Reading is the fastest and most effective way to learn, grow, and build your knowledge base. Books are also some of the cheapest (and most accessible) sources of information available to us.

It’s the most critical way to pick up knowledge fast.

“All of the smartest people I’ve met, regardless of where they received their formal education, were mostly self-taught, incredibly curious and voracious readers,” says Jim O’Shaughnessy.

When we read, our mind is stimulated, improving our ability to think critically, synthesize information, and understand new ideas.

Reading also helps us grow as individuals by exposing us to new perspectives and ways of thinking.

Reading is like a love affair. You can’t force or rush it.

It has to come naturally, or you will resent or give up on it instead of enjoying it. “It is what you read when you don’t have to that determines what you will be when you can’t help it,” says Oscar Wilde.

Reading should be an enjoyable experience above all else.

If it doesn’t excite you, makes you laugh, cry, gasp, or smile, then perhaps it isn’t for you right now, and that’s okay.

However, if the thought of reading still leaves you feeling blue or uninterested in anything even after trying multiple genres and authors, then there is probably something wrong with how you are approaching reading in general.

Most people love to read but struggle to find time to make it a habit.

Reading can be a challenge, especially if you are reading something that doesn’t interest you or something that you’re struggling to understand.

However, once you find books that you love, it becomes much easier and even more enjoyable! Instead of forcing yourself to read something you don’t care about, how about starting with a topic that excites you.

A lifetime reading habit starts with books you can’t put down

“Read what you love until you love to read,” says Naval Ravikant.

To become a more well-read person, you need to find books you are curious about. Read for curiosity.

Begin by identifying why you don’t love reading right now, and then create another list of everything you are curious about and the writers who explain them better.

Then find the best books people love to read on your chosen topic and order your first few books. Allow your curiosity to lead your reading journey.

If you can’t identify what kind of book you enjoy, start by reading more broadly and seeing what piques your interest. Then take the time to narrow your focus on one type of book.

To get started, pick two or three genres that interest you and read books from those categories at least once a month.

Eventually, you’ll build up a collection of favourites that you can reach for when you’re feeling stuck in the middle of a rut.

As long as you’re reading something that excites you, it doesn’t matter what the topic is — or how long it takes to finish the book. As long as it’s something that keeps your attention and improves your skills, then it’s worth doing.

Read for the joy of it in the beginning. Don’t rush it. If that means reading just a page every day, it’s okay. Your brain will retain more of what you read if it’s not forced or doesn’t become a chore.

Reading books that excite you is critical to building a reading habit. Excitement comes in many forms and can include both emotional and intellectual excitement.

The emotional excitement that comes from reading a book that you love and connecting with the characters, or the intellectual excitement that comes from learning new things, are both essential building blocks to a reading habit.

However, it’s not enough to just read books that excite you; we also need to engage with those books. This means that you need to be willing to spend time reading the books, whether by setting aside time or making it a priority.

It means being open to trying new formats like audiobooks, digital readers, or e-books if they work better for you.

It also means being prepared for some of the more challenging aspects of reading such as struggling through difficult parts of the book or getting frustrated when reading takes too long.

By combining excitement with engagement, we can build the habit of reading: the foundation of lifelong learning.

Books can open up a world of knowledge and be a great way to learn new things. By reading books that excite you, you are more likely to continue reading and build a reading habit.

So start by choosing books that interest you. Then try to get into the habit of reading at least 15 minutes daily.

Once you have built the habit, you can start to branch out and try different types of books, genres, or even topics.

The key is consistency — keep reading almost daily and make it a priority.

Your reading habit will get better with time.

Reading is key to your long-term success. Remember what Charlie Munger once said, “In my whole life, I have known no wise people who didn’t read all the time — none, zero.”

This article originally appeared in Medium.