Ever since I was little, I’ve been curious, wanting to learn new things. My grandmother, a retired primary school teacher has always said she knows a little about a lot, something that has always impressed me and driven me to try and become the same—knowledgeable about a lot.
Reading is a big part of learning. By reading you not only have the benefit of learning new things, you also force yourself to think about the topics you read about. This allows you to come up with new conclusions and ideas. As such, reading helps you develop your own philosophies, something I truly believe you do best by taking in as much knowledge as possible.
My Reading Routine
While I used to enjoy reading when I was little, there were several years when I did hardly any reading. In an effort to combat this, I’ve started planning in more time in my days to read.
In the morning I will typically do a check of my news feeds. This is a mix of industry news and articles, both short-form and long-form. Some I won’t have time to read, but will instead save for later. Others I set up to share on social media because they are good. The importance is that this sets me up for the day, knowing what’s going on in the world and the industry today.
In the evenings I will typically try and read more long-form articles or books. Typically these have both the effect of being relaxing, and the effect of being inspiring and thought-provoking. Much of my own written work has come to life after sitting and reading interesting thoughts by others.
Weekends see magazines and other interesting long-form work that I wouldn’t have time for in the weeks. A by now long standing routine is the Saturday morning coffee and the latest edition of The Economist, one of my favorite magazines for plenty of reasons.
Conclusion
I read because I love learning. I also read because it helps me explore my own thoughts by gaining new perspectives and forcing me to think. To me, reading is a cornerstone of being able to write. If I don’t read I can’t write. Unless I read and have my mind provoked and inspired, it is just much harder to get anything written and published.
As if that weren’t enough, I read to get inspired. You can feel the energy, motivation and inspiration coming back to you pretty quickly when you are reading something interesting.