I love reading. However I haven’t always been a good or persistent reader. Until the past few years. But it wasn’t until recently that I learned a new trick to read more. As a result I have become an even better and more persistent reader.
The actual strategy and trick that I learned to read more came from a tip to write more. And to be fair, I use it for writing as well. It came from Ernest Hemingway.
How it started
Ernest Hemingway is reported to have said that he always stops writing for the day in the middle of a paragraph. That made it easier to come back and continue writing in the future. It was his antidote to writer’s block.
At first, this seemed like blasphemy to me. I was always scared to stop in the middle of a thought for fear of losing it. I always wrote to the end of a logical thought process.
And I did the same thing for reading
I always used to read to the end of a section or chapter of the book. I didn’t like to finish in the middle of the author’s thought process.
This is a fine way to read and maybe even the way that most people do it. However, the downside that I now recognize is that it can be harder to start back up when you end a logical stop point. Your momentum is gone.
So, my trick to read more
It follows pretty logically. I started to read and stop in the middle. Now I don’t stop in the middle of a sentence or paragraph. But I will stop in the middle of a thought process.
The result has been that it’s even easier to pick up the book and keep reading. I still use my other tricks like planning to read just 5-10 pages each night as part of my routine. But I really enjoy this new one as well.
I also find that it gets me thinking even more critically about the book I am reading using this trick. I linger on the last thoughts while I am reading more.
So, my recommendation? Give it a try!
And here are some of the recent books I have been reading:
- Leaders East Last by Simon Sinek
- Start With Why by Simon Sinek
- Good to Great by Jim Collins
- Determined by Jimmy Turner
And some other helpful posts with tips for forming good habits – both financial and otherwise (something I am very much still working on):
- 7 Financial Habits of Highly Successful Physicians
- The Simple Habits That Will Make You Financially Successful
- An Updated Formula to Practice Intentional Spending
- 10 Ways to Implement “Deep Work”
What do you think? Do you have another good trick to tread more? What are your reading habits? How can we make them better? Let me know in the comments below!
