How to Overcome Common Challenges to Reading Regularly

Simple Strategies to Conquer Obstacles and Build a Consistent Reading Habit

Photo by Siora Photography on Unsplash

“Reading should not be presented to children as a chore or a duty. It should be offered as a gift.” — Kate DiCamillo

Reading regularly is challenging.

I mean, reading once a week is not that hard, but reading regularly every day is different. Especially when you have a busy schedule.

Not only that. We need to understand what we read, right?

We don’t want to read something we don’t understand. It’s just a waste of time. It’s better to not read at all and find the right time to read later.

Well, will the right time come?

Reading regularly should not be hard, and I didn’t find it hard either. I read every day, and believe me, it’s not hard.

Here’s how to overcome those challenges that seem hard but aren’t.

1. Lack of time.

I know you might be busy and have no time to read.

This is how reading regularly becomes a challenge. To overcome this challenge, you can incorporate reading into your daily routine.

In The Mastery of Reading, I explain that rather than seeking a perfect one-hour, no distraction reading time, find a 1–3 minute reading time, but frequently. You can read while having a lunch break or before you go to bed.

Start as small as you can, and remember to win those small sessions.

Do not seek it out for 5 minutes or 10 minutes if you find it hard.

Start with 1 to 3 minutes of reading.

2. Many distractions

Reading regularly is pretty easy if you have a room with no distractions.

You might not lack focus, but you might be distracted. When you are forcing yourself to read while you are being called or someone is talking to you, this is challenging.

So, avoid this and find a way to read with no distractions.

3. Rely on motivation.

Motivation will never come.

You will never know when the right moment or the right time will come. This is why I recommend you build reading habits. You just need to do it every day with a small amount, making sure you gradually increase the difficulty.

If you read for 5 minutes, add 10 minutes and more in the next week or next month. Do not rely on motivation; just do it. If you are motivated to read, use it.

If you aren’t motivated to read, read as small as you can.

4. Wrong book.

I find this problem with many people and myself.

You don’t really want to read a book because you are not motivated. Maybe you are picking the wrong book.

What does it mean to pick the wrong book?

You might read romance when you actually don’t like it. You might be trying to force yourself to read self-help while you actually enjoy fiction.

Do not force yourself, but rather let it flow with your reading moment. 

Seek recommendations and read the summaries if you need to.

Start reading now

So, start by finding the book you love.

Reading regularly is not hard, and I will help you achieve it.

I’ve made a free guide, The Habit of Reading, and a premium one, The Mastery of Reading, which will be released soon next month. It’s full of step-by-step guides and an insertable implementation guide that you can start on that day too.

You can overcome those challenges with ease if you know how to do it.

So, start reading for a small amount, consistently.

Then let time take over to build your habit of reading.

Happy reading.

Essential Resources for Your Journey 📚

• 30-day Simple Habit Tracker (Free) | Download Here
  Track Your Daily Habits with Customizable Months

• Life-changing Blueprint (Free) | Download Here
  How to Change Your Life with Implementation Guide

• My Booknotes (Free) | Download here
  Understand What You Read with Implementation Guide

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