Feeling guilty about the growing pile of unread books in your dorm room? Do you get all excited when buying that bestseller that everyone is talking about but then you never find time to read it? If this sounds like you, keep reading to find out how to stop buying books and start reading them with 11 tips that actually work!
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How To Stop Buying Books And Start Reading Them
Not so long ago, I had this addiction to buying books but never read them.
I just couldn’t resist the urge to buy that book that everyone was talking about on IG.
The hype was real.
But after buying it, my motivation to read it faded away and I never found time to even read the first five pages of the darn book.
Then I came across another bestseller and the vicious cycle started all over again.
Has this ever happened to you?
If this sounds like you, let me tell you: there’s a CURE my friend.
Here are 11 tips to help you stop buying books and start reading them (they worked for me!):
1. Get A Library Card
2. Create A Wishlist
3. Build Discipline
4. Make A Budget
5. Remember The Anti-library Concept
6. Replace Bad Habits With Reading
7. Make It A Personal Challenge
8. Get A Book Penpal
9. Declutter Your Book Pile
10. Don’t Watch Book Reviews
11. Try Therapy
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How Do I Resist The Urge To Buy Books?
Get A Library Card
Getting a library card is probably one of the most efficient ways to stop buying books and start reading them.
No money? Right. Then borrow the books. It’s that simple!
Find your local library with Library Finder and locate the link to get a library card on its website.
There are even libraries that offer e-books and audiobooks that you can enjoy at home, so check if you can fully sign up online!
Now, if you borrow a book and after finishing it you think you absolutely loved it, only then you can evaluate the possibility of purchasing it to add it to your personal collection and revisit it later.
Create A Wishlist
Do you have an account on Goodreads or Amazon?
The next time you see a book you would like to read, don’t add it to the cart; instead, add it to your wishlist.
This way, instead of buying it, you can share the wishlist with other people, who can buy the books on the list for your birthday, Christmas, or any other special occasion.
In Goodreads, it’s pretty easy to share your wishlist.
When you find a book you want to read, simply click the button ‘Want to read’ and the book will be automatically added to your want-to-read ‘bookshelf’.
To share your wishlist with another person, go to My Books ► Want to Read (under Bookshelves), and then just copy and share the URL.
It’s a similar process for Amazon too.
Click on the book you would like to read, then click on the drop-down menu ‘Add to List’ on the right side of the page and select or create a new list.
Then, head to your list by going to ‘Account & Lists’ ► ‘Your Lists’ ► (click on the book list) ► ‘Send list to others’.
Build Discipline
Part of learning how to stop buying books and start reading them is creating a habit and sticking to it.
‘But where do I even start?’ you might be wondering.
Well, it all starts when you make the DECISION to start doing things differently and make little tweaks to your daily routine.
If you desperately need to read your book pile before buying more, then you’ll have to consider it a priority and make time for it.
When are you more willing to read during the day? Do you have a cozy corner to spend time reading? Why not use a jazz playlist to use as background music for your reading session?
All these things are intended to make your new habit enjoyable and sustainable.
For example, I wanted to read a book in the mornings, so I placed it on my desk to read it as soon as I arrived at my home office.
The best part? It feels awesome to check off a book from your to-read list!
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Make A Budget
If money is the problem when it comes to your love for books, there’s another solution you can try and that is having a budget.
It’s pretty much the same for any other things you want to buy for yourself, like food and clothes.
You can’t spend more than what you make!
So the best solution is setting a limit and sticking to it.
How much money can you spend on books while protecting your personal finances?
Set aside part of your income to spend on books and don’t spend more than that.
You can also try buying used books to save money and, if you plan to visit a bookstore, make a list of the books you’ll buy beforehand (like a grocery shopping list) to avoid the temptation of buying additional items.
Remember The Anti-library Concept
In his book ‘The Black Swan’, Nassim Nicholas Taleb talked about this concept of ‘the anti-library’, which is basically a collection of unread books that a person owns.
Now, what’s the value behind the anti-library and how can this help you stop buying books and start reading them?
What the anti-library does is make you realize all the knowledge that is yet to be known, all the stories that are yet to be discovered, all the worlds that are yet to be explored.
And it’s all there, inside the unread books.
The anti-library reminds you of all the amazing things that you are missing out on.
So use this to your advantage! Use this concept to get the motivation to start reading, one by one, the pile of unread books to satisfy your curiosity about the unknown.
Replace Bad Habits With Reading
Now that you are learning how to stop buying books and start reading them, why not replace a stubborn bad habit with a good one, like reading your book pile?
Whether it’s watching nonsense on YouTube, eating just for boredom, or spending too much time on social media, it’s never too late to create the habit of reading and get rid of activities that don’t add anything positive to your life.
In my case, during the morning right after waking up, I used to go right to my home office, sit at the desk, and start scrolling through social media.
For me, it wasn’t productive but I did it anyway because it was also fun.
Until I decided that I could make a better use of my time.
I asked myself: ‘What if instead of losing time on IG I read a book?
And the rest is history.
This year I read almost one book per week and I could finally replace a habit that I knew was detrimental to my personal growth.
Give it a shot. It’s life-changing.
Make It A Personal Challenge
Making reading a personal challenge gamifies the whole experience and makes it easier for you to feel motivated to read your book pile.
You can even get a book journal to track your progress and impress yourself with how many books you can read per month!
