If you want to read books more often or increase the number of books you read, you’re in good company, and the internet has plenty of advice for you – much of which I think is sound and might echo or provide my own spin on here. 

But there is one very common piece of advice that I strongly disagree with and urge you to disregard. 

It’s about the size of your daily reading habit. In the typical, “10 tips to read more books this year” list, you’ll be advised to aim for 10 pages, or a chapter, or 10, or even sometimes 30, minutes per day.

If you’ve been struggling to get back on track with your book-reading habit for any length of time, I maintain that is all WAY TOO LONG.

Instead, shrink that way, way down. A paragraph is a much better place to start. You could even go smaller, such as one sentence.

If your time and attention allows, you can always do more, but to get back on track start small – in fact, start tiny. That’s a core aspect of the Tiny Habits method, as developed by Stanford behaviour scientist and author, BJ Fogg. Going tiny reduces the need for you to bring a big pile of discipline or motivation to starting a new habit because tiny = easy. It also means that you’re far more likely to be and feel successful at carrying out your habit, which is also key to BJ Fogg’s approach to habit formation. 

I started my tiny book-reading habit in late February 2024 – after years of short-lived attempts to re-establish my formerly voracious book-reading practices. Now (early December 2024), I’m into my 25th book of the year – proof that starting with a paragraph doesn’t mean you’ll never get through a book.

I hope you’ll try the Tiny Habits method of habit formation yourself. I’ll introduce you to the basics of here. 

If you’d like more in-depth information or hands-on guidance, you have several options:

• Read the Tiny Habits book
• Watch BJ Fogg’s talks on YouTube,
• Sign up for the free five-day Tiny Habits e-mail coaching program BJ Fogg has set up.
  • You’ll be assigned a coach who will respond to your questions and requests.
  • I sometimes participate in the free five-day program as a coach.

I also hope you’ll find lots of ideas for how to bring book-reading back into your life, as well as motivation and inspiration here on this site.

Please also sign up for my monthly newsletter, which I fill with tips and the latest book news, research on reading, attention and focus as well as what I’ve been reading for fun.