Lessons from learning to love to read

I remember the feeling of never having to read a book or poem again, right after my final English exam 11 years ago. I hated reading.

The problem I had was that I didn’t find anything interesting. Movies were quicker and more attractive than fiction. I didn’t even think about non-fiction (I had enough boring textbooks already).

Over the last 5 years, I’ve learned how to find and appreciate books (72 so far), so here are three lessons from my reading journey:

#1 Take time to discover what you like

One of the first books I remember enjoying is Soccernomics. Reading it got me interested in so many other books in economics, psychology, and statistics.

Pick a domain you’re interested in to start. Explore different mediums of writing (you might prefer articles over books). Abandon what you don’t enjoy and switch to something else, but only after you’ve tried.

#2 Read when you have spare time

Sometimes I look forward to commutes because it’s a time where I find reading easy. It’s a time which is unavoidable, reasonably long, and free of most distractions.

Think about times in your week where you typically reach for your phone to avoid boredom. That might be a good place to start.

#3 Pick a reading space

If you don’t have pockets of time, you’ll need to make (not find!) time. You’ll want this time to be long enough for you to get into and stay in the flow.

Pick a comfortable place in your home or elsewhere and leave your distractions far away. This might become your ‘where I read’ spot.

Soccernomics got me interested in reading, which eventually lead to me having the knowledge to get the job I have today. I think that’s pretty amazing especially for someone who hated reading.