The Day I Became a Reader

Every morning I get out of bed.

Take the phone and leave it in the kitchen and make a cup of tea.

Then I go to bed with a book.

Until the tea turns cold, I read for however much I feel like, usually 30-45 minutes.

Every night after brushing my teeth, I head to bed with a book.

By this time, my phone is in Do Not Disturb mode.

I read until I fall asleep, usually 20-45 minutes.

I've been doing this for 8 years.

Reading is like brushing your teeth. There's zero mental effort. I don't need any willpower. It just happens.

It wasn't like this forever. I remember a time when reading felt like work. It required a lot of willpower. There were days when I felt like not doing it.

But over time, reading became a part of my identity. It was involuntary.

That's the day I became a reader.

Picking up a new habit like reading or (fill in the blank) is easy. But continuously doing it for 8 years is something else.

To understand this, let's look at the three levels of behavior change.

Most of us focus on outcomes when trying to pick up a new habit.

I want to read 50 books a year.

I'm going to run a marathon.

I'm going to get a six-pack.

That's the wrong way to go about it.

According to James Clear, the author of Atomic Habits, the ultimate form of intrinsic motivation is when a habit becomes a part of your identity.

It's one thing to say I'm the type of person who wants this. It's something very different to say I'm the type of a person who is this.

The goal is not to read a book. The goal is to become a reader.

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