E-Readers Are The Future

Reading is something that everyone should do everyday. There is so much you can get out of reading. The problem is we are consumed by technology that takes us away from reading. If you ask anyone successful reading is part of the key to their success. They might even say they read every day. Getting an E-Reader can change the way you look at reading. They are definitely one piece of technology that will bring reading back into your life. At this point you’ve probably heard E-Readers like the Nook or Kindle. If you’ve ever wondered why you should buy one keep reading!

What Makes E-Readers Great? 

Reading is something that can be challenging to do in modern times. We are always on the go and trying to make the most of our days. Regular books just don’t have the kind of features that make them fit into our modern lives. Not that regular books have any real flaws, I have a library growing and I love it! E-Readers definitely have an advantage here just look at these benefits.

Apps

The Nook and the Kindle both have apps that allow you to have access to your books anytime. You can install these apps on phones, tablets, and computers. You may have bought the book specifically for your E-Reader but it’s not stuck there. If you are on the go you can read from your phone!

Backlighting

One of the biggest challenges with reading a regular book is getting the right lighting. With most E-Readers (the cheaper ones skip over this perk) you having settings for the backlight. That means no more carrying around a light or struggling to find a place to sit with the right lighting. You could read in a dark closet if you wanted to! There is no limit to where you can read when you have a built in light.

Multiple Books 

This isn’t for everyone but I enjoy reading 2 or more books at a time. If you like to switch it up after a chapter or 2 then an E-Reader is a great choice for you. It’s easy to switch between books and you don’t have to carry them around. Even switching devices (hey look at the apps coming in handy) you still have access to the last page you read. If you have a hard time focusing on 1 book for a long period of time, this benefit is for you!

Lightweight

Technology is an amazing thing. At one point in time if you wanted to have access to 100 books you’d have to go to a library. If you wanted to move those books, good luck. Now we have the ability to carry 100 books easily in 1 hand. If you’ve ever lugged around a 1,000 page book you’ll understand how nice it is to not carry around 1,000 pages. You can easily slip an E-Reader into a pocket, purse, or backpack. It will barely make any difference.

Library Services

Depending on the E-Reader you choose you may have access to library like services. You can avoid buying every book and start checking them out. With these services you can even look back at your history and easily recheck out books. If you already love the library you’ll love not having to commute or wait for a book to be returned by someone else. E-Libraries will change the future of reading!

Types of E-Readers

After reading through all those perks you may be wondering “What’s the best E-Reader?” and the answer is it depends. Every E-Reader is going to have its own services, operating systems, and features that may vary. What I can do is give you a list of the 3 most common E-Readers brands on the market.

• Amazon Kindle
• Barnes & Noble Nook
• Kobo eReader

You can’t go wrong with any of these brands. Pick one that has the features you think suit you best. After you’ve picked one enjoy it and don’t look back!

Enjoy a New Experience

Nothing beats sitting down with a good book. Now you have even more options to dive into reading. If you aren’t already reading everyday, use this as an opportunity to create a great and long lasting habit! Remember reading is a keystone habit and can foster other great habits. Speaking of great habits, this is one to share with the people you care about. Don’t let them living a life without reading!

Now that you see how great E-Readers are, it’s time to do some research. If you’ve taken anything from this post it should be that there are a ton of options out there and it’s up to you to decide what’s best. I want you to take the time to research 3 models of E-Reader. You don’t have to buy one (even if you should!) but take the time to compare 3. Once you’ve picked your favorite make a plan to buy one. Tell the same family member or friend from before that they are holding you accountable for your plan. Don’t let something small hold you back from reading more often!

What Makes Reading so Important

Have you ever wondered what makes some people more successful than others? In most cases it’s the amount of time someone spends reading. Reading gives you a chance to look into the mind of someone that came before you or has more experience. Another common trend with people that read often is the formation of a keystone habit. Keystone habits are habits that are so influential on your life that creating one will change how you view the world. It can take many hours of work to create the habit of reading but the trade off is more happiness and success. Let’s take a look at ways to create a new habit.

How to Get Started

Getting started is always the hardest part of any task. When it comes to reading it can be even more difficult. I find this stems from being forced to read books we’re not interested in for a significant portion of our lives (think back to school).

1. The first step to getting started will be experimenting and finding out what kind of books you are interested in reading. If you can’t decide take a look at best sellers on Amazon or Barnes & Noble. Narrow it down to a few books and pick the one that you think will be the most entertaining.
2. The second step is to read small portions every day. The best way to do this is find a time that you can consistently read or 15 to 30 minutes every day. Many people like to read right at the end of the work day. Another great choice is reading before bed. Reading before bed can be a great choice because it gets you away from electronics and calm you down.
3. The third step will be to set goals and monitor your progress. At first it may be hard to stay consistent but make sure you have goals that push hard enough that you have to try but, not so hard that you give up. As you achieve your goals right down what you’ve accomplished even if it’s as simple as reading 1 chapter. No achievement is too small when creating new habits.

Once you have started to take the small steps you need to create your new habit you will realize that you want to keep learning more. As this desire for new resources grows you will need to start exploring what reading options are out there waiting for you.

Explore Your Reading Resources

Sometimes reading a book isn’t the best option. They can be difficult to transport and can be hard to read without the right lighting. Don’t let that get you done, there are greener pastures. Technology has advanced to the point where no matter where or what you’re doing you have access to reading or books of some form. Just to name a few we have eBooks, magazines, forum posts, blog posts, and to really get into left field audio books. Every reading resource you can find is worthwhile to look into. Sometimes you have to experiment to find out what is best for you. Speaking of what’s best for you the only way to know is to track your progress.

Tracking Your Progress

Statistics may be a boring topic but it’s the only way to optimization. When you take the time to look back at what you have accomplished you will see the progress and be excited by it. There are many way to track your progress when you read.

• Log all the books you’ve read – Logging all of your books lets you see trends in what you enjoy reading, how quickly you read, and lets you go back to reread in the future.
• Make Notes – It can be difficult to remember what you have read. Making notes allows you to refresh your memory without having to start from scratch. You can use note cards, notebooks, or even the book itself to take notes. Don’t forget you can highlight books too just make sure they are yours and not borrowed.
• Quiz Yourself – We all know taking tests and quizzes can be boring or even stressful. Quizzing yourself on a book can be as simple as asking yourself what just happened or as complicated as creating a test. A test could be flashcards, multiple choice, true or false, or maybe even a quick essay.

Remember that reading can be difficult. Track what you have done to show yourself that you can make the most difficult challenge look easy.

Share Your Experiences

Now that you’ve taken your first step towards creating a keystone habit. It’s time to get your friends and family involved. Reading doesn’t have to be something you do on your own. Tell people about what you are reading and what you would like to read in the future. Get others excited about the same things you are excited about. If you can’t convince your friends and family seek out peers that are like minded. There are book clubs and mastermind groups around the world. These groups are there to help each other. They will be there to help you.

Just remember you are forming this habit for you, don’t let others bring you down. Everytime you read it should be something you want to read. Reading will change your life. Make sure you enjoy it and follow through with creating your new keystone habit. As a first step towards sharing your experiences share this post on your favorite social media.  If you really want to get involved sign up for our newsletter and updates.