I’ve never been the type to make New Year’s resolutions. I never really understood why people wait for January 1st to change something about their life.
Why start working out next year when you could start today?
Why quit smoking after the holidays instead of right now?
(For the record — I don’t smoke. But if I did, why would I give my lungs five more months to deal with that stuff?)
Why wait to eat healthier or lose weight? Why wait at all?
If something matters, shouldn’t we just begin?
But at the end of 2023, something shifted. It still wasn’t a resolution — more like I wanted a clean starting line. A date easy to remember. So I created my first yearly challenge. One year, one goal. (And now I’ve done it three years in a row. Challenge for 2026? A full marathon. I finished my first half-marathon last year, so let’s go 💪🏻)
For 2024, the challenge was simple:
Read one book every week.
52 weeks. 52 books.
Well… let’s be honest. I didn’t literally finish one book every week. I was working full-time, building my practice, writing this blog, training my dog, keeping up with workouts, maintaining a social life — basically juggling life while trying to feed my brain. And that’s exactly what made the challenge fun instead of stressful.
Those who follow me know that I did hit my goal in the end (🎉 proof here). I also counted audiobooks — because life happens. Some weeks the only “reading” I got done was while cleaning, driving, jogging, or folding laundry. And honestly? Using lost minutes wisely was part of the magic.
But the real question is:
Why did I start this challenge at all?
The simple answer:
Because it’s fun. Reading has always been my comfort zone and my portal. I read when I’m sick. When I feel lonely. While waiting rooms test my patience. At family gatherings. During boring school lessons (yes, my book once lived under the desk). I read to relax, to escape, to explore, to learn, to dream, to think. Books were — and still are — my favorite universe.
The deeper answer:
Reading upgrades your operating system — your brain.
Every book is an update.
It boosts creativity.
Reduces stress.
Sharpens vocabulary and thinking.
Expands ideas.
Builds empathy.
Makes you smarter in ways you only notice later — during a conversation, at work, while solving a problem, or when life throws something at you and suddenly you know what to do.
The last three years of intentional reading (taking notes, reviewing books, asking myself what I learned and how I can use it) changed me more than any course ever could. I use something from my books almost every single day — in my practice as a physio, in my personal life, even in how I see the world.
Reading made me calmer. More reflective. More myself.
But it wasn’t always like that. There were months where I barely opened a book at all — something my teenage self would be horrified about. Thankfully, that phase is over. Now there isn’t a day I don’t read at least a few pages.
And because starting — and maintaining — a reading habit isn’t always easy, I want to share seven tips (which include one important rule) that helped me never fall out of reading again.
Tip #1: Leave a book everywhere. Literally. 📚
One thing James Clear teaches in Atomic Habits is that habits stick when they’re obvious and easy to start. So I make books impossible to ignore. There’s one on my kitchen table. Another on the sofa armrest. One on my desk. And of course, one on my nightstand. My Kindle and Audible app live right on the first screen of my phone (social media apps don’t — if you want to break habits, make those invisible 😉).
Sometimes I even open the reading app and then lock my phone again. Next time I unlock it, it jumps straight back to the last page I read. It feels like my phone politely taps me on the shoulder:
“Excuse me… weren’t we reading something?”
Leaving books everywhere means I naturally read multiple books at once, something I never did before — and honestly, it changed everything. Because reading is like food: you don’t always want the same thing. After a long day, I’m not in the mood for heavy non-fiction or deep thinking. Sometimes I just want to slip into another world and let my mind breathe.
That’s why the book beside my bed is always fantasy — ready to carry me into other worlds before sleep, spark my imagination, and end the day with magic.
Tip #2: Take a book everywhere — like Rory Gilmore 📖
If you’ve ever watched Gilmore Girls (still one of my comfort shows), you know exactly who lived by the line:
I just take a book everywhere with me. It’s a habit.
Of course — Rory Gilmore.
As a teenager, I was Rory. I carried a book in every bag, no matter if it was a tiny paperback or an 800-page brick. (Yes, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, I’m looking at you.) If I left the house, the book came too. Simple rule.
Today it’s even easier. We have Kindles. We have reading apps. And we all carry our phones anyway — which means we can carry our entire library everywhere. Waiting for a friend? Queue at the grocery store? Sitting on a train?
Instead of doom-scrolling… open your damn book.
A few pages here and there add up — more than you think.
Tip #3: Read what you love. DNF the rest 💛
James Clear’s second rule for building habits is to make them attractive. And let’s be honest — if you don’t enjoy a book, you’ll find every excuse not to read. Even if you’ve made it obvious (Tip #1) and even if the book is always with you (Tip #2), you still won’t pick it up if it feels like homework.
“But it’s a classic!”
“But everyone says it’s a must-read!”
Sure. Some books are culturally important — but that doesn’t mean you have to enjoy them.
If you do want to get through a book that feels heavy or slow, you can try habit stacking:
After reading 10 pages of the “should-read” book, I reward myself with the book I want to read.
It keeps progress moving without killing joy.
And here’s another powerful option:
DNF. Do. Not. Finish.
