10 Ways You Can Become a Regular Reader today

Are you one of those people who love to read but just is so busy with life that you do not have to time to read? Raise your hand if that is the story of your life. It is so easy to fall into a regular routine and not have time to read. With our hectic lives, it is easy to "forget" to read or to look for excuses as to why you do not have time to read.

However, there is hope for us! It is not actually that difficult to add reading into your regular routine as we tend to have time to spare during the day. It is how we choose to use that time which is important. Reading helps us to gain knowledge and is known to help with mental stimulation.

Here are ten ways you can work on becoming a voracious reader today!

1) Make a list of books you are interested in reading
This will motivate you to look for the books you want to read and then actually read it in your free time. You can look online for book lists for inspiration on books you are interested in.

2) Join a local library
Libraries tend to have a ton of books and you can just borrow it for free. Libraries also have a wide range of books so while browsing through the books, you never know what you might find. Try to challenge yourself and pick books from various genres. You can pick multiple books at once and return them once you are done. If none of the books grab your attention, you can always go back and choose other books.

3) Set aside time to read daily
You have to set aside time to read daily whether you want to or not. Try to set aside 15-30 minutes daily just to sit down with your book and read. You can easily get this time by cutting down on mindless surfing online(Read: Facebook, Twitter , Instagram etc) and instead giving this time to focus on reading.

4) Learn various reading techniques
The more you read the more you will start to pick up reading techniques such as skimming and speed reading. You can skim in the beginning of the book to see if you are really interested or not interested enough to commit to reading the book. This way, you will be reading more books as you will be able to get through a book faster.

5) Join a book club
Why not join a book club in your area? You will be more motivated to read this way. You will be able to meet with different members of the book club to discuss the characters and the plot of the book  which will keep you engaged with the story.

6) E-Books
If you are someone who prefers to read on a tablet rather than an actual book, go for it! It is convenient compared to traditional books. There are a lot of advantages and disadvantages of e-books and traditional books( https://chanda-chandasblog.blogspot.tw/2017/12/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-e-books.html) You can check out more information in the link above.

7) Keep a notebook
You can use it to write quotes from the book and follow your progress in the book. You can use it to write summaries, book reviews etc. A notebook can also be used to keep progress of how many books you have read so far. It can also be useful in looking back and seeing what you have actually learned from reading the book.

8) Go to a quiet place to read
Sometimes you really need to go somewhere peaceful and quiet in order to fully concentrate on reading. You can go to a quiet corner in your house and spend time reading there. You can also choose to go to the library if you do not want to be disturbed by others. It helps you to focus on the book and not be distracted by others things.

9) Read at night before going to bed
Sometimes we just want to read in a relaxed manner before dosing off to sleep. Why not turn off your electronic devices earlier and just spend the extra time in bed and read? It is so relaxing to just sit on your bed and read.Remember as kids how our parents' used to read us bedtime stories?  It is because reading before sleeping actually helps to get a great night of sleep. It helps us to relax and de-stress from our day.

10) Turn off your electronic devices
If you are someone who is easily distracted, I would suggest turning off all your electronic devices in order to concentrate on reading. This way, you can focus on reading instead of checking your phone every few minutes. Take a deep breath and only focus on the book as that is the only thing that should be on your mind.

Thoughts on Child Labor

It is 2016 and there is still child labor in the world. To be honest, it is very sad. In some countries in Asia, like India and China, it is relatively common to see children on the street helping their parents to sell items or working in people’s house as a servant. I feel very sad whenever I see children on the streets begging or selling things. I believe those kids should be in school, they should be getting an education. They should not be selling items on the streets or in the marketplace. These children are vulnerable. They are regularly exploited by their employees as they are children. They have no choice but to work to earn a living for their family. I believe everyone has a right to an education.

Knowledge is power.Unfortunately, not all kids are as blessed to get an education. Their parents cannot afford to do so. It is a Catch-22 situation. The children work because their parents cannot afford to send them to school. This results in them not getting a formal education which results in them working for a low-pay job even in their adult life which results in those individuals living in poverty for the rest of their life. The cycle of poverty is never-ending.  If I have the chance in the future, I would like to help those kids. Because I, personally, am really fond of children, so I would like to help them or to teach them if possible. I would like to help them get out of the cycle of poverty. I think everyone has a right to an education. People should not turn a blind eye to child labor; it is a very serious issue. We should all work together and put a stop to child labor.

http://www.ilo.org/global/about-the-ilo/newsroom/news/WCMS_215170/lang--en/index.htm