The entrepreneur Bill Gates famously gets through 50 books a year. How do you measure up? For many people, the idea of reading (almost) one book per week seems gloriously, impossibly indulgent; for others, regular reading simply isn't an attractive prospect. Books remind them of school, take too long to read, or feel like dreary alternatives to online videos. Studies have shown a strong correlation between reading for pleasure and higher grades. The undeniable truth is that people who read for leisure are more successful in life—so if this is one of life's most useful habits, how exactly do we cultivate it? The easiest thing to do is choose material that excites you. It's fine to disregard the bestseller lists and your friends' insistence that this or that book is "unputdownable." In fact, abandon any advice about what you ought to read, whether it's from peers or teachers. If you have a passion for fashion, read magazine articles. If your brain loves to wander through fantasy worlds, read comic books. If nonfiction leaves you cold, stick to novels. Reading tends to lead to greater and broader reading, so just read on with whatever material you have to hand. A lot of people complain that buying books will break their budgets. Certainly, new books are not cheap, but you probably order three takeaway coffees per week without a second thought. That costs around the same as a paperback—and the book will be far more beneficial in the end! Research second-hand bookstores in your area. You can get significant discounts there, as well as finding rare treasures. And the best option of all is to visit a library, where knowledge is absolutely free. Another thing you can do is have a book with you at all times. There's more dead time in your day than you might think. Riding the bus or train, waiting for your friend to show up or for the microwave to ping—these are all moments that you can use to dive into those pages! And this is a great technique for anyone with a short attention span, since five minutes of reading a few times a day quickly adds up. And you'll probably find yourself reluctant to put down a good book. One final tip is to reduce that lethal screen time. Without the distractions of the virtual world, you're more likely to pick up a book. The advantage of the latter is that you can't mindlessly click away from what you're reading. So switch off your tablet, get hold of some inspiring reading matter, and go for it!
創業家比爾•蓋茲每年要讀50本書的事蹟人盡皆知。你跟得上嗎？對許多人而言，差不多每週閱讀一本書就已經是很了不起的奢侈餘裕；有些人則根本無法對定期閱讀的概念產生興趣。因為書本會讓他們想起在校時期、覺得閱讀太花時間，或覺得比網路影片乏味許多。 研究顯示，以閱讀為樂的人往往擁有較高的成績。不可否認的是，將閱讀視為休閒活動的人，多為人生勝利組——因此，如果閱讀是最實用的生活習慣，那麼我們該如何培養呢？ 最簡單的方法就是選擇能讓自己感興致的題材。你可以不用在乎所謂的暢銷書單，或是朋友堅持推薦「愛不釋手」的書籍。事實上，直接屏除同儕或老師所建議的必要讀物即可。如果你熱衷時尚，請閱讀雜誌文章；如果你喜歡神遊於奇幻世界，請閱讀漫畫書；如果你對紀實類書籍提不起興趣，巴著小說不放無妨。只要養成閱讀習慣，閱讀範疇通常會逐漸擴大，所以只要先從你感興趣的任何題材開始就好。 很多人抱怨買書會超出自己的預算。新書確實價格不斐，但你也許每週都會不假思索的外帶三杯咖啡，這樣的花費相當於一本平裝書──何況書籍能帶來更棒的報酬率！所以請研究一下你所處地區的二手書店，不僅能拿到超值折扣，還可挖到奇珍異寶。而最棒的替代方案就是前往圖書館，免費知識任君選擇。 另一種培養方式就是隨身攜帶一本書。因為你一天中的空檔時間比你想像的還要來得多。搭公車或坐火車、等朋友來或等微波爐熱好食物，都是能夠埋首閱讀的零碎時間！而且對於注意力短暫的人而言，堪稱絕佳的閱讀技巧。一次閱讀五分鐘，一天之內少量多次的累積成果會很可觀。你甚至會發現自己不太情願放下一本好書。 最後一招就是減少要命的上網時間。沒有虛擬世界的分心誘惑，愈有可能重拾閱讀興趣。實體書本的優點在於，你無法隨意點選而跳離當下的閱讀頁面。因此，請關閉平板電腦，感受一下勵志的實體讀物溫度，盡情享受閱讀的樂趣！ |
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