The habit of reading is closer to you than you might imagine in your youth.
Have you ever stopped to think about why people mature so much in their youth?
Between the ages of 18 and 25, our brain is in the final stages of its development, and interesting things are happening within it. The prefrontal cortex, responsible for decision-making, matures. Our nerve fibers strengthen, and we begin to process information more efficiently. Obsolete neural connections are replaced by new and improved ones, which facilitate learning.
When we apply these new brain capabilities to the habit of reading, it becomes much more accessible. Now we are able to:
• Understanding more complex texts;
• Read faster;
• To better retain what we read;
• To better resist the urge to stop or distractions;
• Plan and organize reading into our routine.
If you’re still young and don’t have the habit of reading, now is the ideal time to acquire it! We can take advantage of our youthful brain development to master the habit of reading through four keys:
· Planejamento: Assim como a prática de um esporte, a leitura deve ser incluída em nossa rotina, com tempo dedicado a ela. Comece pequeno, talvez sessões de 15 minutos de leitura, e aos poucos permita que ela conquiste espaço em sua agenda.
· Comfort: How about turning your reading time into a pleasurable moment, in which you can relax with a beautiful view, sitting in your favorite chair and drinking your preferred coffee or tea? Associating reading with elements that give you pleasure will help strengthen the habit.
· Variety: Try reading different types of texts and of different lengths. Reading a long book, for example, can be alternated with shorter texts, such as news articles or essays, which will encourage you with their completion and sense of accomplishment.
· Strategy: Choose texts on topics that interest you or help you achieve a goal. Before starting to read, do a pre-reading—that is, scan the titles, check its length, and read a few excerpts that catch your eye. This will help you prepare to dive head-first into that book.
If you don’t know where to start your journey to acquire the habit of reading, the Bible is an excellent starting point. Besides being a true library of texts with different genres and lengths, it is the main tool for achieving every Christian’s goal: to become more and more like Jesus.
How about taking advantage of the peak of your brain development and acquiring the habit of reading?
