Tips, Not Prompts: a guide on how to build and keep the reading habit

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I do not read dozens of books per year, but I've built a fairly good system for myself throughout my life as a reader, so I've decided to share it here for people who might feel overwhelmed by their reading goals and challenges. Nothing groundbreaking; just to show that it's possible to build a rewarding reading habit even for those whose lives don't revolve around books and can't focus solely on reading. The tips are all based on my own experience, so they might not work for everybody, or be too obvious for some and too complicated for others.Β 

Also, readers familiar with the book Atomic Habits by James Clear (or who have spent hours procrastinating on YouTube watching videos on how not to procrastinate) will probably realize that most, if not all, of my tips are different ways of following the Four Laws of Behavior Change, which are based on the concept of the habit loop β€”Cue, Craving, Response and Rewardβ€” and basically tell us to make the target good habit: 1. obvious; 2. attractive; 3. easy; and 4. satisfying. Following the principle of avoiding big losses with small wins, the author advises us to focus: 1. on getting 1% better every day, not on getting perfect; 2. on the process instead of the goals; and 3. on the identity to be emerged out of your habits, that is, the person you want and can be, not the one you think you are. A summary of the book can be found at <https://jamesclear.com/atomic-habits-summary>.

To understand the basics of how habits work neurologically, I recommend the book The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg, or at least the first part, The Habits of Individuals, made up of three chapters: The Habit Loop, The Craving Brain and The Golden Rule of Habit Change.

That said, let's move on to the tips.

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