You know those reading insights on your Kindle or Audible account that tell you how many days in a row you’ve read? They lie.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure they make some people feel really good. And justifiably so. Who doesn’t like the competition with oneself involved in keeping a streak? But I always know they’re lying to me.
Right now, my Kindle tells me that I’ve read 23 days in a row. It’s wrong. I’ve read every day. Every. Single. Day. For years and years. Just maybe not on my Kindle.
I developed a daily reading habit years ago. I couldn’t even say when for certain, but I don’t plan to stop. Reading is more than a hobby for me. I’ve studied all the positive outcomes of reading every day. That’s why I’m here to explain why you should read every day too.
Why You Should Read Every Day
Do you want to be smarter, make more money, and have less stress? A daily reading habit can help you accomplish those things. It might even make you look better, although I doubt any scientist has proven it. But they have found many other reasons you should read every day.
Reading Makes You Smarter
Readers score higher on intelligence tests, starting in childhood.
Reading is an active mental process that often replaces a passive activity like watching TV.
People who read have higher GPAs, higher intelligence, a more diverse vocabulary, and greater general knowledge than those who don’t.
Simply, reading gives you tools in your analytical toolbox. It helps make you a better thinker.
Reading also engages your brain, which essentially is working the muscles in your mind. The brain requires exercise to keep it strong and healthy now and over time. Reading gives it the exercise it needs.
Reading Reduces Stress
I enjoy little more than sitting on my patio in the breeze or in a warm bubble bath and reading a good book. If you know this feeling, you easily understand how science has repeatedly proven that reading reduces stress and increases relaxation.
Reading is a form of escape, helping you forget the daily hassles of life and enjoy the world outside of your own. This escapism is probably why I don’t force myself to read books I don’t enjoy. Reading a book you don’t enjoy is stressful. I’d rather find pleasure in the hobby.
Reading Makes You a Better Writer
OK, so not everyone is interested in this outcome, but those who read this blog probably are.
Everything you read — good or bad — helps to inform your writing. It increases your vocabulary and exposes you to various writing and storytelling styles. Even if you hate the piece, it shows you what you don’t want to do to your own readers.
Reading’s positive relationship with writing alone is enough to keep me doing it.
Reading Improves Your Focus
Internet consumption, much of which is done via mobile devices, makes it increasingly difficult for us to focus. Something is always ringing, dinging, pinging, or buzzing at us.
The barrage of incoming information is eroding our attention spans. So much so that the average attention span is just more than eight seconds and has steadily decreased during the last two decades. I even saw research from Erik Qualman, author of Socialnomics: How Social Media Transforms the Way We Live and Do Business, that says humans have lower attention spans than goldfish. I’m not entirely sure how you measure a goldfish’s attention span, but the point stuck with me.
We have to retrain our minds to focus on the tasks at hand and not be, as I call it to my husband, so “shiny.” We can’t be distracted by every little thing in the environment around us, so much so that we lose the ability to do deep work. Reading books helps you practice and maintain your ability to focus.
Reading Boosts Your Self-Esteem
The more you read, the more knowledgeable you become. This knowledge brings confidence, which builds self-esteem as people begin to look to you for advice and answers.
Reading Gives You Something to Discuss
I am so socially awkward. I’m terrible at small talk and always embarrass myself by trying to fill pauses in conversation.
You’ll never run out of things to talk about with new or old acquaintances when you read every day. You can always revert to something you read recently or are reading.
I love it when people ask me what they should read or share with me a title they think I’ll enjoy. Although, I do feel a bit sorry for them. Like, “Are you really prepared for this discussion?”
Reading Improves Creativity
Reading requires you to use your imagination. Even if you’re like me and assign famous actors to most of the characters in your books, that still requires some creativity.
Reading exposes you to new ideas, information, and ways of thinking. It helps spur creativity and develop your creative thinking. In short, exposure to ideas generates more ideas!
Reading Decreases Boredom
Have you ever taken an international flight or sat in a waiting room for an appointment you were on time for? If so, you know how long and tedious these things can feel. But I’m never upset, even when someone I’m meeting for a meeting or meal is late. I always respond, “Don’t worry! You know I have a book.” What most people view as boring, wasted time I see as an opportunity. I never worry about being bored because I can always read, and I never tire of doing that.
Reading Helps You Make More Money
Reading in your discipline helps you increase your expertise and become more specialized. It can help prepare you for new jobs or advances in your existing field.
How to Develop a Daily Reading Habit
Now that you understand why you should read every day, I bet I know what you’re thinking. It’s something like, “That’s great, Kenna, but how the heck am I supposed to read every day? I’d love to, but I just don’t have time for it.”
Not to sound like a jerk, but you make time for things that are important to you. Also, note that I didn’t say you should read hundreds of pages daily or even for a certain amount of time. The only requirement is that you read every day.
3 ways to develop a daily reading habit:
- Always Have Something to Read. You’re likely to have unexpected pockets of time throughout your day. They’re a perfect time to read. But you may not have a book, so you waste time on your phone instead. That’s why I always have a digital book going. No matter where I am, I can open my Kindle or library app and pick up on reading my book.
- Listen to Books. Audiobooks count! It’s not open for discussion. When you can’t read, listen. Listen to books while you get ready for your day, during your commute, or while you run errands or complete household chores. You can likely get in a book or more a week just by listening.
- Read to Relax. Many people earmark time in the morning while they drink their coffee or at the end of the day before they fall asleep to read. Making reading part of your start-up or wind-down rituals goes a long way toward establishing a daily reading habit.
