions to help you strengthen your reading habit – ways to find and make more time for reading.
1. Always have a book around. Don’t go anywhere without reading material. Keep magazines or short stories in your bathroom. Always have something in your briefcase to read. Keep a book(s) by your bed. Having things available makes it easier for you to steal otherwise lost moments.
2. Set a reading goal. Determine how much time you want to spend reading, or how many books you want to read over time. Your goal might be a book a month, one per week, or it might be to read 30 minutes a day. Start out with something attainable but still a stretch. As your habit builds, you might set higher goals. Setting a goal is the first step towards reading more.
3. Keep a log. Keep a list of the books you have read, or keep track of how much time you read each day. You might keep these lists in your journal or your day planner. My son’s log is on our refrigerator. My list and log are kept on my computer. It doesn’t matter where you keep it, just do it.
4. Keep a list. Make a list of things you want to read in the future. Ask your friends and colleagues what they are reading. Watch for recommendations in the newspaper and magazines. Once you start looking for good books, you’ll find them everywhere. This is a great way to keep your enthusiasm up. By knowing what great stuff you want to read, you will reinforce your reading habit.
5. Turn off the television. Many people say they just don’t have enough time. Television is one of our major time consumers. Make your television watching more conscious and less habitual. There is nothing wrong with watching television shows you really enjoy. Where the time gets lost is turning it on, and scanning to find “something to watch.” Those are the times to turn it off and pick up your book!
6. Listen when you can’t read. Use your commute and other time spent in the car to listen! There are great audio versions of all sorts of books. Whether you want to “read” fiction, the latest self-help or diet book, it is probably available on tape. Don’t get locked into the idea that you have to read it – listening to the book still gives you the experience, ideas, and imagination that reading a book can.
7. Join a reading group or book club. Reading groups typically meet once a month to discuss a book they have all decided to read. Committing to the group provides a bit more impetus to finish the book, and gives you a great forum for discussion and socialization around the book’s themes.
8. Visit the library or bookstore often. You have your list, right? So you’ll have some ideas of what you are looking for when you walk in. But there is more to be gained by walking through places where books reside than just to make a transaction. Take time to browse! Let your eyes find things of interest. Let serendipity happen. Browsing will feed your mental need to read, and give you plenty of new things to read.
9. Build your own strategy. Decide when reading fits your schedule. Some people read first thing in the morning, some before bed. Some decide to read as they eat their lunch. And there is more to your strategy than just timing. Make your own decisions about reading. It is ok to be reading more than one book at once. It is ok to stop reading something before you finish if it isn’t holding your interest. It is ok to skim the book, getting what you want or need, without reading every page. Determine what works best for you, develop your own beliefs and ideas—then make them work for you.
10. Drop Everything and Read. My son’s fourth grade class has DEAR (Drop Everything and Read) time. When the teacher calls for it, that’s just what they do. They read now. That is my last piece of advice for you. Do it. Just get started. Make it DEAR time. Now.
1. Always have a book around. Don’t go anywhere without reading material. Keep magazines or short stories in your bathroom. Always have something in your briefcase to read. Keep a book(s) by your bed. Having things available makes it easier for you to steal otherwise lost moments.
2. Set a reading goal. Determine how much time you want to spend reading, or how many books you want to read over time. Your goal might be a book a month, one per week, or it might be to read 30 minutes a day. Start out with something attainable but still a stretch. As your habit builds, you might set higher goals. Setting a goal is the first step towards reading more.
3. Keep a log. Keep a list of the books you have read, or keep track of how much time you read each day. You might keep these lists in your journal or your day planner. My son’s log is on our refrigerator. My list and log are kept on my computer. It doesn’t matter where you keep it, just do it.
4. Keep a list. Make a list of things you want to read in the future. Ask your friends and colleagues what they are reading. Watch for recommendations in the newspaper and magazines. Once you start looking for good books, you’ll find them everywhere. This is a great way to keep your enthusiasm up. By knowing what great stuff you want to read, you will reinforce your reading habit.
5. Turn off the television. Many people say they just don’t have enough time. Television is one of our major time consumers. Make your television watching more conscious and less habitual. There is nothing wrong with watching television shows you really enjoy. Where the time gets lost is turning it on, and scanning to find “something to watch.” Those are the times to turn it off and pick up your book!
6. Listen when you can’t read. Use your commute and other time spent in the car to listen! There are great audio versions of all sorts of books. Whether you want to “read” fiction, the latest self-help or diet book, it is probably available on tape. Don’t get locked into the idea that you have to read it – listening to the book still gives you the experience, ideas, and imagination that reading a book can.
7. Join a reading group or book club. Reading groups typically meet once a month to discuss a book they have all decided to read. Committing to the group provides a bit more impetus to finish the book, and gives you a great forum for discussion and socialization around the book’s themes.
8. Visit the library or bookstore often. You have your list, right? So you’ll have some ideas of what you are looking for when you walk in. But there is more to be gained by walking through places where books reside than just to make a transaction. Take time to browse! Let your eyes find things of interest. Let serendipity happen. Browsing will feed your mental need to read, and give you plenty of new things to read.
9. Build your own strategy. Decide when reading fits your schedule. Some people read first thing in the morning, some before bed. Some decide to read as they eat their lunch. And there is more to your strategy than just timing. Make your own decisions about reading. It is ok to be reading more than one book at once. It is ok to stop reading something before you finish if it isn’t holding your interest. It is ok to skim the book, getting what you want or need, without reading every page. Determine what works best for you, develop your own beliefs and ideas—then make them work for you.
10. Drop Everything and Read. My son’s fourth grade class has DEAR (Drop Everything and Read) time. When the teacher calls for it, that’s just what they do. They read now. That is my last piece of advice for you. Do it. Just get started. Make it DEAR time. Now.
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