When You Start Reading Again, These 5 Things Will Happen

Reading is an enjoyable activity, yet time-consuming too. It is easy to fall out of the habit if you don’t have a set reading routine, be it listening to an audiobook on your commute or reading in the evening to wind down from the day. If you’ve fallen out of the habit of reading, you’ll want to adjust your schedule to fit it in again. In addition to being an activity that promotes relaxation, reading can change the mind and soul for the better. Need a reason to schedule reading back into your daily life? Take a look at the following ways reading can change your life without you even knowing it.

You will take part in a worldwide discussion

Those who read automatically become apart of a community of like-minded people all discussing the same topic. It begins in school where students are all required to read the same books; The Great Gatsby, Catcher in the Rye, The Odyssey, and anything written by William Shakespeare. By the time you get to college, you already have a go-to topic to discuss with those you meet in the first couple of weeks. Fast forward to when you’re in the middle of your professional career, if you’re up to date with the latest New York Times bestseller, you can strike up a conversation with anyone at work. Even the online community is a great place to connect with others about books. For those who are on the shy side, this can be an excellent opportunity to learn how to be more of a conversationalist, a skill that everyone can improve on in life.

You look forward to waiting in line at the grocery store

The ability to skip ads, fast forward through TV recordings, and reserve a spot to receive a phone call (rather than waiting on hold) have all spoiled society. Humans are no longer used to the concept of “waiting,” and when required to do so, not everyone responds well. Except for those who read! Use your smartphone and download ebooks or audiobooks to accompany you when waiting in line at the store. You’ll no longer feel like you are wasting time because you are using that period to catch up on the latest Kristin Hannah novel.

You’ll be more empathetic

In both fiction and nonfiction books, there is always one character that you can identify with. That when they talk about their thoughts and feelings on a topic, you can feel what they feel at that moment. It is this explanation of how something sparks a reaction in someone that makes books the best tool to learn how to be a more empathetic person. While you won’t be fighting with He Who Shall Not Be Named anytime soon, you know what it is like to face an evil entity. The next time you see someone in your life fighting with a force that cannot be reckoned with, you’ll know precisely how to act around that person.

Your creativity will flourish

Creative people are the ones who create the most connections in life. Think of all the brilliant minds who took a problem and found a solution to it or at least a way to make the issue easier to tolerate. Reading requires you to think outside of the box by imagining what characters look and sound like. Each book you read, that ability to imagine becomes stronger. Now you can take your imagination with you into the conference room and present the best solution yet to your company. 

Your attention span grows and changes your brain structure

Our brains know how to link cause and effect thanks to reading! Books all have the same structure, a beginning, a middle, and an end. The human mind works in the same fashion, following a sequence of events to reach an educated conclusion. Preparing your brain to think in this way increases your attention span and strengthens the brain’s structure making this an even more important reason to keep a good reading routine.

Too much to do and not enough time to read? Learn how you can create more time in your day with our Personal Productivity course. For the very busiest professional and overwhelmed student alike, this course will show you techniques to boost productivity and get to everything on your to-do list done.