I used to have a real difficulty getting the habit of reading. I would buy books, knowing how important and beneficial they are... The only problem is that I just couldn’t commit myself to reading them. I would read a few pages in the beginning, get excited and pumped up, only to leave it behind. And when I pick it up back again months later, I start from the beginning again because I forgot what it was all about. In the end, I’d have dozens of books which I just scanned the first 30 pages. A trophy library, that's it.
Every once in a while, I might be able to finish a book – but would take me a year (or more), after exhausting myself completely of my willpower.
Any of you can relate?
A few months back I came across a video from YouTuber Ali Abdaal titled “How I read 100 Books a Year – 8 Tips for Reading More”. And his #1 tip was: Get A Kindle.
Huh. What's a kindle?
Okay wait a minute, I remember those. It’s them peculiar little e-reader devices, bigger than a phone, smaller than an ipad, basically just black and white display (okay technically not white, but a brownish paper-like color) gadget that once in a while I see white people (Mat Sallehs) reading in airplanes and train rides.
"This Ali Abdaal guy read 100 books a year, so he seems to know what he’s talking about: and this was his #1 tip".
I saved up and bought a Kindle Paperwhite over at Shopee back in July 2020.
Since then, I have finished reading thirteen books from start to finish.
Thirteen books in 6 months is a miracle achievement in my books! (Heh, see what I did there). This single device managed to successfully trigger a new habit which I did not think was possible and ignite my newfound passion for reading.
Here are some things I learnt since I bought the Kindle:
1. THE KEY TO BUILDING HABITS: MAKE IT EASY
In his book “Atomic Habits”, author James Clear points out that if you want to build good habits, the trick is to lower the entry barriers and make it easy for you to instill that habit. This "hacks" your mind into believing it is very easy and a "no brainer". If you want to start a workout habit, leave your gym shoes in the car. If you want to stop watching TV, keep it in the store.
And that was the thing about my reading habit: hard copy books made it difficult to do it consistently. Sometimes I would misplace them at the moments I want to read them, and because they tend to be a bit bulky to bring around, you don’t bring them around when you are in those long waiting moments of opportunity, such as queueing up, waiting in line at the bank, or commuting. Sometimes the silliest reason I don’t read is out of frustration when I can’t find my highlighter. With a Kindle, the books are all in a single device, and you can highlight electronically and export them as notes for immediate future references. Just gotta open and read.
But it doesn’t stop there. I realized that once I got into the habit, I find myself reading more of the physical books, too which was a great long-term bonus.
2. KINDLE VERSUS SMART PHONE
Why a Kindle instead of reading an e-book over the phone? Sure, I supposed you could (I also occasionally read e-books from my phone via the Kindle app) – but it just isn’t as productive or focused. As we all know, smartphones aren’t simply “convenience” gadgets or productivity tools. For many of us, they are tools of mass DISTRACTION. I can’t read books properly if I am bothered with a WhatsApp or social media notification every 2 minutes.
With a Kindle, you get zero distractions to get in the zone.
Also, for other ergonomic reasons, namely the form factor: the Kindle feels perfectly sized. Bigger than a phone, smaller than an ipad, and pocketable. Also, because the Kindle’s e-ink display mimics that almost exactly like a book, it’s very easy on the eyes compared to an LCD screen of a smartphone.
3. GETTING RID OF MINDSETS THAT HOLD YOU BACK
I used to tell myself: “I couldn’t get into e-books. I always prefer physical, hardcopy books that I can feel and touch, and put a bookmark, scribble stuff and highlight. I loved the sight of seeing that book cover on the table, and on my shelf. Why on Earth would you go the e-book route?"
In hindsight, this form-over-substance mindset held me back – and when I broke free from these unnecessary biases, then I could progress.
4. BOOKS: SOURCES OF KNOWLEDGE OR MERE TROPHIES ON THE SHELF?
Besides, if I were to honestly ask myself, why do I prefer hard copy books so much, anyway? So what if I can touch it, smell it, put it on display like a medal, if I didn’t actually read it?
I remember a friend of mine saying that he had a habit of buying volumes of books on a shelf. It looks great and all, and I used to marvel at the collection. But he said, “well I haven’t actually read them.”
Wow. That really got me thinking, about this idea of form over substance. What are trying to achieve: wisdom, or a trophy bookshelf?
5. BONUS AWESOME BENEFIT: GETTING RID OF BAD HABITS (i.e. Time-wasting, smartphone habits)
The best thing of all? Because having a Kindle made it so easy to read and build this new habit, it practically replaced a lot of time-wasting habits. Instead of instinctively turning on social media or YouTube when I have some free time to watch another amusing panda video, I whip out my Kindle instead.
In fact, I haven't watched a single movie since I purchased this gadget (without experiencing withdrawal symptoms, either 🤣).
This reminds me of an ayah of Qur’an:
إِنَّ الْحَسَنَاتِ يُذْهِبْنَ السَّيِّئَاتِ
“Verily, the good deeds erase the evil sins” (Surah Hud, 11:114)
6. PURCHASING BOOKS
Books usually cost anywhere between 1 to 15 US dollars in the Amazon Kindle store. Some of them do go on sale from time to time, which is great for cheapskates like me.
Also, another important note: books sold can be region-locked. Many books are unavailable if you set a Malaysian address, perhaps due to certain restrictions on laws and regulations. No worries, it’s a simple fix: just change your Amazon account to have a generic address in USA.
Try it out! Get a Kindle and join the Reading Revolution! 🤓✊🏼
1 comment:
Good read Faisal
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