Let’s be honest, watching a video is easier. It’s quicker, more visual, and feels effortless. But here’s the thing: if you really want to grow, especially in how you speak, think, and write, reading will take you much further.
Reading isn’t just about flipping through pages or scrolling endlessly on an app. It’s about building a better version of yourself, one word at a time.
Reading Builds Focus
We live in a fast-paced, scroll-heavy world. Attention spans are shrinking, and most content is designed to entertain you, not challenge you.
It’s easy to sit back and let a video play. It’s harder but far more rewarding to sit with a book or article and actually engage with the words. That kind of engagement builds long-term knowledge and sharpens your ability to focus in a distracted world.
Reading forces you to slow down. It helps your brain focus longer, process information better, and remember what you’ve learned.
The more you read, the better your brain stays locked in, whether it’s a blog post, a report, or even emails, you will retain more information, and that’s something videos just can’t help you reach.
You’ll Speak and Write Better Without Even Trying
Ever heard someone use a word you’ve never seen before? And when you try to use it yourself, you’re not sure how to pronounce it or even spell it? Reading helps with that.
When you read often, you naturally pick up new words and you remember how they’re spelled, used, and said. You become more confident speaking, writing, and even answering questions on the spot.
And when you read something even more powerful, it sticks with you. You’ll find yourself using those same phrases in conversations, interviews, or presentations effortlessly.
Reading Sharpens Your Thinking
No matter what you choose to read to keep you engaged, it will encourage you to think deeper. It helps you see different perspectives, question ideas, and come up with your own opinions.
Watching a video often just shows you something. On the other hand, reading more books or news articles makes you understand it.
Tip: Read Video Transcript Instead
If you’ve got a 20–30 minute video lined up, or even something shorter, and it interests you, try this instead—read the transcript.
Most YouTube videos, podcasts, and webinars come with one. You’ll go through it faster, stay more focused, and retain more. In addition, it trains your eyes and brain to process information through text, a skill that pays off in every area of life.
Want to Read More Often? These Apps Can Help
If you don’t want to carry books around, which, to be honest, most of us don’t. Here are some apps that can help you build a solid reading habit even if you’re always on your phone:
- Libby lets you borrow ebooks, audiobooks, and even digital magazines straight from your local library for free. You can stream them online or download them to enjoy offline, wherever you are. The only thing you need to get started is a valid library card. It’s like carrying a full library in your pocket.
- Pocket Found a great article, but don’t have time to read it now? Save it to Pocket and come back to it later—even offline if you want. Formerly known as Read It Later, Pocket is a social bookmarking app that lets you store, share, and discover articles, videos, and other web content.
- Kindle is Amazon’s popular platform for reading digital books. Originally designed for its own e-reader device, Kindle lets you download and read books just like you would download music to an MP3 player. The best part—you don’t need a Kindle device. Just install the Kindle app on your phone or tablet and start reading ebooks anytime, anywhere.
- Readwise If you’re the kind of reader who loves to highlight key points as you go, Readwise is perfect for you. It automatically brings your highlights back to you over time, helping you revisit and actually retain what you’ve read.
- Scribd Think of Scribd as the Netflix of books—it offers unlimited access to a massive library of ebooks, audiobooks, magazines, and even documents for a low monthly fee. It’s perfect if you want to explore a wide variety of genres, discover new authors, and listen or read anytime, anywhere. Whether you’re commuting, relaxing at home, or working out, Scribd keeps you connected to your reading habit without the hassle of buying individual books.
Sure, videos are fun, and sometimes they’re necessary. But if you’re always watching and never reading, you’re missing out on a huge part of learning and growing.
Reading strengthens your focus. It improves how you speak. It sharpens your writing. And it gives you that edge most people lose to short-form content.
You don’t have to read all day to become a better thinker. Just 15–30 minutes a day can improve your attention span, grow your vocabulary, and help you express yourself more clearly. That’s something no viral video can give you.
So next time you hit play, pause for a second and check if there’s a transcript, or grab the article version. You might just find that reading gets you there faster and smarter.
