“No matter how busy you may think you are, you must find time for reading, or surrender yourself to self-chosen ignorance.” – Confucius

With so many high tech entertainment choices, reading is a dying hobby, not only because it’s time consuming but it requires significant mental focus to be rewarding.
Having talked about the numerous benefits of reading, here are a few simple things you could do to help you read more.

1. Set Monthly Book Goals
   Making a decision to read a certain number of books every month is the first step in the right direction. This personal goal will create a sense of responsibility and encourage personal discipline. Better still, you get a huge sense of fulfillment when you do achieve your goal!
2. Have a Daily Reading Target
   Most people prefer to set small reading targets like thirty pages a day, two chapters a day or just twenty minutes of reading every morning at dawn. Create a plan and choose a time that’s comfortable for you and then stick to it.
3. Set a Reminder
   These days, all phones come with a Reminder App or some sort of Calendar. Use it. Otherwise your desktop computer or laptop will do. Choosing a specific time of the day gives structure to your reading pattern and help you forge a lasting reading habit.
4. Try Audio Books
   If you are too busy to read, invest in audio books. This will make reading books easier. Besides hardcopies, most books also come in CDs or mp3 file format so you can listen to them on your phone or in your car as you go to or come home from work.
5. Use an e-Reader App
   Seriously, e-Readers are the next best thing after sliced bread! These apps are often very user-friendly and support a large variety of file formats including pdf, epub and mobi. Most apps have intergrated stores that allow you shop for books directly from your phone, ipad or laptop. Better still, they often come with an advanced Library Management System so you can organize your eBooks by tags and collections. If that isn’t enough, these apps also come with the ability to read books out loud. Yes, you heard me. Your app will read to you, all you have to do is listen and pause occasionally to check out the meaning of a new word. Did I mention that these apps can interact with your dictionary?
   Here are a few of my favourite e-Readers (in no paticular order):

• Amazon Kindle
• Mantano Reader
• Moon+ Reader
• Universal Book Reader
• Google Play Books
• Aldiko Book Reader
  Oh, I almost forgot to add, most of them are free. Download them and see which you like best.
• Carry Your Book with You
  When you carry a book along with you, you make time to read it; on the fuel queue, while waiting for a business meeting or on the Danfo bus. Using an app makes this so much more convenient. You can carry your book everywhere. Hell, you can carry around your entire library.
• Turn off the TV
  A little less Telemondo guys, alittle less AfricaMagic. Pete Edochie is wise but so is Maya Angelou and Chimamanda Adichie. I know you don’t want to hear this, but it’s true. If you cut thirty minutes off Television every day for a week and replace that with reading, you will finish more than one book in a month.

“Keep reading books, but remember that a book is only a book, and you should learn to think for yourself.
–Maxim Gorky

Do share any tips you may have on how to read more. I’ll be happy to learn from you.
And as always, thank you for reading!