Daily Reading Challenge
I will spend at least 30 minutes a day reading a book.
Please note that this challenge was written in the past and posted here to curate a list of all challenges I have done.
Why this challenge?
Time and time again, there have been several articles that have explained the benefits of reading on your mental health. I personally decided to take on this challenge because I rarely ever read anymore. My free time is spent watching anime and top-rated shows on Netflix. After doing a daily walking challenge months prior listening to audiobooks, I realized that so much information can be gained from books that cannot be found elsewhere.
I have written about top books I have read in the past, but I never developed a routine to read regularly. This challenge is to create that routine.
Before you Begin
It is important to know which books you want to read before hand. To show my commitment, I have purchased three books on Amazon:
- Unlearn: 101 Simple Truths for a Better Life by Humble the Poet
- Hustle Smarter, Hustle Harder by Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson
- Think Like a Monk by Jay Shetty
I do not know whether I will be able to complete all three books within the 30 days, but I want to make sure I have enough books that I am interested in to read.
Knowing which books to read throughout the challenge is very important if you want to stick through it. It is much easier to stick through a challenge if the books you are reading are interesting to you. These are three books written by three influential people in my life. They all write about some sort of self-development — a huge interest of mine.
After picking the books that you are interested in reading, make sure to block out some time each day to read. For me, I plan on reading in the evenings after work. I do not want to use the mental energy to read books early in the morning on workdays because I need to reserve that energy. That is why, the evening, right before I sleep works best.
Fun fact: Reading before bed actually has a set of benefits on its own aside from just reading in general. It makes it easier for you to fall asleep as you are not looking at a screen that emits blue light and causes us to stay up!
The Challenge
I plan to read right before bed. For me, this is around 11pm — Midnight. I want to be able to read during this time and then fall asleep shortly after.
I will be reading the books in the same order that I shared in the list above.
My Thoughts after completing the Challenge
This challenge exposed me and made me realize how quickly I can get distracted and how often my mind wanders. Throughout the challenge, I struggled with being able to remain focused on reading. Some days, it was really bad where I barely read more than a few pages within the 30 minutes because my mind kept thinking of something else.
I was able to read one book to completion and 85% of 50 Cent’s book. Both books were amazing and very interesting for me. I loved reading them and the fact that they came from people who I admire made it that much more meaningful.
Overall, I really liked the idea of reading before bed. I did feel that I got a good nights sleep most nights while doing this challenge. I also felt like I was able to think of more great ideas for my blog and products that I want to design and create in the future.
Moving Forward
While I loved this challenge, I do feel that I get more knowledge when I listen to audiobooks on my morning walks. I still listened to audiobooks throughout this challenge (different books from the ones I was reading) and felt like it was easier to read more. However, I did become self aware of how difficult it was for me to focus and so moving forward I will still read on nights I cannot sleep.
Moreover, I loved the information in these books. Something that stood out to me was in Hustle Harder, Hustle Smarter by 50 Cent when he mentioned that most books are evolved around 1–2 main concepts. However, what makes them unique is that they have several exams to explain those concepts. You may not like them all, but there are some explanations or ways of saying something that resonate you better than others.
As I read, I kept this in mind and realized that I was able to learn about the main concepts in these books through many different examples to solidify the underlying message that the author wanted to get across.
