What Reading A Page Everyday does to you
My Journey With the Books
Was I always an avid reader? Was I immersed between the pages of the book during my school days? Do the smell of books instill a sense of nostalgia in me?
The answer is no. I was not a reader per se. Not until the last couple of years. Apart from indulging in academic books, there was little to no reading of non-academic works during my school years, especially in high school. I did use to read some fiction namely some parts of Famous Five when I was little. But ever since I hit secondary school, there was neither time nor interest to read books both fiction and non-fiction alike.
But everything changed during the pandemic. After tirelessly scrolling through mobile phones and social media, my inner sense of being wanted a change. I was ignorant about a lot of important things that I cannot afford to miss: knowledge about how the world works, the history of mankind, the truth about God and religions and so many key truths.
It was through books that I started finding answers to the questions I had in my mind. It was the decision to develop a habit of reading that changed a lot in my life.
How did it happen? Let’s see
Start by Reading One Page A Day
Some say that the hardest step is to start a habit. I would argue otherwise. The hardest part is to maintain a habit forever. However, some habits start to become our favourite hobbies and leisure before we know them. In the case of such habits, starting them is the hard thing to do.
Reading is one such habit. You may have to force yourself to start. But once the enlightenment hits you, you will find yourselves thirsty to dive deep into the ocean of knowledge. Therefore, the key to developing a habit of reading is to start with a page every day.
Why one page? Why not a chapter or some or even a short book a day? The idea is to reduce the friction initially and put you into work. James Clear explains the story of his friend who lost weight by hitting the gym for just 5 minutes every day. The idea is not to start intense, but rather to just start and make yourself accustomed to the habit.
Someone who has read one page a day for one month is a reader. Someone who has read one book a day in the past month is not. The key is to develop sustainable reading habits.
What does reading one page does to you?
From One Page A Day to 12 Books A Year
One can journey from one page a day to at least 12 books a year. I say this because I know someone who did this. You can do better than 12 books a year.
When you start reading one page a day, eventually some of the pages will contain content that will grab your craving to read more. A natural progression will occur from reading one page to one chapter and sometimes even one whole book in a single go.
The practice of reading also increases your speed, memory and concentration. Before you know it, reading a page becomes a cakewalk. You naturally start to read more. You end up reading more than 12 books a year. You will end up reaping all the benefits of reading as well.
To read more about reading at all levels, click here.