Reading.
What a wonderful gift God has given us in books and most of all, in THE Book. I love to read. I love to read books on theology, productivity, history, biographies, and on and on. This love for books has led to me reading and collecting a great number of books to this point in my life. Because of this, I often have people in my church or outside of my church contact me and ask me some pointers on how to read more, what books to read, etc. So I thought I would collect some thoughts on reading as a whole here in this post for those who want some wisdom on reading.
Buying a Book is Easy, Reading It Isn’t.
Chances are that if you are reading this you know exactly what I mean. It is a lot easier to buy a book from Amazon or your favorite book distributor than to actually read it. So here is my encouragement: only buy books you are going to read within a month of the purchase. The reason I keep this principle is because it is easy to grow discouraged in having a big stack of books ‘to read’ that never get read and only keep increasing in number. Don’t discourage yourself. Instead, buy a book that you are committed to finishing within a month. I find this practice invigorating. I finish books faster because I want to move on to other books on my ‘wish list!’It is easy to grow discouraged in having a big stack of books ‘to read’ that never get read and only keep increasing in number.
Reading is a Discipline.
Just like exercise, working out, or writing, reading takes discipline. You must make time to do it. I fear that many set out to read with a great desire, but never really read much because they lack discipline. Facebook, Twitter, and television distract the well-meaning ‘wanttobe’ reader and they never end up reading much. I find that I am far too easily distracted, so I shut off my screens when I read. I turn off my phone, computer, and whatever else could grab my attention. This helps me to stay focused and think better as I read.
Reading Must Be Planned.
Reading doesn’t just happen. It must be planned. Take your schedule and find a block of time (even if it’s only 15 minutes!) to read. I usually read around lunch time, middle of the afternoon, and for an extended period of time before bedtime. Find what works for you and plan it!I fear much reading doesn’t happen because it is never planned to happen.
Buy Authors, Not Titles.
I always recommend people to buy books by an author they like, not according to titles. Some of the best books I have read were about subjects I wasn’t very interested in at the time, but I read the book because it was by an author I had previously enjoyed.
These are my spontaneous thoughts on reading. I hope they have been helpful and have at least served to spur you on to more and better reading!