How to fall in love with reading again

Short answer? Get a critical reason to read and don't let go!

I do have a problem when it comes to buying books. A rough tallying up in my head puts the figure easily in the thousands of pounds, spent on printed words on paper, throughout my lifetime. Plus a bit on some kindle purchases.

It does beg the question- what could I have bought with all that money, instead? It also makes me wonder what I could buy in future if only I could stop...

I asked these questions not too long ago, because I realised I'd long stopped reading, seriously. I was buying books with good intentions then leaving them to just look cool on the shelf. Or on the table, convincing myself that having them there would somehow magically transfer their content into my brain. Again, all it did was make the furniture look more sophisticated. My mind, not so much. Pretty expensive habit. I did join the city library, in a bid to stop my spending. And sure, there were some good titles on all kinds of subjects, but once checked out, they just made my reading pile bigger.

Part of me blames the publishing industry and all those authors. Far too many interesting books (and some that just have really nice covers) being produced too quickly for consumption. Each time I was going into my local Waterstones, I was actually taking photos of displays so I could remember to spend my money on those titles, the next time I got paid. Then there's the massive backlog of gems to get round to from the last few centuries of literature.

It's a tragic reality that neither I, nor any other bibliophile out there, will ever be able to read all the books we want to read. But this was not a good enough reason to have stopped reading, I knew.

Why wasn't I reading anymore? What was wrong with me? Why was I happy to watch god-awful films till 2 in the morning or wipe out hours in masochistic Twitter binges? The bookshelf was literally next to the TV. I could see it without turning my head. There was no real excuse other than to say it felt like I didn't have the energy to invest in reading anymore. Somewhere along the way, it had fallen by the wayside. Then for a long while, there was nothing pushing me to pick the habit back up (yet the buying had continued, perhaps a stubbornness in the brain refusing to let the practice completely die). I'd pick up a book and think about how much my brain would have to work in order to get into it and finish it.

A sorry state to be in. Looking back, I'm actually quite ashamed of myself.

What I needed was a real reason to read.

A jolt. A bloody good reason to get me reading again. To pick up that first book and see it through to the end. I needed a why to slap me awake.

It turns out work pressure would be that why. Funny, eh?

Since turning freelance as a copywriter, I've had to shape up in a number of ways. But one of the biggest is the need to increase my knowledge levels in order to provide quality work to my clients. Clients that come from different industries and specialties. My copy is their copy, so it needs to be authentic and on the money. In order to do that, I have to take the time to learn.

The first couple of non fiction books did the trick. The insight from them was useful but what was more important was the passion I regained from the process of reading and the feeling it gave me. I remembered how good it felt to just read. The satisfaction in finishing and closing over the back cover. The brain in overdrive with ideas, new connections and playful musings. After the first book, my brain felt like it had taken a long overdue shower. Since then, my rate has been returning to what it used to be and it's paying off. I'm remembering how quickly I can get through a book when the focus is there. Instead of thinking about how long it takes to finish a book, I'm calculating times in which I can fit reading in.

Now I can't read enough because of my appetite, not because of the volume of books out there. There's a difference.

So, if you've got a stack waiting for you on the shelf, the coffee table, nightstand or floor, try to find your critical reason for turning to page one in that first book. Leverage that necessity and let it take you back to learning for the sake of learning and reading for pure pleasure. And if you don't have a stack, go get one. You may feel guilty about splurging on a bunch of two for ones and racking up a triple figure receipt at the counter. You may hesitate in buying.

Don't.

Reading is amazing. If you're in any kind of business or you want to develop your career, it will get you ahead, sooner or later. But reading goes beyond that. You will not regret taking the time to do more of it. The benefits you'll receive will go further than promotions and pay rises. Trust me.

Switch off the TV. Put some music on low, if you like. Swipe your phone's wifi off and leave it on the shelf in a straight swap for a novel, biography or business how-to.