Happy Daily Reading
Overall, reading is an enjoyable hobby that results in many intangible health benefits and positive, tangible life outcomes. Perhaps the most important benefit of reading is that it makes you a life-long learner.
I hope this post convinced you of the importance of developing a daily reading habit if you don’t already have one. And, as always, happy reading.
Love reading! I read first thing in the morning, and before bed. Multiple books at any given time. Cheers! Kaarina
KDillabough I have noticed that I also read several books at a time now. I used to focus on one at a time, but I think I diversified because of I now read multiple genres.
How is your reading coming along?
Kenna
profkrg I’m actually delighted to be reading some galleys right now for some colleagues, which not only interests me from a content point of view, but keeps the “editor” in me razor-sharp, checking spelling and grammar:) My “other” reading includes two fiction books (one of which I’ll abandon, because I never force myself to read a book that I’m not enjoying or benefitting from), two business books and articles in a national magazine that my brother writes for. Cheers! Kaarina
KDillabough I just wrote about that above. No forced reading! There are just too many options and too little time to read things you hate.
I love editing. It’s a good thing too. I do a lot of it.
Kenna
I absolutely love to read! Yet I did not until I reached my 30s. Hated reading as a kid. Most of that I think is because I was forced to read so many things that were of no interest to me at all throughout school. I was bored a lot of the time in my classes althought I did well in school. And I hated sitting still for long periods.
I am glad to see kids can choose much of what they read for school today. Yet my very smart daughter sees reading as a means to an end – get my AR points, get my As. But when school is not pressing her to read she wants nothing to do with reading because to her it equates to “work”.
I am taking a page from John Maxwell’s playbook this summer – he had shared that his parents didn’t pay him an allowance to do chores. Chores were expected. They paid him an allowance to read – as an investment in his education. I am taking on that practice with my daughter for the summer. Hoping by the end of summer she will have a new relationship with reading. So for me your article is timely and I plan to share it with her to better explain why we are doing this to begin with!
Do you have any other suggestions for how I can break through the interpretation of reading as “work” with a young teenager?
SusanMazza My daughter hates to read as well. I initially blamed it on the AR system. She sees reading as something she has to do, not something that she enjoys doing. I love Maxwell’s idea. Perhaps we should try that with our daughter as well. It kills me that she doesn’t enjoy reading. The only advice I really have is don’t make her read anything during the summer that she doesn’t enjoy. I think my daughter finishes books because she starts them and she’s working toward those AR points. If she quits, she’ll have to read something else. However, I am huge proponent of not reading things that don’t interest you. That’s one reason I love digital books. You can make decisions based on samples. Life’s too short to read bad books!
Good luck with your little (non)reader. Let me know if you come up with any fabulous solutions!
Kenna
Now if I only had more time to read 🙂 My routine is business books, blogs, etc. in the a.m. Good fiction at night.
Craig McBreen That looks a lot like my routine. Although I also listen to audiobooks during my commute and do some Twitter chats (ok, a lot of Twitter chats) in the evening.
I’ve always enjoyed reading. For many years, I didn’t make it a priority. Over the last couple years, I have rekindled my romance with the written word. Although I have been known to cheat with the occasional audio book, for me the joy is having book in hand, physically turning the pages. Right now it is a race against the clock as to whether I will be done reading a very popular book before it is due back to the library. The verdict is still out as to whether Tammy or the calendar will win this round.
TammyL I hope Tammy wins! Just deciding to do so resulted in me making more time to read. I’m so glad I did. I love reading. It’s such a worthwhile and fulfilling hobby.
I would recommend Peter Church’s book Added Value-the life stories of Indian business leaders. Amazing insight on some truly inspirational people. You should read this book not only because it was fantastically insightful and interesting in relation to the individuals but also gives the reader an incredibly helpful view of the mindset of the business leaders. The book is an excellent primer for anyone seeking to do business.
http://amzn.com/B009PMPKZ4
Yes it is important to make time to do this everyday. Great reminder that it belongs at the top of one’s list of things to do.
I love reading. I wish I could spend all day, every day with a book. I guess it makes sense for a college professor.
profkrg Unavoidable in our profession. ~grin~
I liked how you pointed out that reading can really help improve your stress levels. I’ve been pretty stressed lately, and I can’t quite figure out why. I wouldn’t mind trying reading on a daily basis to see if that can effectively help me cope with my daily stress.
I really liked how you mentioned that reading can help reduce stress. This would be helpful for me since I feel like my lifestyle is incredibly stressful, and I don’t have any effective coping strategies in place to deal with my stress. I’ll definitely look into reading to help me cope with my stress more effectively.
Kenna – love this post, thank you for sharing!!! You listed a few benefits that are spot on. If anyone is interested, please check out my blog to find out “7 Reasons Why You Should WITH A Loved One Every Day”
https://brittanypowellcom.wordpress.com/2019/02/03/7-reasons-why-you-should-read-with-a-loved-one-every-day/
I like that you said that reading exposes you to new ideas, information and ways of thinking. I am thinking about reading an inspirational book I saw the other day because I would like to get more into reading. I think that it would help me think in different ways and I think it would help me be more open to new ideas. Thanks for pointing out the benefits of reading books.
I loved that you mentioned people who read have higher intelligence and more diverse vocabulary than those who do not. My husband got a lot of books from his last business trip, and we are looking for advice about the benefits of reading. I will let him know about your article to help him understand the mental benefits of reading.
It stood out to me when you explained that reading gives us a good topic of conversation if we ever run out of things to discuss. I was doing a video chat with my siblings last night and was surprised at how little I had to add to the conversation. Maybe I’ll look for a nonfiction book to read about recent history since that would fit well with my interests!