Notes on Building a Reading Habit
Most reading advice fails because it starts with ambition. Fifty pages a night, a canon, a spreadsheet. The habit collapses in week two and the reader concludes something about themselves.
Start smaller and dumber. One chapter on the commute. Ten minutes before the phone comes out in the morning. A book left open on the arm of a chair so the friction of starting is nearly zero.
Choice beats discipline. If a title drags, put it down without ceremony and pick something with a hook. Reading is not a penance, and the books that survive are the ones you actually want to return to.
Variety protects the habit. Alternate a novel with a field guide, a memoir with a manual. The change of register keeps attention fresh and stops a slump from becoming a stop. ReddyBook Club organises titles by mood rather than by bestseller rank, which helps when you have no idea what you want.
Track loosely. A list of finished books is a pleasant artefact and a terrible master. Note what stuck, not how many pages you cleared. Habits built on enjoyment outlast habits built on targets, every time.