If your screen time report has been exposing your weekly habits, here’s a sign to swap 15 minutes of doomscrolling for something slightly better for your brain. The National Library Board (NLB) is launching ReadSG, a new national reading movement that encourages people in Singapore to read for just 15 minutes a day.
Launching on 6th September 2026, ReadSG will kick off during Singapore’s inaugural National Reading Month. Here’s all you need to know ahead of time.
The idea behind ReadSG is pretty straightforward. All you have to do is read for just 15 minutes a day, which is pretty easy to fit in, especially when you’re commuting to work on the MRT or just queuing up at your fave chicken rice stall. It’s enough to make reading feel like something you can actually fit into daily life.
NLB describes reading as a way to build your “reading muscle”, helping to strengthen focus, critical thinking, imagination, and the way we make sense of the world. Think of it as exercise for your brain.
And you don’t have to immediately start on a 500-page novel – whether it’s fiction, non-fiction, essays, or a book you’ve been meaning to finish since 2021, the main thing is to start building the habit.
Image credit: Rakuten Kobo
You also don’t have to carry around a physical book if that’s not your thing. Reading on e-readers like a Kobo or Kindle counts too.
Image credit: National Library Board
Besides encouraging people to read daily, NLB is also working on a gamified reading initiative where participants may be able to earn rewards for logging their reading sessions.
To take part, users will need to sign up via CrowdTaskSG, the government crowdsourcing platform. From there, they can complete reading-related tasks and collect virtual coins, with 1,000 coins exchangeable for $1 on the platform.
Image credit: National Library Board
The exact reward mechanics are still being finalised, so keep an eye out on NLB’s social media pages. However, we highly suspect that the tasks are likely to be linked to at least 15 minutes of reading a day.
Image credit: National Library Board
If you’d rather read for a cause, there’ll also be a parallel initiative called Read for Good. Instead of earning personal rewards, participants can contribute towards fundraising for selected charities by clocking 15 minutes of reading a day. It’s a simple way to make your reading habit count for something meaningful.
As a first step, NLB is aiming for 150,000 sign-ups across both ReadSG and Read for Good. So yes, your 15-minute reading break could actually do some good – and still be more productive than refreshing your Instagram feed for the 6th time that day.
If your reading habit has been reduced to captions, ragebait headlines, and the latest pop culture news, ReadSG could be a good nudge to get back into books. You also get to spend more time in the NLB branches across Singapore.
After all, 15 minutes a day is manageable enough to start small, whether you’re reading on the train, before bed, or during lunch. Who knows, maybe this is also the time you get to discover your new favourite SingLit author too.
More on books and reading:
Also take our quiz: Which SingLit Book Should You Get With Your SG Culture Pass? Answer 7 Questions To Find Your Next Read
Cover image adapted from: National Library Board
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