Not every book needs to be completed. This isn’t school — no teacher is waiting for your book report (ah yes, the pre-ChatGPT era, when we actually had to write those ourselves 😄). We are not living in Fahrenheit 451 — no one will burn your unread book. You can come back to it later. Sometimes it’s just not the right time.
A personal example: I read And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer by Fredrik Backman twice. The first time? It was fine — honestly, I might have DNF’d it if it weren’t so short. The second time, though… I cried through all 96 pages. Because then, it was the right time. I had lived what the book was talking about with my grandmother, and suddenly it hit differently. Deeply.
DNF’ing frees you.
It removes guilt, keeps reading joyful, and gives books the chance to meet you again when life makes you ready for them.
Tip #4: Read one page a day — just one. 📄
This is the rule I hinted at earlier, and it fits perfectly with James Clear’s third habit principle: make it easy.
Some days are smooth. Others look like: work → dinner → shower → bed → no energy left for anything else. That’s where this rule saves your reading habit. Even on the busiest day, you can read one single page. It takes a minute — sometimes less. And it still counts.
One page keeps the streak alive.
One page gives you that small hit of dopamine.
One page reminds your brain: we are readers.
And let’s be honest — you do have one minute.
This tiny rule keeps momentum alive. As Newton’s First Law says:
What’s in motion tends to stay in motion.
So as long as you keep turning pages — even just one — you keep going. And more often than not, one page becomes two. Or five. Or a whole chapter.
Just start. The rest follows naturally.
Tip #5: Chase the “Candy Crush Feeling.” 🍬
If you’ve ever played Candy Crush, you know the vibe — chain reactions, colorful bursts, satisfying pops, dopamine fireworks everywhere. Our monkey brain loves it.
You can recreate that feeling with reading — by having more than one book going at a time (like in Tip #1). Some days your brain wants something light, fun, and easy. Other days you’re ready to learn, highlight, take notes, and go deep. That’s why I started reading multiple books simultaneously.
I used to think it would scramble everything together like some kind of literary egg salad — tropes, plots, lessons blending into chaos. And honestly, this is the #1 reaction I get when I tell people I’m reading 3–5 books at once:
“Doesn’t that get confusing?”
But think about it:
We don’t confuse zoology with botany just because they’re both science. We don’t see a spider, then a plant, and suddenly forget which is which. Our brains are smarter than that — give them credit
We already do this with TV shows. You can watch multiple series at the same time without accidentally mixing Grey’s Anatomy with Game of Thrones. (Though imagining dragons in the ER is kind of fun.)
So yes — you can absolutely read multiple books at once. And it’s actually a gift. Because when the stars align and you finish two or three books in the same week?
Candy Crush feeling. Dopamine explosion. James Clear’s fourth habit principle: make it satisfying.
It’s motivating, satisfying, and it makes reading even more fun.
Tip #6: Tie your reading to another routine. 🧇
The easiest way to make a habit stick is to anchor it to something you already do — or a set time of day. When I reintroduced reading into my life, I either read during breakfast or with my first coffee (usually 1–2 hours after waking). Often, I make it part of my evening routine — or I do yoga. Depends on the day.
The benefit? You avoid the trap of checking your phone first thing in the morning — scrolling through social media or emails — which leads to decision fatigue. You also protect your sleep: blue light and mental stimulation in the evening can interfere with your melatonin production and disturb your natural rhythms.
By reading in the morning or evening instead, I preserve mental energy, avoid unnecessary dopamine spikes, and keep my focus sharper throughout the day — while still leaving energy for tomorrow.
Tip #7: Audiobooks are allowed. 🎧
Some people will tell you that listening to audiobooks isn’t really “reading.” I used to think that too. Technically, sure — reading happens with your eyes, not your ears. But that argument feels… a little silly.
Audiobooks have huge benefits. I first started using them when I was struggling with my health. I needed to get moving, and the only way to motivate myself was with audiobooks. If I wanted to know how the story continued, I had to go for a walk.
I still use them the same way today — while doing laundry, cleaning, cooking, or driving. Sometimes I listen while running, or during lunch breaks while relaxing outside. And recently, I even combined listening with reading the physical book to deepen the experience — it’s amazing.
Audiobooks are also perfect for moments when your eyes are tired or you just want to relax in bed. And they’re a great way to sample a new book or series — a sneak peek before committing.
Bottom line: audiobooks are reading, just in a different form — and they make your habit easier, more flexible, and more fun.
📝 Key takeaways
- Make reading obvious. Leave books everywhere and make them impossible to ignore. Habit stacking works wonders.
- Carry books with you. Whether it’s a physical book or an app on your phone, always have your next read close.
- Read what you love. Don’t force yourself through books you don’t enjoy. DNFing is perfectly fine.
- One page counts. Even a single page a day keeps your habit alive and momentum moving.
- Multiple books are okay. Switch between light and heavy reads to match your mood — it keeps reading fun and fresh.
- Anchor reading to routines. Tie it to breakfast, coffee, or bedtime — make it part of your day.
- Audiobooks are valid. Listening counts too. Use them to move, relax, or get a sneak peek into new books.
Thanks for spending this time with me. Keep exploring, stay open to new ideas, and remember—growth is a journey, not a destination.
Take care,
Carina 🦊
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