Habit Confession

I have a confession: I have a pricy habit that costs me around $70 to $120 per month. Can you guess what it is? No, it's not buying fancy coffee or eating out at fancy restaurants (although, guilty as charged on those too). It's my love for reading!

I've always been an avid reader, but I struggled to maintain consistency with this habit. However, over the past few years, I've made a conscious effort to read more consistently and hold myself accountable. In 2019, I managed to read about 10-12 books (a mix of physical and digital), but in 2020, that number dropped to just 4 books.

But, here's the good news: In 2022, I read a whopping 20 books, and as of today, in 2023, I've already read 28 books. Wondering what changed? Well, in 2020, I became a new dad and was on night duty 95% of the time. While trying to feed or put my newborn to sleep, I was spending way too much time on social media, and it was quickly burning me out. That's when I decided to analyze my screen time, and it was an eye-opening experience.

Once I realized how much time I was wasting on social media, I knew I had to make a change. Reading on my phone was the answer - it was convenient, and it allowed me to read more and replace my bad social media habit.

I know that some of you might disagree that digital books are not as good as physical ones (which could be a whole different debate). But in my case, the digital books keep me sane during those long nights, and there was probably zero chance that I would have been able to read a physical book while taking care of my newborn.

So, what's my secret to reading more? Well, I try to read for at least 30 minutes every day. I break my reading sessions into small sessions anywhere from 5-10 minutes, and on weekends, I take advantage of my son's naps where I can squeeze in more than an hour.

Below is a link to my reading list, which mainly consists of books. Over time, I'll also include some articles.

I'd love to hear your thoughts! How do you read your books, and how do you mix up the books throughout the month?

So here's to new and consistent habits ??