I love reading and I believe any writer serious in their profession must read everyday. Even if the literature is dreadful, not their preference or as dull as dishwater. It is a practice in learning and growing. To identify what is a good writing and what is not.
And in 2026, it would appear this is becoming a harder thing to accomplish than ever before. With the introduction of the Iphone, almost twenty years ago now, and with the many advancements of social media, phones and other elements of technology, we have lost the great joy and love reading once gave us.
In short, people appear to be reading less and less. From the perspective of the modern day writer, this is something that is at best unsettling and at worse the death knell of books.
As I sit here, I realise my own reading habits have changed too. Once upon a time, I would read novel, after novel, after novel. And not just novels. Books on how to grow a garden, the history of philosophy and sometimes utter smut which would fill the shelves of Waterstone’s and WH Smiths.
Even I find myself on my phone a bit too often, watching Youtube or scrolling. All of those things that one has come to accept as normal.
And it has come to accept that it is normal for people to say ‘oh, I don’t read.’ Books do not seem to be something for the masses but for the quirky and nerdy elite these days.
I introduced a habit earlier this year. The agreement I made with myself was to read 5 pages a day from a book. Miss a day and I would add five. This encourages the habit to stick.
For someone who loves books, this is not an impossible challenge but even I have to ensure I sit down and do it – for it does not appear to come effortlessly.
And so far, this has started to develop into a positive habit. I have found that I am once again enjoying books naturally, without feeling guilty of the absence of reading. There are many books in our house (probably too many) and I find that there is guilt for not reading all of them. Yet, I am once again spending time reading and truly enjoying the process.
But what else have I learnt through this process? One’s vocabulary improves, the ability to articulate a sentence in both the verbal and written forms. The understanding of what the world is and how we chose to navigate it. And further to this point, the understanding of stories. It also grants an excellent focal point on where good writing is found and how to see the difference between the good and bad.
When we write, be it a sentence on a phone, a note in a journal or an email, we are engaging in the process of writing. It is true that, in a limited form, we have all become writers at this stage in history. Mass communication and information has demanded this through the development of social media. People being completely illiterate is a thing of the past (rightly so.) And, in order to enhance and adapt to this changing world, we must read everyday.
And when I state read everyday, we must be reading literature in the form of books, not Youtube comments or X tweets. Such literature predates the modern world we live in, where the discipline of writing and reading was flourishing. By returning to this mind-set, we can develop our philosophical minds and curious nature about the world, instead of surrendering our faculties to the zombie like nature of social media.
It is philosophically and intellectually irresponsible to not be reading everyday. That is my final point. To yourself, above everything else.