Don’t Just Read, Follow!

My takeaways from certain self-help books

I’m dyslexic and reading has never been part of my journey, but I have always been fascinated by my classmates in school, college, and co-workers when they talk about the books they have read. My dyslexia made reading a challenge for me; I skipped sentences while reading, was unable to pronounce certain words, had difficulty reading aloud, and much more. The younger me, instead of looking for ways to deal with it, opted to avoid the problem at hand. Coming from a tier-three city in India, I had no active family support because it was a non-existent term for them.

Like in every story, there comes a turning point, I too had mine, and it changed me for the better. I grew up to become a Product Designer. After 26 years of struggling, avoiding, fighting, and eventually realizing the importance, I started with the short and easy reads and found interest in all kinds of motivational and self-help books.

Implementing my learning from the books to my real life gave me confidence and at least 4 hours of extra each day which I prefer to spend on self-care and trying new hobbies which I use to think I will do whenever I will have time.

The way we spend our time defines who we are.
- Jonathan Estrin

I came across this saying about 4 years back and it has stayed with me since.

I have read 25 books so far, and here is what I want to convey to every person who is struggling to do something and looking for motivation.

Start Small

The first book I read was “Steal like an Artist” by Austin Kleon. Well, I am a designer, and I definitely judge books by their covers. I liked the cover and it was a short and amazing read, which made me feel like reading more of such content.

So, for those who want to join the gym, want to start reading, practicing music, or want to start a hobby, go ahead, start small and develop a habit of doing the same, It just takes 21 days to convert your thoughts into a habit. But these 21 days will be the hardest days that will decide your next 21 years.

Be Consistent

Congratulations, you have passed the level of trying something new and more than 90% of people are still waiting for an opportunity to initiate. Trying was 51% of the story; the remaining 49% is to be at it.

Everybody has that friend who has a gym membership but hasn’t seen a gym in a decade or a friend who has a guitar but you have never seen them play. Well, I have been that person who wasted my hard-earned money on memberships, books, clothes, and many more such things, which I have dreamt of doing and started doing as well, but never been consistent in doing the same.

If you are also struggling with something similar, go ahead and read the rest of the article to know how I started making progress in the direction of being consistent in my life’s goals.

Linked the action with my existing habits

I love reading in the morning after waking up to start my day fresh and grab some good words for my vocab. To make this happen, I started keeping my mobile far from my pillow and the book on my side table so that I could pick up a book instead of my mobile phone. I linked the habits of waking up and reading by keeping a book next to me.

I did the same with my exercise routine. I tried to be ready before my laziness can take over. I kept my clothes and gym shoes near my reading chair so that I could exercise after I finished reading.

This combination helped me be consistent with the routine I wanted to follow.

Fixed the time

Some people call themselves night people, and a few call themselves morning people. I tried both to find the right way to go about my day. Being a morning person, or having a morning routine, worked best for me. Well, it depends from person to person. One will have to find it according to what their routine allows.

I started by waking up early and started grabbing a book to read in the company of myself and my morning black coffee. After reading for half an hour, I sometimes go for a jog or proceed with the Cultfilt live sessions. After doing my exercises, I turn on my geyser, which takes about 15 mins to warm water to the level I like, giving me 15 mins to plan my day and my breakfast.

Fixing my time to wake up helps me set the tone of my day, and I realized my work processes are faster when I wake up early, as most important self-care things are done before I reach the office.

Set reminders

Fixing time for the goals you want to achieve is an important step, and setting reminders will help you go about it and be consistent. In the first 21 days of the regime, I struggled a lot with being consistent, and there were a few times when I fell off the track. For such times, reminders are really helpful.

I still set reminders to remind me to drink water multiple times a day because being in the office and running for meetings often makes me forget about it.

These are the three things I do whenever I want to begin something new. Trying to stick to your schedule is the key to saving a lot of time for yourself, and the benefits are endless.

After 21 days, your thoughts become your reality and you can learn from my experiences to be consistent.

I hope, I am able to motivate you all. For more such content follow me.

Don’t just read. Follow!

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