How a Single Page Magic Ended Up Making Me a Reader
Ali Lashari
I learned how to engage my attention from that one page; it was more than simply facts.
As a result of mental changes rather than changes to the texts, I found that reading became easier.
Focus and repetition have this kind of subtle but powerful effect. Like a garden, the mind tends to what it tends to most often. A single page turned into a routine. The routine evolved into a skill. Being able to do it became who I am.
I will never be the same about reading after using this method.
The brain is like a good gardener; it puts its energy where it will be most used and takes it away from areas that are neglected. Because of this, it is true that mental processes are strengthened by repetition and weakened by neglect. In my life, the dominant branch was more interested in skimming through social media than reading. This led to the automated execution of the routine.
Repetition shapes your identity. Words have power to shape who you are.
“Read for 10 minutes a day” and similar advice was something I tried for quite some time. Although it was well-intentioned, the objective was too vague and may change. It was conditional on my disposition, the brightness of the day, and my level of energy. Then, when exhaustion set in, the obvious choice – the one that never fails – won.
Ignoring the fact that I already had dozens of automatic habits – such as enjoying in the afternoon, going for drives, and using my phone at night – I was attempting to construct a new habit from the ground up, in mid-air. I had already broken those habits. They were automatic, daily repetitions of strong connections in my brain’s pruning process.
The light bulb went off: I had to capitalize on inertia.
The shift would occur as a result of incorporating reading into an existing routine.
Then, in an instant, everything shifted.
Anchoring Your Habits for Success
The most effective strategy for establishing and sticking to a new habit is to link it to an existing one. By associating a new action with an existing one, habit anchoring allows one to perform the two tasks simultaneously or soon after each other. Saying “I’ll read more” isn’t the point. It’s all about making a plan where reading is the next step.
Read: From routine to ritual: How to create good reading habits
I intend to implement [new behavior] after [present habit].
- A few paragraphs will be read as I eat breakfast.
- I plan to read some of the pages once I get into bed.
- After my walk, I plan to read for ten minutes.
The consolidation of a neural network is leveraged when new habits are linked to existing ones. Instead of starting from zero, you build upon existing structures. The new habit begins with the old one. So, I figured out what worked every time: checking my phone before bed.
Unfortunately, it was an ongoing phenomenon.
Then I made a firm and unambiguous rule: every night before I go to sleep, I shall read a page. One only. Initial friction is reduced to nearly nothing with just one page. Because it’s hard to say no to something so little, the action was constantly repeated. In addition, I had a habit of leaving the book on the pillow each morning after making my bed. The setting became a trigger for the habit because of this. Finally, I followed the golden rule and didn’t bring my phone into bed with me.
- Place the book on the bed and make sure it is visible.
- Open the book after getting into bed.
- Step into the bedroom and put the phone on the nightstand.
I made no effort to read farther.
The book sequence was just substituted for the phone sequence.
Most behaviors are not completely eradicated, and that is a key point. They are redundant. Substituting a healthier diet for junk food is more effective than just cutting out eating altogether. A person who begins running does not establish a new habit; rather, they substitute time spent sitting for time spent exercising.
When we erase our routines, we set off fresh neuronal pruning.
You can construct lengthy sequences gradually using this anchoring technique. A chain reaction begins with one action and continues with another. You capitalize on the inherent forward motion of an activity that is already deeply ingrained in your mind. Life moves at a snail’s pace for all of us. With good sequence design, you’ll never be in the dark about what’s coming up next.
Just because you don’t feel like it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it. The following step is easy for you to take.
Repetition may change one’s identity.
There was a whole week when I hardly cracked open a book. With the second, a bit more. By the third, I was able to open the book with ease. My motivation wasn’t higher; rather, I simply felt more at ease. I was starting to recognize it. A new bond was being solidified by me. The word “bed” began to imply “book” instead of “phone.”
It started as one page and turned into three.
Ten came out of three.
That’s when I started delving into the mountain of literature that had been staring at me for the past six months. That’s the way we evolve. Reading often helps you become a reader. Reading each page further solidified my goals for my future self.
There was no rush; we simply needed a few hours in the evening. Nonetheless, it sufficed.
The old way started to fade away as I fortified the new one. My phone usage gradually decreased. It became so inconsequential that using social media seemed pointless. After a while, it felt right to cut it out; I deleted the apps and adjusted my habits. Instead of confronting scrolling head-on, I avoided it. In that particular setting, I just ceased using it.
Just like everyone else, I try to make changes by setting broad, unspecific goals: read more, eat better, and exercise more. But it doesn’t say anything about how to change existing habits, so it’s unclear. If you follow this method, it will become second nature:
- I finished my task and read a page.
- I sat down to read a few minutes of my breakfast.
- I always make sure to have the book ready after brushing my teeth.
Once I grasped this, I became a reader.
Need further information? Consider these three interconnected suggestions:
- Habit Change (Without Effort or Willpower)
- The Key to Successful Habit Maintenance: What Makes Some People Stick with It While Others Give Up
- The Old Man Who Got Me Started Reading: A Tribute to an Extraordinary Individual
Now it’s your turn: Which “branch” of your mental garden are you by accident tending to, and which one are you neglecting?
“We are what we repeatedly do,” goes today’s quote. Thus, greatness is more of a habit than an act.
Read: Rethinking emotional intelligence
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Ali Lashari is Assistant Director (Excavation & Exploration), Directorate of Archaeology & Antiquities Wing, Culture, Tourism, Antiquities & Archives Department Government of Sindh.
