How and Why You Should Improve Your Reading Skills

Reading more helps you write more

Want to write more? Read more. There are many ways to improve your reading skills. Below I map out why you should read more, why it’s important and some tips to increase your read time.

How to improve your reading skills

Read more

I try to set aside twenty to thirty minutes a day for reading. This may be listening to an audio book, but it still counts. Brian Tracy, a notable motivational speaker on goals, says that reading for 30–60 minutes in your field of work can help make you an expert in that topic in five to seven years. This alone is a good reason to start reading more often. Who doesn’t want to be an expert at something?

Expand your vocabulary

Reading more expands your vocabulary. Knowing more words can help you hold better conversations. It can improve your resume writing skills. It can even make you sound more intelligent to some people. Having a stronger vocabulary will increase your ability to read harder books and understand harder topics.

In a world where technology changes in a second having the ability to keep up with all the latest terms is a game changer.

Even reading online has changed in the last few years with the introduction of emojis. Online writing is like hieroglyphic writing. If you want a job as an influencer or a social media manager being able to read and understand this type of vocabulary is necessary.

Read in different genres

Mystery, romance, science fiction. All these are up for grabs. I like to read creative nonfiction, self- help, and books on writing. But it’s helpful sometimes for me to break out of this rut and read something different. To throw in the latest science fiction book or teen hit. This helps break up the monotony of always reading the same thing.

Authors tend to write in their own way and genres tend to have their own beats. All mystery stories will include certain elements. If you only read that genre you only ever read those elements in that order in that way. Breaking free of your genre allows you to get a whole new perspective on how a book is written.

Choose the right reading for your level

It’s fun to choose a challenging book. But try to choose one that doesn’t have you pick up the dictionary for every fifth word. Looking up a few words throughout the story is fine, but it shouldn’t be the main goal of your reading. Even if you’re looking to improve your vocabulary you should pick a book at your appropriate level.

Scan the book before reading.

Give the book a once over. Read chapter titles. Read the introduction. Check out the references and bibliography if it has one. Get an idea of what the book is about before you start reading. This will improve how well you take the book in because you’ll already be familiar with it when you start reading.

Why does this matter?

Increase imagination

Reading improves your imagination. You can be inspired by books. Fiction and nonfiction alike.

Learn new things

There are books on all sorts of topics from how to cook to how to raise farm animals. If you want to learn new skills books are a great place to start.

Passes the time

It’s a good hobby. The time is going to pass. If you are on a train or sitting in an airport, take a book. If you are driving to work, pop in an audio book.

Become a better writer

Becoming a better reader makes you a better writer. You learn different ways people write. How they use vocabulary, syntax, and emotional resonance. How the beats of a book are laid or article is laid out.

Tips

Set aside time to read.

If you can make it the same time every day. Maybe it’s thirty minutes every morning, maybe it’s thirty minutes before bedtime. You may only have five minutes before you have to rush out to work. Try to find some time to do a little reading. With the age of the internet finding a five-minute article is completely doable.

Don’t discount your local library

Your local library has tons of books you can check out for free. Most even have an online app you can use to request books in an instant online line. You normally can use a kindle app to read these books. It only takes a couple of minutes to set up, but you do usually need an actual library card. Some libraries let you sign up for the card online.

Audio books are still reading

If you don’t have time to sit down with a paperback, try to slice an audio book into your day. Maybe it’s when you’re working out. Maybe it’s when you are cleaning the kitchen. Audio books are still the same book you would get if you sat down with a paper copy. They still count.

Reading is a fun activity that can pass the time and help you improve your skills. There is no lack of reading material in today’s world. Look around yourself, find something to read, and get started.