This post includes amazon affiliate links

From the outside looking in, reading seems simple: You pick a book, sit, open it, and start reading. However, reading is a skill, and like any skill, it requires a lot of mental effort, practice, and time to be done correctly. 

The good news is that by employing the right techniques and avoiding these five reading mistakes, you can learn to become an effective reader.

Mistake #1: Reading books that are too long and too difficult 

I see this mistake often with new readers. They see the lure of a thick and difficult book and think they can read it despite its difficulty.

This mistake occurs because of the overconfidence effect, a cognitive bias that states that people’s subjective opinion of their confidence is more significant than their objective abilities. In other words, they think they can accomplish more than they’re equipped to. 

While it’s important to read a book that slightly challenges you, opting for books that are too long or difficult when you’re new to reading can do more harm than good.

For example, I like to compare reading to running. If you’re new to running, you wouldn’t immediately try to run 10K. You would start slow, maybe doing intervals of walking and running, and gradually increase the duration and speed of your runs as you become a better runner. The same rule applies to reading; start small and gradually increase the difficulty of the books you read as you become a better reader.

To avoid the overconfidence effect, I recommend that all new readers start by reading books with roughly 200-250 pages that are easy to read.

Mistake #2: Not Reading Consistently 

Reading consistently is essential because it gets you into the habit of reading. The more you read, the more natural the reading habit will be. As a result, you’ll be able to read without requiring so much discipline and mental effort.  

To get into the habit of reading, use the habit loop framework from Atomic Habits by James Clear. 

The habit loop consists of 4 steps: cue, craving, response, and reward. 

• The cue is your signal to begin the habit (ex., a specific time or place)
• The craving is your desire to carry out the habit (ex., you’re eager to learn something new)
• The response is the habit itself – in this case, reading.
• The reward is your treat to yourself during or after the habit’s completion (ex., Paying yourself $1 for every chapter you read).

If your schedule does not allow you to read daily, aim for at least 3-5 times a week. What’s most important is having a structured system to help you train your brain to get used to reading.

Mistake #3: Not setting reading goals or rewarding yourself

If you’re serious about developing a reading habit, setting reading goals is a fun way to help you remain consistent.

In 2021, I set the yearly goal to read 100 books (which I accomplished, in case you were wondering). I then divided my reading goals into monthly, weekly, and even daily goals. 

This is what my goals looked like in 2021

• Yearly goal: 100 books
• Monthly goal: 100/12 = 8-9 books per monthly
• Weekly goal: 1-2 books per week
• Daily goal: total chapters in the book / total days I want to spend reading the book = daily chapter goal
  • 15 chapters / read in 3 days = five chapters per day
    • this number changed depending on the book

Setting reading goals is only one half of the equation. You also want to reward yourself every time you accomplish your reading goal! 

In my case, I “paid” myself $1-20 dollars every time I finished a book. At the end of the year, I used whatever sum I had saved to treat myself to some beauty treatments (obviously, your reward will be aligned with whatever you desire most).

Mistake #4: Not reading the right books

The right books are the ones that you genuinely want to read – nothing else. Although I’m not opposed to reading what your friends want to read, especially in the case of a book club, I think it might be challenging to be consistent if you don’t care for the book you’re reading.

Here are some personal tips to help you find the best nonfiction book to read:

• Read for your strengths
• Read for your weaknesses
• Read to learn a new skill 
• Read to learn about a new subject (remember to keep it beginner-friendly!)
• Reading for your industry to enhance your skills
• Reading books that you would watch as a show, film, YouTube video, or listen to as a podcast
• Checking out any of my recommendations (which you can purchase here)

Books that pique your interest and excite you to read will help you read more consistently. This excitement becomes your craving to read (remember the habit loop we discussed earlier?), which drives your motivation to read.

Mistake #5: Not Actively Reading

Active reading is a method of reading in which the reader actively engages with the text through critical analysis, chunking, questioning, and summarizing key ideas. 

A 2013 study analyzed various studying techniques and rated their effectiveness for students. The study concluded that highlighting keywords and text can help with memory retention. 

This occurs because of the isolation effect, which states that one item that differs among several items is more likely to be remembered. When we highlight keywords and ideas and extract important information, we increase the likelihood of remembering that information.

In the case specific to books, you can employ active reading by:

• Highlight and summarize key ideas or concepts 
• Making notes of the Author’s main argument
• Make notes of any counter-arguments you may have
• Make notes of any questions about reading material that you may have
• Summarizing each chapter 

I always recommend keeping a pen or pencil, highlighter, and sticky tabs nearby so that you can actively engage with the book you are reading. This will sharpen your critical thinking skills, as opposed to mindlessly reading. 

However, the only fault is that highlighting too much can do more harm than good, so it’s essential only to highlight what is critical to the text.

Conclusion

If reading doesn’t come naturally to you, it’s important to use different techniques and systems to develop the skills necessary to become an avid and effective reader. When you approach reading as a skill to learn and less as a hobby that you should do, reading becomes easier.