digest
Short Summary
Main recommendation: make reading a habit by being intentional, setting realistic monthly goals of 3 to 5 books, quitting books you don't enjoy, and building a consistent reading routine. The video, presented as "9 Tips" to make reading a habit while staying home, also covers audiobooks, genre choice, environment, parallel reading, and joining a reader community.
Key Points
- The 9 tips named in the video, in order: (1) be intentional with your reading and set monthly goals; (2) quit books you don't like; (3) always have a book on hand, including audiobooks; (4) set aside at least 30 minutes a day at the same time; (5) find the genre you like; (6) make a comfortable reading environment; (7) read multiple books at the same time; (8) stay engaged with a group of readers; (9) keep your reading goal realistic and increase it gradually.
- Setting towering goals such as 30 books a month is unrealistic, and even 10 is hard for non-regular readers; failing goals can reduce interest in reading.
- Many people who say they dislike reading abandoned a book after about 10 pages, so stopping a poor-fitting book is a deliberate choice rather than failure.
- The speaker argues audiobooks are essentially equivalent to reading for most books, since oral tradition predates written tradition, while noting some books feel different as audiobooks.
- Reading in a genre you enjoy speeds up finishing books; the speaker reads psychological thrillers at about a book a day but slows with historical fiction.
Details Worth Noting
- Concrete instructions:
- Set a monthly goal of at least 3 to 5 books, and raise it gradually only after meeting the lower goal.
- Choose books by visiting a bookstore and reading the first five pages of several books; bring home the one that makes you want to keep reading.
- Read at a fixed time each day, setting aside at least 30 minutes when you are usually free.
- Keep a book or audiobook with you; listen to audiobooks during commutes or chores that leave your ears free.
- Pick a reading spot you enjoy, such as a bed, sofa, armchair, terrace, or garden.
- Read two or more books at once so that at least one you like will finish quickly.
- Join a reader community to share reviews and get recommendations; the speaker mentions her Facebook group, "Hailey's Book Club."
- The speaker names A Thousand Splendid Suns and Forty Rules of Love as books she finds most people love, while noting tastes vary.
- The speaker's own goal is to finish at least 50 books this year, though she says it changes with her schedule.
Bottom Line
Reading becomes a habit through small, realistic, enjoyable steps: set modest goals, give yourself permission to drop books that don't work, and build routine, comfort, and community around reading.
