Habits are a fact of life as the world we all share requires us to eat, sleep, bathe, socialize, and exist in some state of harmony with our environment and society. Some Habits are “good” while others are “bad”. For instance, I think most people would agree that having a junk food eating habit is “bad”, and having an exercise habit is “good”. I believe that reading, like exercising, is one of the good ones. Reading can enable anyone to learn more about the world, unlock creative potential, or tap into limitless entertainment. However, despite the countless benefits reading can provide, like exercising, a reading habit is difficult to develop and maintain.

There are countless alternative activities available to us which provide more immediate gratification while also requiring less up-front “work” to get into. For example, I personally love watching TV. I can spend an entire weekend snugly wound in my favorite blanket (the L.L. Bean Sherpa Blanket which I am convinced is woven from the clouds of heaven), firmly planted on my sofa as I let Netflix stream episode after episode of The Office like an eternal spring of pure bliss as my brain engages its “autopilot” mode.  And, while I do believe that sometimes it can be good to allow myself to let my brain slow down, I find that too much Netflix and “thought-o-pilot” makes for a mostly unremarkable weekend and some very… strong… emotions towards my Monday morning alarm ringtone. Alternatively, on the weekends where I manage to overcome by Netflix temptations and crack a book for a change, I always find that I experience a sense of satisfaction and mental harmony that Netflix simply cannot provide. Plus as an added benefit my emotions towards that dreaded Monday morning alarm are at least less intense.

So, since I know how much better I feel when I spend a weekend reading versus watching Netflix, why is it seemingly so dang hard to get into the habit of choosing reading over TV every weekend? To help solve this dilemma, I decided to dust off and de-cobweb some of my old Psychology textbooks.

According to principles of Behavioral Psychology, when people think, feel and act in some way, over time, behavioral and thought patterns form. If I apply this principle to my Netflix and “thought-o-pilot” habit, I can clearly see why motivating myself to avert my gaze downwards from the intense multicolored brilliance of the TV and towards the 10s to 100s of black and white pages of a book is so difficult – it’s just so easy to feel content as I allow the TV to do the heavy mental lifting for me, thus resulting in switching off my brain’s critical thinking, creativity and self-directed engagement. Plus, since I’ve conditioned myself to binge TV, my brain naturally wants to plant me right in front of that TV (the behavior) weekend after weekend.

However, through reading, one is able to enhance their self-directed engagement, creativity and critical thinking, as those seemingly dull black and white pages glow brighter and brighter in the reader’s mind with each completed page. Characters, environments and inter-character relationship dynamics all take on a glow that is uniquely of the reader’s own creation. The reader has the power to see a book in their mind any way they like, while the TV screen’s images are predetermined. And, I believe that at the end of the day, exercising your brain in this way through reading ultimately provides a greater sense of satisfaction, but the trick is being able to make that feeling attainable more readily, by making reading a habit.

To make reading a habit, I believe you simply need to try and get yourself to do it. Once you’re in, you may find you’re hooked. Over time what may seem like a chore turns into a habit and you may find yourself going through book after book at a pace that even Netflix’s auto-play feature would be jealous of. And, I believe the mental benefits will enhance your life in a way TV never will. But, you’ll never find out unless you try… to make reading a habit.