Read a book for 30 minutes.

“Day three was hectic. I procrastinated on some other assignments and was busy until about 11 p.m., and I was not too pleased with the prospect of reading when I could be talking to my friends and winding down for the evening. Still, I was determined to see the challenge through, so I sat down with a timer and forced my way through another five or so chapters before I allowed myself some free time. It was getting easier to get into the flow of reading, though, and I was happy to see that I was about a fifth of the way through the 61-chapter book by the end of the half hour. The book itself was interesting, although a bit more difficult than what I was used to, which made the time pass considerably faster.”

“The hardest part was starting. I procrastinated on picking up my book of choice, a very intimidating copy of “Pride and Prejudice,” for nearly two weeks before the looming deadline for this article forced me to start reading. On my first reading session, I struggled to focus, and I barely finished three chapters before the first 30 minutes were up. It was a start, though, and it left me with a bit more motivation to continue.”

“I built my habit around one rule: 30 minutes of reading before bed. That's it. [...] Something shifted around day 20. I stopped having to remind myself. The book was just... there, waiting for me like an old friend. I started waking up looking forward to it.”