I wanted to increase the number of books I read per year, so I set the personal challenge of reading 30 pages per day.
And you, how many pages can you read a day?
You probably know the euphoria created by the sense of achieving your reading goals, so try it out!
Apart from recording your progress in your book journal, don’t forget to reward yourself.
Listening to your favorite music, taking a walk in the park, or eating a sweet snack can help reinforce the positive habit of reading.
Get A Book Pen Pal
If you are the kind of person who learns how to stop buying books and start reading them by feeling social pressure, then be my guest!
Sometimes, we just don’t feel like developing a new habit and embarking on our reading journey alone.
Having an accountability buddy helps you stay on track and share your progress as a team.
You can get anyone as a book pen pal: your best friend, your sister, someone from an online book club…
In my case, I find in my husband the perfect accountability buddy: we make book recommendations to each other, set reading challenges, and exchange opinions about the books we finish.
Declutter Your Book Pile
Be honest with yourself: are you really going to read ALL the books in your book pile?
Are you still interested in all of them?
Or you’ve just bought some because they were cheap and then you forget about them?
If there are so many unread books in your personal library, then maybe it’s time to declutter and decide which ones you’ll keep and which ones are going to goodwill.
Our tastes and goals evolve and that’s why it’s good to get rid of unwanted books from time to time.
Put all the books you won’t read in a sealed box and donate them.
They should be in another person’s hands instead of collecting dust on a bookshelf, don’t you think?
Plus, this will take a huge load off your shoulders!
Don’t Watch Book Reviews
If there’s a huge pile of unread books staring at you menacingly from the shelves, then the last thing you want to do is watch book reviews to end up in the bookstore again.
Personally, book reviews gave me FOMO, the fear of missing out.
And what happened when I felt this? I purchased more books than I could possibly read.
In my TBR pile, there was even a book I bought five years ago, untouched.
I was getting nervous about all the money that was going into books that I never started reading, so I stopped watching book reviews altogether.
Try Therapy
If none of these tips help you stop buying books and start reading them, then it appears there’s something deeper that is blocking your progress.
In this case, professional help can assist you in finding out why you can’t get rid of this behavior.
More often than not, we engage in self-destructive activities, like overeating or undereating, overspending, and smoking, when we try to forget our problems.
We all have been there.
That’s why you don’t have to feel ashamed of resorting to therapy if you feel that nothing else works for you.
If you want to try this, I hugely recommend Online Therapy, voted Best Online Therapy for Anxiety 2022.
As my reader, you can use this link to get 20% OFF your first month, so go check it out. This offer ends soon!
FAQ: How To Stop Buying Books And Start Reading Them
Why Do I Keep Buying Books But Never Read Them?
There are several reasons why you keep buying books but never read them:
You Have A Book Collection Hobby
Are you a reader or a collector?
Think of this when you wonder why you have so many unread books.
Having a collection of books and taking pride in it is not a bad thing!
Unless it is making you go broke, buying books and collecting them shouldn’t be a problem.
You Have Bad Spending Habits
Most people are broke because they spend more than they make.
This is by far one of the most common spending habits that deter people from improving their personal finances.
So, if you can’t stop buying books, what you can do is set up a monthly budget and put all the cash that will be spent on books in a closed envelope.
This system has worked wonders for me, allowing me to save hundreds per month.
You Get Too Much Dopamine When Purchasing Books
When you make a purchase, your brain releases a dose of dopamine that makes you feel awesome.
However, this feeling is dangerous, because it can get highly addictive and make you repeat bad behaviors to experience the same levels of euphoria.
The best way to get rid of this is to replace the overspending behavior with a positive activity that produces the same level of dopamine, like doing physical exercise, laughing, spending time with loved ones, meditating, and listening to your favorite music.
You Have ADHD
Do you struggle to sustain your focus?
Do you get distracted easily and managing time is almost impossible?
Then you might be experiencing ADHD symptoms.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, besides lack of concentration, causes impulsiveness, which might be the cause behind your reckless spending.
What’s more, the constant search for novelty doesn’t let you commit to the reading of the books you already have and you instead keep buying books to feel the excitement over and over again.
If this is the case, therapy is the best solution to overcome this mental condition.
Remember that you can always get professional support to get rid of compulsive shopping and treat ADHD. I highly recommend ONLINE THERAPY for its outstanding service and warm-hearted professionals. Get 20% OFF your first month with my special link!
What Is Tsundoku Syndrome?
The Japanese word ‘Tsundoku’ (積ん読) refers to the habit of buying books and never reading them.
This concept originated in 17th-century Japan and is the combination of two Japanese words: ‘tsunde‘, which means ‘to stack things up’, and ‘doku‘ which means ‘reading’.
Tsundoku is generally caused by a lack of time management and task prioritization skills, but it can also have its roots in bad spending habits and mental disorders, like ADHD.
Now, while the Tsundoku Syndrome makes the sufferer pile up unread books accidentally, it shouldn’t be confused with Bibliomania, which is the extreme necessity of collecting books on purpose and impulsively.
Both behaviors should be treated by a professional therapist if they interfere with the person’s daily activities to the point that their mental and physical health is damaged.
Wrapping Up: How To Stop Buying Books And Start Reading Them
So there you have it!
This blog was all about how to stop buying books and start reading them.
Do you have any other tips to add to this list?
Leave them in the comment section below; I’d love to read them!
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