In his book, ‘The Power of Habit’, Charles Duhigg details the three-step loop in which our habits unfold, namely with a cue, a routine and a reward.
Essentially, a trigger (either external or internal) then sparks an automatic behaviour (either physical, mental or emotional) which is later reinforced by what our brain perceives as a benefit.
For example, when on public transport, a lot of us listen to music to pass the time. In this case, the cue is being on the train or bus or whatever, the routine is listening to music and the reward is having some sort of stimulation during the journey.
Later in the book, Duhigg notes that habits are far easier to change than they are to extinguish. He explains how by simply swapping the routine in a ‘habit loop’, we’re able to implement new behaviours. With this being the case, perhaps the best way to develop a reading habit, is to ‘swap’ the act of reading with something we’re already doing.
By taking Duhigg’s advice, you could choose to read a book on the train, rather than, say, listen to music. Both the cue and the reward would remain the same, but the routine would be different.
This brings us to the next point; designing your environment in a way that’ll make the act of reading a more likely choice.