The great paradox of the modern day high achiever- we crave the deep focus and wisdom that only books provide, yet our brains are physically wired for the ‘intermittent reinforcement’ of digital noise. Let 2026 be the year you break away from the habit of doomscrolling. The best way to do this: learn how to read more! Reading has been shown to reduce stress, increase cognitive ability, and expand vocabulary (among many other benefits).
The things you learn from reading are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the benefits. The very act of reading habitually exercises your brain, making you more adept at other tasks. We have let scrolling erode our cognitive reserve, and it is becoming a cultural crisis. By reading more, you will become more in tune with yourself and the world around you. This intentional shift into ‘slow-mode’ doesn’t just fill your hours; it anchors them. You’ll find the day no longer vanishes into a blur of scrolls, but expands with purpose. By the end of this article, you will have 10 neurological shortcuts to make reading your default mode.
Phase 1 of Reading More: Reducing Friction
When we talk about friction in the world of productivity, we are talking about the difficulties that separate you from your desired goals. The idea is to limit the number of things that hinder you from getting the thing done. Basically, put systems in place so that discipline and goal achieving are not hard- they are part of the way you structure your life.
1. The One-Step Rule
Neurologically, your brain instinctively resists big tasks, but welcomes doable ones. Start off by reading one page. Do it as soon as you have a book near you. No pressure- just finish a page. Sooner or later, you will naturally read more, and your brain will feel like its overachieveing by going beyond the first page.
2. Environment Hacking
Leave a book on your pillow. Leave one in the part of your house you frequent the most. Your brain responds to visual cues. Make books readily available in all of your spaces.
3 The 50-Page Rule
Enjoyment fuels dopamine. Give a book 50 pages to click with you. If you cannot get into it by then, move on. Trying to get through a book you do not enjoy will only add friction to your goal. We want to read more and actually enjoy it.
Phase 2: Building the Loop
4. Habit Stacking
Pair reading with morning coffee, a short walk (this takes practice and balance, but feels so good!), or eating breakfast. When you try to start reading as a habit, it’s natural for your mind to wander to all the other things you could be doing with your time. By associating reading with other productive tasks, you will start viewing reading itself as a productive task. While coffee is brewing, read a couple of pages instead of scrolling. Read a page while the shower warms up. Find those little moments to pick up your book!
5. Implementation Intentions
Use “if-then” rules. For example, “If I am in the waiting room, then I will pick up my book.” Or “If I want to scroll, I will read 5 pages first.”
6. Digital Friction
Move your most unproductive, “brainrot” apps to the last page of your phone. Taking more time to get to the time-wasting apps gives your brain more time to consider different choices. This plays into the previous hack, where you can make it so you have to “earn” your scrolling time.
Phase 3: Deepening the Habit
Let’s make it so these habits are set into our routines.
7. Social Accountability
Tell your friends about your goal and find others who may have similar ideas. Having others keep you accountable will keep the motivation going.
8. Keep a “To Read” List
Put a list of your books you want to read somewhere you will see it every day. This will keep the reading goal at the forefront of your mind.
9. Micro-Reading Bursts
Set a reminder on your phone at a random time that tells you to read 5 pages. This will trick your brain into getting used to finding random times to read.
10. Reward Rewriting
Keep a progress chart to remind your brain of the small wins! This will keep you driven to tally up those achievements. Download my free reading log printable to stay on track!
Conclusion: How to Read More
Remember consistency > intensity. Think about it, if you spent only one day following these hacks, you may finish a book quicker than you even thought possible! Five sessions per day of reading just a few pages in those moments of waiting for things, will get you reading more than 20 pages daily! This is already a huge win and conditions your brain to gravitate toward longer sessions.
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How to Fix Brainrot: 7 Hobbies That Actually Make You Smarter
In the years following Oxford naming “brainrot” the Word of the Year, the term has shifted from a meme to a legitimate cultural crisis. Officially, brainrot is defined as “the deterioration of one’s mental or intellectual state from overconsumption of trivial or unchallenging online content.”
