Are You Reading Enough? 5 Reasons You Need to Read More

I used to be an avid reader. Over the last few years, most of what I was reading revolved mainly around work. Whether it be a new book about an educational strategy, an article on testing, or low inference observation notes, most of what I read reflected the job. There simply wasn’t enough time for me to read for leisure. I would start a book and take forever to finish it. I wanted to make a change so I decided to look at reading differently. Just because I wasn’t reading an actual novel, that does not mean that I wasn’t reading. Once I changed what I thought was avid reading should I opened the possibilities of engaging in more literature and non-fiction than ever.

Here are my five reason for why I needed to read more:

1. Reduces Stress

2. Gives you more knowledge and makes you smarter

3. Improves your imagination and memory

4. Sparks your creativity

5. Develops critical thinking skills

Shift what you think reading should look like to increase the amount you read. Literature goes beyond novels.

1. Essays

2. Collections of poetry

3. Short stories

4. Blog posts

5. Articles (News, sports, fashion, education, self-care, business)

6. Newsletters

7. Spiritual devotionals

Set aside at least 30 minutes per day to read (that can look however you want it to look). There are so many benefits. You can read more about it here. You can also join/start a literature club as a form of accountability to read more. At work, our English Department decided to do a Secret Santa for the holidays. We each listed our favorite genres and three possible books we would want. I actually got the book that was number 1 on my list! Another teacher also go the same book and so we decided to read together. This not only holds me accountable, but it’s actually pretty fun when we get to talk about the texts. I’m currently reading:

Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward. So far, so good. 

What have you been reading lately?