How to Fall in Love With Reading Again

There was a time when getting lost in a book was easy. Before the endless scroll and the constant notifications, there were quiet afternoons and worlds waiting between the pages. Do you miss it?

The desire to read more isn't a goal to be hacked; it's a longing to be answered. Let's not build a system. Let's create a ritual.

Ten Minutes of Refuge

Forget the goal of "52 books a year." Such targets turn reading into a race, encouraging you to finish rather than to savor. You'll choose shorter books, you'll skim, and you'll feel guilty when a magnificent 600-page novel "only" counts as one.

Instead, give yourself the gift of ten minutes. Just ten minutes of reading, every day. It's a small pocket of quiet in a loud world. It's too short to feel like a chore, but long enough to transport you.

Create Your Sanctuary

A vague intention to "read more" will be lost in the noise of the day. A ritual needs a time and a place.

1. Find your Time

   Choose a moment that can be yours. With your morning coffee, during your lunch break, or just before you turn out the lights.

2. Designate your Place

   A specific chair, a corner of the sofa. A place your mind learns to associate with the quiet pleasure of a book.

3. Keep your Book There

   Let your current book live in your reading spot, waiting for you. No friction, no searching. Just open and begin.

The Freedom to Let Go

Here is the most important permission a reader can have: you do not have to finish every book you start.

If a book doesn't capture you after 20 or 30 pages, let it go without guilt. There are millions of books waiting to be discovered. Your task isn't to conquer every book, but to find the ones that set your mind alight. Forcing yourself through a dull book only teaches you that reading is a chore.

Choose the Deeper Magic

Your phone is the enemy of the deep, immersive focus that reading requires. For your ten minutes, put it in another room. Choose the rich world of a book over the shallow buzz of the screen.

Honor the Ritual

Each day you return to your reading sanctuary is a small act of devotion to yourself. Marking this moment is a way to acknowledge it.

Use a tool like Habit Tiles to note that you've kept your appointment with your book. It's a simple, satisfying way to see how these small moments of refuge add up over time.

Start tonight. Just ten minutes. A good book is waiting for you.