Studies show that there’s correlation between human behavior change and immediate rewards. Receiving immediate rewards releases dopamine in our brains, which compels us to seek more of the activity at hand.

By itself this isn’t enough to form a habit, for that, the brain needs to be expecting the reward. We can apply this mind hack to books, by reading about topics that we can immediately apply to improve our lives.

We often start habits and drop them a few days later. To combat this, you can use triggers to remind you to practice the habit. Examples of triggers:

• Reading at the same time everyday will prime your brain to automatically trigger itself to begin reading.
• Leaving your books in places you will easily see is another trigger. If you read books digitally you could pin your tab so it’s always in your visual perspective.

Studies indicate that the Zeigarnik Effect is real. It says you are more likely to recall uncompleted tasks than completed ones.

Knowing this pattern of our brains, we can trick it by forcing cliffhangers when we’re reading books. It’s hard to stop reading in the most interesting part but it will make you want to start reading again.

Our willpower is limited and, nowadays, deeply strained by resisting numerous distractions.

If reading requires your willpower, then doing it early in the morning gives you the best chance of doing it, as studies show that just after waking is the moment when the prefrontal cortex is most active (a key element to the creative process).

Taking small steps consistently is applicable to achieving most goals, as it allows us to gain momentum without overwhelming ourselves.

Start small and do it now. Then do it again tomorrow.