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The more you read the more knowledge accumulates in your brain that will help you make a better decision under any circumstance.

Just last week I just wrote about how to run (almost) every day by using the action strategies I got from a book called Atomic Habits.

Recently, I used those same strategies again to establish my reading habit.

I actually like reading quite a lot, but I read a lot less compared to when I was a kid. It’s very easy to get distracted nowadays, as we become obsessed with gossip and many of the nonsense things on social media.

So, after reading the Atomic Habits I tried to establish my reading habit again. I follow the method from the book and try to read every day. I’ve been doing this for a solid month now.

Why Should We Read Every Day?

We need to start with the WHY first. If we have a “big why” then it will be easy to establish this new reading habit.

Why should we read every day?

I read because, for me, I want to know anything that can improve the performance of my business.

For example, when I promote my products using Facebook or Google Ads, I want to know how to write the perfect ad copy that can motivate people to purchase my products.

To do this, I read books about copywriting.

I’m also interested in how to work less but get more results, so I enjoy reading productivity or self-improvement books.

As I had just finished the Atomic Habits, I can apply what I learned from this book to establish some good habits, such as exercise and reading.

Reading also gives you many other significant benefits. Books can serve as the accumulative knowledge in your brain and you can use it to make a better decision in any circumstances in your life or your business.

“Read 500 pages every day. That’s how knowledge works. It builds up, like compound interest. All of you can do it, but I guarantee not many of you will do it.”

Warren Buffett

Reading is like stacking knowledge. When you have to make a last-minute decision, the knowledge that books can offer you will come in handy and help you make better decisions.

I also find that reading in the morning can help me improve my concentration as well. It’s like meditation.

Before I start working in the morning, I will make a cup of coffee and start reading a book on my Kindle for a few minutes. Then I will start working. After reading something I find that I can better concentrate on my work.

So what’s your WHY? Figure it out.

Make Reading Obvious

The first law to make a new habit is to make it obvious.

I created my reading habit by creating the optimal environment first. I put books everywhere in my home. There are a few books in my living room, working room, and bedroom. If I go out, I’ll put my Kindle in my bag.

Because of this, it’s always easy for me to find a book to read because those books are everywhere.

I normally read 2 to 3 different books at the same time. I don’t wait to finish one before picking up another.

These books are usually in different categories. Some kinds of books are very boring and quite difficult to read.

So I read many kinds of books at the same time to prevent me from stopping my reading habit.

Next, after the books are everywhere around you, try to pair your daily routine with reading a book.

For example, I usually drink a cup of coffee in the morning, so I pair the reading with drinking coffee. If I drink coffee, then I will read a book until I finish my coffee.

In my living room, there is my Kindle near the sofa. So before I get some rest, I will read a book for 5-10 minutes.

I have some books in my bedroom too, so before I go to sleep, I will read book for 15 minutes.

Try to pair your daily routine with the new habit you want to build.

Make Reading Attractive

This habit will be easy to build if it seems attractive. This is also the second law of building the new habit.

I start reading more books when my friends tag me on Facebook to share some books I might like. It’s kind of like a challenge.

Many of my friends joined this challenge and shared many books they like too. I saw many of the books they shared and I’m interested in some of them as well.

Atomic Habits is one of the books that several of my friends enjoy. I saw many people recommend this book, so I decided to give it a try… I’ve gotten so many benefits from it!

There are many other books I got from this challenge too, and they are already on my next reading list.

Try to find a group of people who like reading and join them. It can be a group of your friends or even another book club on Facebook.

I have done this challenge quite a few times during the past few years and it has always helped me find interesting books to read.

This is one great way of making reading attractive.

Make Reading Easy

The third law to building a new habit is to make it easy.

So if you want to build a reading habit but you’re not a kind of person who likes reading, find books about the subject you want to read about.

It can be any book. It doesn’t have to be academic or technical if you don’t want it to be. Don’t worry about books that other people recommend you to read and find what YOU want to read.

It can be anything from comic books to sports, fiction, the possibilities are endless.

Then find some time to read them.

Don’t say you don’t have time if you’re still browsing your Facebook News Feed!

Reading doesn’t require much time. Starting with just 5-10 minutes is fine. Don’t set the goal like “I will read one book a week” or “I will read 52 books this year.” That’s way too difficult to start out with.

Make it easy on yourself.

When I got started, I didn’t set a high goal like that. I just read some pages before I go to bed. Just be sure to do it every day.

Make it easy when you get started.

Establish the reading habit first. When you can read any book every day, you can try to read for longer.

Make Reading Satisfying

The last law of building a habit is to make it satisfying. If you want to stick with the reading habit for a long time, you need to enjoy reading.

But how?

Well, first find the book you want to read that you can enjoy. It can be fiction, about sports, games, anything! If you find it enjoyable, you will be able to keep reading more.

If you want to read about business or self-help topics and feel satisfied, I recommend you read what you want to know more about and try implementing it immediately.

When you get the results you want, you will be satisfied and happy.

For example, if I want to break my bad habit of waking up late, I’ll pick up the Atomic Habits and find the lesson about how to break that bad habit. Read it and implement its lessons immediately.

If I find that it works, I will be naturally satisfied and continue reading the other lessons.

Summary Notes

To briefly recap:

• Start with WHY. If your why is big enough, you can establish the new habit easily.
• There are many reasons to read a book every day. It can give you accumulated knowledge and you can use this knowledge to make a better decision in any circumstance. It’s like compound interest.
• To start making a reading habit, you need to make it obvious. I do this by putting my books everywhere in my home so I can see and read them easily.
• You can also pair reading a book with some of your daily routines, too. For example, if I [do this], I will read a book for ten minutes, or after I [do this] I will read ten pages.
• Next, make reading attractive. I do this by accepting my friend’s challenge to share my favorite books on Facebook. I have received many interesting books from this challenge.
• Start reading what you want to read. It can be any kind of book, such as fiction or comic books. Just make it easy for you to read.
• If you just get started reading, reading for just 5-10 minutes at a time is enough. Just do it every day! When you can establish the reading habit, you can try reading for longer amounts of time.
• The way to make new habits stick is to make it satisfying. You can do this by reading any kind of book you enjoy reading about.
• If you want to be satisfied with the book you don’t like but you know you should read, find the topic that you need to learn and read that section first. Then start implementing it immediately to get the results you want. It will help you become naturally satisfied.

These are the action strategies I learned from the Atomic Habits book and I implemented them by myself to build my reading habit.

Needless to say, I’m very satisfied with the result I’ve got, but now it’s time to read the next book!