Do you ever wish you read more? Reading for pleasure has declined by 10 percent since 2003, according to a 2025 American Time Use Survey. There are all kinds of potential explanations for this, from the rise of social media to the increased availability of other kinds of entertainment, but the trend is clear.
At the same time, reading has all kinds of benefits. It’s a very rewarding kind of recreation, and studies show that it keeps your brain in shape, potentially even delaying cognitive decline in older adults. For these reasons and more, many of us want to read more, but we have trouble building the habit. The good news: There’s research on this, and on the subject of building habits more broadly. Here are a few tips to build a reading habit.
Tie reading to an existing routine
You’ve probably heard the idea that building a new habit takes around 21 days—it’s a pop psychology trope at this point. It also doesn’t stand up to research. A meta-analysis published in the journal Healthcare, written by researchers from the Alliance for Research in Exercise Nutrition and Activity in Australia, found that habit formation typically takes at least between two and five months, depending on personal factors.
The meta-analysis goes on to point to a few strategies that research suggests are effective for building and maintaining habits. Among them is tying the desired habits to existing routines. It’s easy to imagine how to use this to build a reading habit.
So, if you tend to make a cup of coffee in the morning before breakfast, consider reading while you do that instead of picking up your phone. If you ride a train to work every day, bring a book to read. Alternatively, if you drive to work, consider listening to an audiobook. You could read after brushing your teeth every night. Attaching reading to a routine you already have makes it a lot easier to remember the new habit, which in turn makes it more likely that you stick to it.
Find something you’re interested in
Nothing is going to deter you from reading more than books you dread reading. That’s why you should build your reading habit by focusing on things you already care about. A report published by The Reading Agency, a UK-based organization dedicated to encouraging reading, found that movies, TV shows, and podcasts serve as an entry point into reading. “2 in 5 lapsed readers (41%) said films and TV shows had got them interested in reading books and 28% said the same about podcasts or audiobooks,” the report states, adding that even non-readers find this to be an interesting entry point.
How is this useful? Well, if you’re a fan of a TV show or movie that was based on a book, consider starting your reading habit by focusing on those original books. Or, if you’re a podcast listener, consider paying attention when a guest or host you admire recommends a book. Tie your interest in reading to something that you already enjoy—you’re more likely to remain motivated that way.
This works the other way. If you’re reading a book but not enjoying it, stop reading and find something that you do enjoy. Building a habit is more important than finishing a book you’re not enjoying, and reading something you enjoy is going to make it more likely that you build the habit.
Start small
The early stages of building a new habit are critical, and overly ambitious goals can cause setbacks. According to a paper about how reading can transform your life published in the The International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation (IJRSI) by researchers at the Xavier Institute of Management and Entrepreneurship in Bengaluru, India, starting with manageable goals can increase the odds that you stick to a reading habit. “Begin with small and attainable goals, like reading for 15 minutes daily, and evolve the reading duration gradually,” the paper recommends.
Join a community
Nothing helps motivate quite like social pressure, which is why book clubs exist. I don’t need to explain this concept to you—a group of friends decide to read the same book so that they can talk about it. Joining, or starting, a book club gives you a reason to commit to reading a book while also providing some social pressure to follow through. Don’t overlook how powerful this can be.
And there are other benefits, like cheese. Or wine. Or whatever it is you like to consume while talking with friends. I’m joking, a little, but rituals and rewards can go a long way toward cementing a habit, so consider starting or joining a book club if you’re really serious about getting back into reading.
Re-read something you love
Did you love reading The Hobbit as a kid? Or were you more of a Hunger Games kid? Maybe you devoured John Green books.
If you want to get back into reading, revisiting books you loved earlier in life is a great way to get started. One of the great pleasures of getting older is revisiting stories and art you loved earlier in life and noticing the ways you see them differently now. I promise you—you will see the characters differently now than you did before, and you’ll also notice details you didn’t before. But re-reading books you love is also just plain comforting, which is what you want when you’re trying to rebuild a habit.
Consider audiobooks
There are some people who will tell you that listening to audiobooks doesn’t count as reading. Ignore those people. A 2016 study published in SAGE Open by researchers from the University of Pennsylvania shows that “there is no significant difference in comprehension for adults who read a book or listen to an audiobook,” meaning you’re likely to retain the information just as well as you would by reading with your eyes.
This is nice because audiobooks are also a very convenient way to read. You can listen while doing chores, driving, or during a workout. That’s handy if you want to read, but can’t find the time.
Get an e-reader
I love paper books and think it’s worth buying physical copies of books you love. But I also love my e-reader. For one thing, it’s portable—I can take dozens of books on a trip without having to carry all that much. But also, you can get free ebooks from the library, and a dedicated e-reader is the best way to read those books.
I’ve talked about this before, but e-reader like the Kindle and Kobo aren’t like your phone or tablet. That’s because the screen is e-ink, which basically looks like paper. E-ink has all kinds of advantages: it’s easier to read in daylight, it reduces eye strain, it gets much better battery life, and it doesn’t disrupt your sleep cycles the way your phone screen does.
But the e-reader is better than the phone for another reason: it doesn’t have social media notifications, or any other distraction, on it. That’s crucial if you’re going to build a reading habit. Nothing will derail you faster than the ability to quickly switch from reading to scrolling. An e-reader gives you the advantages of electronic reading without the distracting downsides of your phone.
Put your phone somewhere else
You might be tempted, while reading in your most comfortable chair, to also have your phone on hand. But, as we just talked about, having your phone nearby is very likely to derail reading. A 2017 study published in the Journal of the Association for Consumer Research shows that simply having your phone in the same room as you is distracting. This is true even if you don’t interact with the phone or hear any notifications—the presence makes it harder to focus.
So give yourself a fighting chance. Put your phone in another room. And, if you read in bed, charge your phone outside your bedroom (get an alarm clock to wake you up in the morning).
You can do this
Reading has all kinds of benefits, from keeping your mind sharp to reducing the odds of dementia. It also helps you imagine worlds beyond your own, increasing your ability to empathize with people who are different from you. It’s a superpower, basically.
So I understand why you want to read more. And I want you to know that you can do this. Start small, focus on books you love, and consider alternative ways of reading. And leave your phone in another room.
