5 Ways to Start Reading in the Lockdown

As an innate introvert, being holed up in the house, snuggled with a good book, without friends and family pestering to ‘catch-up over weekends’ seemed like an ideal life. I used to be the kind of person who’d look forward to vacations, yes vacations, where I didn’t have to meet anyone or be anywhere.

Until the lockdown of March 2020.

The weeks and months that followed, of barely any real social interaction, were far less enticing than I had imagined. As lockdown fatigue wore on, I tried my hand at many of the prescribed lockdown activities - baking, working out, DIY stuff, and so on, but gave up mid-way. Eventually, I decided to find solace in my trusted friends –books!

Despite being an avid reader in my childhood, it dawned on me how little reading I did in the last few years. I spoke to my dad (whom I got my reading genes from) about it and he told me he experienced the same thing- life got in the way and reading took a backseat.

While many of us have developed or reconnected with our hobbies or passions in this lockdown, I have an earnest request to consider giving reading a shot. Why? Because like Joseph Addison rightly says, “Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.’” Persistent reading is the best non-tangible investment with the highest guaranteed results in due time. No doubt then, why some of the world’s greatest leaders consciously dedicate time to devouring books, newspapers, magazines, and journals. 

Determined to get my reading game back on track, I decided to make it a point to deliberate and dedicate a few minutes every day. Similar to cycling after a long gap, I found a lost sense of confidence when I picked my old copy of Catch-22. But after a couple of tries, I found myself enjoying the thrill of wheeling through pages after pages, once again. Here are some ways you too can instill this simple habit.

Read anything you can – for at least 15 minutes a day

You definitely do not have to read 50 books a year like Bill Gates or 500 pages per week like Warren Buffet. To get started, just 15 minutes a day are more than enough. If you have a very packed day ahead of you, you could swap some of your leisure activity time like television, social media, for some reading. However, it is important to make sure this is a distraction-free time. To the uninitiated, reading is not exactly a gripping activity like watching something on Netflix- it takes a little longer to build up. So to make the connection, you need to set some dedicated time aside to indulge in this habit. Having said that, pick a book/ magazine/ journal of your choice and read it without any distractions. You could even set a timer to ensure you do read for the stipulated time you choose.

Dedicate a time and spot for reading

When I decided to start, I took a hard look at what my day looked like. I knew I had to consciously make the time and for that, I had to know when was the best time I could do it! Lockdown life hasn't exactly blessed us with a lot of time as we had imagined. Sure, we are saving traveling time, but staying at home with kids, having to do all the chores, has left most of us with disorderly schedules. In my case, I decided to have a smaller lunch and dedicate some of my lunch minutes to reading instead. Clichéd as it may sound, a little discipline, in the beginning, goes a long way.

It also helps a great deal to decide the ideal spot where you can consume your book in peace. You don’t have to get hung up on a gram-worthy reading spot, just a comfortable chair/couch with ample lighting should do the trick.

Challenge yourself

To become a serious reader, you must challenge yourself from the beginning. Sites like Goodreads, where you can set a yearly target of the number of books you wish to read, are great to do this-  you can even track your challenge progress there. Once you set your daily cadence of 15 minutes, you can even up the level and challenge yourself to read for longer. Set a pace that suits your schedule and stick to it.

Get recommendations from friends/ colleagues

As a personal experience, I have seldom liked a book I randomly picked out. I haven’t had much luck with some of the ‘bestsellers’ lists either. What works for me is, I have a group of friends who share my tastes in books and their recommendations are usually what go into my library, too. In case I do decide to randomly pick a book, I make sure I read some reviews and just a teeny little bit of the book overview so I know what I’m getting into. Books require a good deal of commitment, and it helps to know that you’re being introduced to the right one ;)                 

Read whatever you want to

I was watching this interesting interview by Warren Buffet where he talks about how he loves to read biographies of people. Though most of his weekly reading is comprised of reports and daily newspapers, he finds reading biographies is what enlivens him the most. While there are very impressive lists of books to read- bestsellers, award-winning books, books read by business leaders, etc., etc., you don’t have to conform to any of these lists. Read whatever you like- be it comics, politics, books on gardening, detective novels, academic books – anything, absolutely anything, that makes you want to turn one more page before you close for the day.

So here’s hoping, you start and enjoy reading this lockdown, and let the world of books take you on a virtual world tour to distant lands, and back and forth in time, while you're stuck at home. As a closing note, here's one of my favorite quotes on this topic:

“I know no wise person, who doesn’t read a lot” –Charles Munger