Are you someone who likes to read but can never find the time to read the books on your must-read list? As someone who read over 50 books last year, I can say that I tend towards reading in bursts where I read about 5 books back to back and then stop for a few weeks.
This year I decided to set a more ambitious book goal and was thinking about making reading a priority in my day. If you are looking for ways to find time to read, here is what works for me and what I am trying to add to my habits to read more. Hopefully, something I share today will resonate with you as well!
Why Reading Books Is Good For You
Studies show that reading helps to improve brain function on many different levels. Reading can help with creativity, processing emotions and teaching empathy. When else can we truly walk in another persons shoes and see the world from their perspective?
Would it shock you that 42% of college graduates never read a book again after graduating?
If we know reading is so good for our minds, and something we want to do, why can’t we seem to make it a priority?
9 Tips To Help Busy People Make Time To Read
1. Find a Good Book
Life is too short for a book you don’t enjoy. Pick a book that you know you will enjoy, and that won’t be a chore to find the time to read. There are no wrong choices, if you like romance, comic books, graphic novels, science fiction, or biographies, just find something you like.
2. Make Reading Part of your daily routine
Start small. Lets not set the lofty goal of reading for an hour every day. Instead, maybe you leave your phone on the dresser across the room and read for 10 minutes before going to sleep each night. Not only will cutting down on screen time be good for eyes, the bedtime reading routine helps calm your mind for better sleep.
3. Schedule Time To Read
If having a set schedule for your day ensures that your priorities are met, why not physically schedule a time to read? Blocking off a set amount of time will help to make a daily reading habit!
Short bursts of reading time are much more attainable than a large block of time.
4. Stop Scrolling
Tiktok is such a fun place to spend time, but it is designed to keep you there, still scrolling. There may be entertaining things to watch there, or on Netflix, but one clip or episode can easily turn into 5 without much effort. People who read a lot tend to watch less TV.
5. Always Have A Book With You
Any Gilmore Girl fans will know that Rory made this trait more mainstream. Always have a book on you. That way you can read while waiting to pick up kids from school or activities. Waiting in line at the grocery store? I bet you could get a page in there.
Carrying a physical book works, but a reader is nice to have on the go. A kindle, or the kindle app on the phone works well. I like to have the app because I always have my phone with me, and reading digitally your progress is tracked across both devices.
You can read on your phone, and pick up your e-reader to the same page later that day. This is also a great way to notice just how much you can read in short bursts as you go about your day.
6. Try Audiobooks
Audiobooks are a great way to fit more reading into your day. If you are a person who can multi task, this is a great way to read more books. Listen to audiobooks while doing the dishes, running errands, or exercising.
I had a hard time getting into audiobooks at first, I found my thoughts drifting and I would not follow the story. One trick I used is to start with memoirs or non-fiction. Often, celebrity memoirs are read by the author and they are obviously great entertainers which makes for a great listening experience.
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7. Read More Than One Book At A Time
This may seem strange, but you can easily have more than one book in progress at the same time. An audiobook while running errands and a fiction book to read to unwind before bed. Motivational or self-help books might be good to read with a break between to digest or implement what you are reading.
Want to see what I am reading? Follow me on GoodReads.
8. Make It Social
If you like to discuss books, join a book club! Not only will it make it fun, it can be a great motivation to finish the book on time.
I am part of a book club where we meet twice a year and just make recommendations on books we read and liked. Often we will bring books to trade, and always come home with the excitement for new books to check out.
Share your book love on social media! Make a tiktok video about what books you love and why. Join Booktok and find other books to read and love! Sharing makes it fun.
9. Reading Challenges
If you have a competitive side or like to check off tasks from your to-do list, why not set a reading challenge? This could be done in many ways such as:
- Setting a goal for a number of books to read in one month or one year
- Reading more books from an author that you like
- Complete a series
- Read a book before its movie comes out
Check out this free printable reading challenge! It can be used as a book tracker and a way to try new books.
Happy Reading!
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