Reading Disease and its Cure

 Hi guys! Welcome here, again!

Today, I talk about reading. And this is first a wake-up call to me because lately, I've been thinking about reading more than reading in itself. I've added it to my schedule a couple of times now, but end up not reading. Somehow, I just get avoidably distracted and I know it's time to take drastic measures. 

No, I'm not doing other more productive things instead. I'm either scrolling aimlessly through social media or just feeding my distractions instead of starving them. 

I know this is becoming a mental sickness that I must cure before it becomes worse like every sickness that is not attended to on time.

Dear, you, this is my Doctor's appointment and I'm glad to have you in the consulting room with me. Today, we talk about Reading Disease and its Cure…

Most times, we see reading as only necessary for examinations and not for living. Excuse me, but why is that? 

Reading should be a necessity for living, just as eating, 'cos your mind needs to be fed as much as your stomach. And it needs quality 'food'

The body is fed with food; the mind with words. Books remain one source of good information for the mind, good books that is.

You'd agree with me that you're not oblivious of this, at least not after engaging with my previous posts on reading here.

So why then have you (and I) not been reading, if I may ask? 

Well, I came up with some diagnosis...call me Dr. Nancy 😉😊

First, I think you're overwhelmed with the whole idea of reading… 

Yep, the thought of reading a 400 or 800 paged book has paralyzed you already, so you're not even gonna try it at all…

Here's my prescription...how about you understand that not everything in a book is important to you?

Surprised, right?

But it's the truth. You do not need everything in a book. Like someone said, "everything in a book is important to the writer but not to the reader"

So true! 

Just like you'd request for area of concentration, a.k.a AOC from your teachers or lecturers back in school, there's an AOC for you in every book you pick. Reading anything else would waste your time.

So when reading, first understand what you need in the book, the knowledge gap you're seeking to close, and then go for that exact part of the book, except of course, when reading fiction. Reason you should start your reading from the table of contents, dear sir.

From the TOC, I can already deduce whether or not I need to read a book and the exact chapters I should be on the lookout for. As well as from the forward. In some books, it appears as 'reviews', 'kind words for the book', 'praises for the book'

Read through that section and know if you should read the book.

So know what you want to learn, then locate it in the book and concentrate on it. You may skim through other pages or not read it altogether, and do this without guilt.

Also, give yourself enough time. You don't have to read a 500-page book in one sitting. Consistency over intensity is the goal. 

Find a formula that works for you. For example, you can divide the number of pages by the time frame you're giving yourself to read it and stick to the result. E.g: 400/5= 80 meaning you should read at least 80 pages per day to finish a 400-page book in 5 days. 

Next, I think you've not understood that you must read. 

I know I mentioned it before, but I need to reiterate it here and probably expatriate too…

YOU MUST READ! Yes, you Bolaji. 

Okay, I don't know how that name popped into my head...but you just have to read, please. Audiobooks, ebooks, hard copies, whatever works for you. Just do you. That's all that matters in the end.

I don't do well with audiobooks. Tried it before and would always sleep off somehow. I do way better with texts, and I've pitched my tent with ebooks and hard copies for life. So find what works for you and work it out. And the earlier, the better.

You don't have all your life to learn all you should by experience, so bank on the experience and wisdom of others.

I like this quote by Mrs. Jumoke Adenowo; "Reading is a crystallization of a person’s best ideas".

The way you'd jump at a person's best clothes or shoes if they offered you, please do so with their best ideas.

Many of us want to have the kinda wardrobe our favorite people have, how about you go for the kind of ideas they have instead?

You'd produce better results in your life, trust me.

So reading is not negotiable, make room for it and do it. Set reminders on your phone, mark your calendars, tell someone to remind you, and carry a book around so you'd remember, however you want to trick your brain into remembering, by all means, do so.

Then, I also think you don't have enough people in your circle that read.

You know how they say if you hang around five millionaires, you'd be the sixth? I do think that if you hang around five readers, you'd be the sixth. 

Get a reading partner or tribe. Just like you'd pair with someone to go shopping, go to the market or to the movies, pair with someone to read. And just like you'd subscribe to a gym membership to help your fitness game, join a group or club to help your reading game. There are a couple of them on Instagram and Twitter. Have a tribe you can vibe with on a reading level. Two are better than one…

So if you need accountability with reading, reach out to someone in your circle and join forces together. 

By the way, I hope you know you'd have to take it seriously? Don't slack or be the reason your partner or group slacks. Take it seriously. Meet the deadlines, show up for reviews, discuss salient points, do your part and do it well. Don't be a weak link. Put in your best with discipline and commitment.

I also suspect you probably don't know you need help…

Dear aspiring reader, you need help o. Learn to commit it to God. "Commit your ways to God..." You need a greater power to help you do what your flesh doesn't. Remember that; "ask and you shall receive..." Pray and ask God to help direct your desires to books and divert them from distractions.

Diagnosis number 5; You've not been appraising yourself.

My prescription 😊; Encourage yourself in the Lord 😊 It's not exactly easy to forsake social media, gist, sleep, and other temptations to read. So when you do so, take a praise break and feel yourself.

Celebrate your (own) progress, and not in comparison to someone else's. In DDK's words, "success is too personal to be templated". 

Your progress is very personal to you. Don't use another person's marking scheme. If your friend reads 10 books in an hour, that's her success story. If you read one or two books, it is your success story. 

Measure your growth by comparing your present to your past and not to others.

Comparison is still the thief of joy. Don't let it steal yours. 

Lastly, you don't have a reading plan.

You need to plan your reading.

Who says you should only have meal plan and food timetable?

How about having a book timetable? Nice right? Map out a couple of books you'd like to read in a particular season and time, according to your intellectual needs and knowledge gap in that season, and keep to it.

Whatever isn't on the schedule is easiest to crumble under pressure. For instance, when your lecturer misses a class and you've got some extra minutes on your plate, a plan would help you maximize that time.

You can paste your timetable somewhere you'd see it often or use it as your wallpaper... Make it visible. Visibility makes actions easier to begin. 

James Clear explains this principle in his Atomic Habits, and it simply means redesigning your environment in your favor. 

Andddd, since we're talking medicine, books can be likened to drugs. Yes. So treat your library like a pharmacy. Whatever book you pick to read should cure you of ignorance. I.e, close certain knowledge gaps, open you up to higher thought patterns and paradigms, etc.

There you go people, let me know which diagnosis describes your illness and if my prescription was helpful…

Love and Light

Nancita✨