Reading regularly or reading habit forms an essential of being an effective professional; more so a PR professional. As a PR professional, the onus will be on you to ensure you’re quickly updated on any news about the brands on which you work (or your competitors), or the latest trends, practices, successful campaigns, skills, ideas etc that you can learn from.
It’s essential to develop this habit. If you’re not used to reading regularly, don’t worry. Any progress is good progress. Here we will list down a few tips to help you get started.
1. Start small
You can set small targets – 5 articles, 10 pages, 5 news stories per day; and increase your target gradually. It helps you ease in the process and also manage your time better
2. Start easy
You don’t have to jump straight to Sulman Rushdie or Carl Jung. You can start with the type of reading that is easy and what you truly enjoy. This will ensure regularity.
3. Make a list
Keep a list of things that you would like to read – books, topics, ideas, people etc. So that when you are ready to read, you have a buffet of options to choose from.
4. Integrate reading into your day
This can be the single biggest enabler for a regular reading habit. Find the time of day that works best for you mentally and logistically to read with focus. Whether it’s during your daily commute, or mornings when no one is at home, etc.
Here are 5 books that Public Professionals Must Read.
5. Find your sources of reading
Keep a few go-to sources ready. For example, if you want to read something on communications, we recommend Reputation Today. Similarly for news, you may have a reliable newspaper or website which you can access daily.
6. Small or big, do it everyday
Developing a reading habit is a lot like developing a disciplined Gym routine. To begin with, you just have to show up everyday. Doesn’t matter how much you achieve, just show up. Even if you read just one or two pages, make sure you pick up the book at your scheduled time EVERYDAY.
Happy reading!
