You don’t have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them. Ray Bradbury

Reading for pleasure on a daily basis is a fantastic habit to get into. Most people reading this will read to some extent, but what about if you want to readmore? Here’s some advice:

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You don’t have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them. Ray Bradbury

Reading for pleasure on a daily basis is a fantastic habit to get into. Most people reading this will read to some extent, but what about if you want to readmore? Here’s some advice:

Develop a daily routine – go to bed half an hour earlier or, perhaps even better, get up half an hour earlier! Having a regular time every day will form a habit which is easier to maintain that sheer willpower.

Set yourself a target – some people find aiming to read a book a week a motivational target, others to read a certain number in a year. Find what motivates you and write it down. Break it down into manageable chunks. Stick to it.

Get recommendations – there’s nothing worse than setting aside time and then not enjoying a book. Get recommendations from people you know, trust and respect. There are online communities such as Shelfari and goodreads which may help.

Read a good chunk to begin with – I find that starting a new book by reading the first 50 pages in one sitting usually makes me read it more quickly overall. Your mileage may vary, but it’s a good idea to spend some time ‘getting into’ a book.

Listen to audiobooks – if you really haven’t got time to read at the moment, try audiobooks on your commute.

Join a library – libraries loan out books for a certain period of time, meaning (although you can renew them) you’ll have to finish the books in a given time period.

Keep a list – write down the books you read, along with the date you start and finish them. Write a quick review as well – it will help you if you come across the same author again. This is a good first step before joining an online community.

Read the book of the film – I prefer reading the book before watching the film, but doing it the other way around may work if you haven’t read a book for a long period of time. You will find how reading is a much richer experience, in many ways, than watching a film.

Carry a book around with you – snatching bits of time to read a chapter whilst waiting for a train or waiting for a client is a great opportunity to read more. It saves checking your email (again!)

…and remember books are a shortcut to a wider education!

Education is Man’s going forward from cocksure ignorance to thoughtful uncertainty. Kenneth Johnson

(image CC BY-NC Carlos Porto)

*Ahem.*

Er… anybody there?

Not exactly an auspicious way to start communication in any channel – be it a new blog, Twitter account or verbal conversation. Instead, tell a story, create interest – above all assume an audience. No-one wants to read shoe-gazing soliloquies.

Whilst there will be some people other than your mother who are fascinated by [...]]]>

*Ahem.*

Er… anybody there?

Not exactly an auspicious way to start communication in any channel – be it a new blog, Twitter account or verbal conversation. Instead, tell a story, create interest – above all assume an audience. No-one wants to read shoe-gazing soliloquies.

Whilst there will be some people other than your mother who are fascinated by you as a person, they will be few and far between at first. So, stick to a topic. This makes it easier for people to make a decision to come back often, subscribe to your RSS feed, and sign up for your newsletter (if you decide to have one).

Don’t blog about something purely because  you think it’s going to make you money. As Darren Rowse points out, blogging is something you have to work hard at if you want to make money from it. It’s unlikely that you’ll be able to sustain the amount of effort required for something that doesn’t interest you personally. Blog about things that you know about or are interested in researching.

The human brain can process images hundreds of times faster than it can text. That’s why images are extremely important for your blog. Not only do they break up the text but they illustrate your ideas, giving immediacy to your posts. Use images as often as you can to convey your thoughts. Find repositories of images you can use for free such as flickrCC and Wikimedia Commons. Just remember to attribute them correctly!

Whilst a good-looking blog is important, content is king. Without original, useful information or syntheses there is no reason for people to read your blog. In any given situation focus on generating new content over tinkering with design. In fact, it may be appropriate to explain what you want to a professional designer, leaving you to focus solely on writing interesting, informative and useful blog posts.

Summary:

1. Assume an audience.
2. Stick to a topic.
3. Blog about things you know about or are interested in researching.
4. Use images as often as you can to convey your thoughts.
5. Content is king.

Image CC BY-NC dis at asu