In an era where endless scrolling and 15-second videos are shrinking our attention spans, Singapore is fighting back with a brilliantly simple, highly motivating strategy: they are paying their citizens to read.
Launched this month by the National Library Board (NLB), the ReadSG campaign is a five-year national initiative designed to combat cognitive decline—often dubbed “brain rot”—and cultivate a vibrant, lifelong reading culture. The required daily commitment? Just 15 minutes
The 15-Minute Sweet Spot
“All it takes is 15 minutes a day to build a reading habit,” the ReadSG campaign highlights. “That is about the time between three MRT stops, waiting for your bus, or enjoying your morning coffee.”
The magic of the program lies in its clever gamification. Through a dedicated website and mobile app, Singaporeans can log their reading sessions and earn virtual rewards. Completing a 15-minute reading session earns a user 20 virtual coins, with 1,000 coins translating to a real dollar. While it isn’t designed to replace a salary, it provides that vital initial spark of motivation to help citizens build a habit that will pay intellectual dividends for a lifetime.
Equipping Minds for a Complex World
Melissa Tam, Chief of the National Library Board, emphasizes that the initiative is about much more than just hitting a daily quota—it’s about equipping citizens with the mental tools needed for the future.
“While short-form content helps us stay informed, long-form reading strengthens attention, critical thinking, and imagination,” Tam explains. “Ultimately, we want to see a nation of readers who are curious, thoughtful, discerning, and equipped to navigate an increasingly complex world.”
To make the journey even more engaging, the campaign playfully categorizes reading personalities into local dessert “flavours” to help participants find their tribe:
- Kueh Lapis: Layered, intentional, and notices what others miss.
- Kulfi: Flavourful, aspirational, and a little chaotic.
- Ang Ku Kueh: Wistful, imaginative, and a wanderer.
- Tang Yuan: Unassuming, warm, and entirely on your own terms.
The ABT NEWS Takeaway
Singapore’s initiative is a powerful reminder of how small, consistent actions compound into massive personal growth. Loh Chin Ee, a researcher at the National Institute of Education, perfectly described 15 minutes as the “sweet spot” to transition people from shallow screen-skimming back to deep, committed reading.
You don’t have to live in Singapore to cash in on the benefits of this habit. What if you swapped just 15 minutes of social media scrolling today for a chapter of a good book? The monetary payout might be unique to ReadSG, but the cognitive upgrade, the expanded imagination, and the sharpened focus are universal prizes available to us all.
Let’s take a page out of Singapore’s book today. Grab a novel, pull up a long-form article, and start your 15-minute timer! Let’s go!!
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