Reading broadens the mind and improves writing skills

YOU know the benefits of reading: better vocabulary, improved general knowledge, greater focus, and by extension you also learn to write more fluently. However, if you didn’t grow up reading, cultivating the habit takes a bit of planning. Here’s how to get started.

Read stuff that you like

It’s common sense: if reading equals work, then you’re more likely to goof off and do something, anything else, but pick up a book. Read whatever suits your taste; by making it a pleasure, you’ll be dying to pick up a book.

If you don’t know what you like, go browse in a bricks and mortar bookshop. Check everything from sci-fi to true life crime by picking up a book and reading two or three pages from the middle.

Always have a book around There are all sorts of blank spaces in your day when you can soak up a page or two. Like when you’re waiting for a bus, having a coffee alone or if you’re five minutes early for a class.

If you’ve got your book at arms length, you’ll be amazed how those minutes add up.

Tip: Avoid reading on your phone as you’ll be tempted to fiddle with Facebook and WhatsApp. A paperback is best.

Find an ideal reading spot

A hobby reader picks up a book and walks into another world. However, if that’s not you, it’s sometimes easier to read when you’re in a conducive atmosphere.

A good bookshop will have a reading corner.

If there isn’t one near you, think if a place where you can relax.

By the lake maybe? A park? Your favourite coffeeshop? Wherever it is, go and spend an hour there.