I’m a college student trying to keep up with four classes, working and probably watching more Netflix than I should admit. But I’m also an English major who definitely needs to read more books. I know that when I was younger and had more time, I read all the time and I wish this was a habit that carried into my college life. As I'm now trying to focus on being less technologically dependent, I'm also trying to remember why reading actual books is the perfect alternative.
1. You'll learn outside of class
In high school and in college, you're going to have to read textbooks. Of course, this is a great way to learn your material, it's also limiting in a way. By choosing your own reading material outside of what is assigned, you can learn about things you wouldn't necessarily be taught in school. For example, right now I'm slowly finding time to read through a book about Iranian history. Not only is it incredibly interesting (at least to me), I'm discovering new information about a country that can be greatly misunderstood.
2. You'll sleep better
Reading is known to be a rather relaxing pastime. Not only does it help you to unwind and take your mind off of all the stress in your life, choosing to read a paper book instead of playing with your phone or watching TV before bed can be very beneficial. The lights produced by our screens are known to be disruptive to our sleep cycles. Choosing to forgo screens before bed could improve this issue and help you to sleep better.
3. You'll have a better vocabulary
Yes, the SATs are over and no one is forcing you to learn the archaic words that are printed in that godforsaken test. But it's still important to never stop building your vocabulary. In the end, you're going to sound a lot smarter and when you get to college, it'll help you to understand the lectures of pretentious professors and the readings from textbooks that choose big words instead of big pictures.
4. Stories are entertaining
Even the books that are assigned in English class can actually be really enjoyable. Although I understand that no one really wants to read the old classical books because they're hard to read and usually not very relatable, I encourage anyone to try. Obviously, no one talks like Shakespeare anymore, but once you can get past the language (I recommend the books that have translations for old words already there), usually his plays are actually pretty funny or desperately heart wrenching.
Let's face it, you've probably seen the best shows on Netflix already and most movies are based on books for a reason. Books are published because they're entertaining and interesting and they're going to benefit you in some way. Try to set more time aside to actually sit down and read them.
