Reading… it is a part of our daily life, no? Whether you are a student, or a working person, or say, anything, if you are literate you do read! Let it be your textbooks, or spreadsheets, or online information, etc., in daily life you come across situations where you need to read. And a reading habit is not limited to just these above-mentioned things. It is much more.
You must have read the title of this article ‘Importance of Reading Habit’ and must be wondering when we do read regularly what is this topic at all? Well, here in this article I’m not talking about reading textbooks or spreadsheets or anything related to your work or studies. Of course, you need to read that and you will, no doubt.
Here we’ll understand the meaning of reading beyond our academics and work and also know the importance of having a reading habit. So, come along!
You all must have heard of newspapers, magazines, books, novels, biographies, research papers… These are what count in your reading. There is a vast variety to choose from. If you are interested in fiction, pick up your favorite authors, and read their books. Or if biographies inspire you, look for the one. If you love entertainment, go for magazines. Knowledge or research-oriented? Research papers are for you.
Reading is like a potion that transforms you into another world, a world of somebody’s deep imagination where you experience all that the characters in the story experience.
And so, somebody has put it very accurately that “A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies, one who doesn’t read lives only once.” Such is the power of reading! So, having a reading habit in life is very important and it benefits you in a lot many ways, you cannot even think of.
How to begin?
Beginning- the toughest part as we all know! But the most important as well. You just need a correct beginning and then reading is magically going to become your hobby, trust me.
So, to begin with, popular fiction books are a good option. They are more character-driven and indulging. Once you get into books, then it’s all your choice. You may read any genre or as many as possible.
||Here is a list of 10 must-read books for beginners.||
Benefits of having a reading habit
There are infinite benefits and I will mention the most significant of them.
Before beginning, let me tell you that if you are an aspiring writer and writing excites you, you will land nowhere if you don’t have a reading habit. Yes, you read it right! Without reading, you just cannot write.
Besides, reading offers numerous benefits for all others too. Let’s have a closer look at them.
Benefits for everyone-
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Increases attention span
Reading helps you improve your ability to concentrate. While you read regularly, your attention span increases, and you can concentrate more on any other work that you perform in your daily lives.
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Increases knowledge
Books can do wonders for you. Let it be any kind of book: detective, conflict, horror, entertainment, or just any… every book is going to add something to your knowledge and will end up teaching you important values that you may help you in life.
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Improves communication skills by expanding vocabulary
One of the easiest and inexpensive ways to improve your communication skills is reading. As you read, you put yourself into the shoes of various characters, the dialogues allow you to gain communication skills. Also, as you read different words, you grasp them and it widens your vocabulary. Again, no easier way than reading!
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Makes readers more resilient and improves emotional quotient
Those who are ardent readers tend to have a more balanced emotional health than those who are not. This is the magic of the books that the readers end up becoming more resilient and improves their emotional quotient.
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Helps with imagination and visualization
By reading, your imagination and visualization abilities improve and you look at things differently.
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Reduces Stress
Whenever you are alone, books can be your best partners. They transform you into a world of comfort where you drive yourself into the story, irrespective of all the stresses and worries you may be facing in real life. In this way, reading habits help you reduce stress.
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It is a fairly inexpensive hobby
Reading is quite an inexpensive yet effective hobby. You can buy books you wish to read, they cost you a reasonable rate. Also, if you can’t/don’t want to buy, you can read them online or also borrow from a library. It’s also a good idea to exchange your books among your friends’ circle. In this way, you’ll be able to read a variety of books without spending on them.
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Makes a good impression on others
Whenever you are traveling, if you carry a book along, it always makes a good impression of you on co-passengers. Also if you have a good collection at your home, anybody visiting your home gets highly impressed and will for sure praise you.
Benefits for Writers-
A reading habit has special and invaluable benefits for writers. From learning various techniques of writing to discovering new ideas, reading revolutionizes your writing skills and help you write more effectively.
The best ones among all the benefits of reading habit for writers are:
- Broadens Horizon
- Adds to knowledge
- Introduces to interesting characters you are not likely to meet in real life
- Transports to places you are not likely to visit
- Exposes to conflicts you are not likely to experience
- Shows layers of writing- unusual twists of phrases, interesting dialogues and unique use of words
I guess you have got a fair idea of how beneficial and effective reading habits can be for you. So what are you waiting for?
Pick up something and start reading! Read fiction, biographies, self-help, newspapers, magazines, or anything else. The important thing is to read every day.
At 1 book per week, you can read around 52 books per year! Happy Reading and have a great experience!