Five ways To Fit More Reading Into Your Day

Hey everyone!

So, we’re all busy people, right? I know I am! Between work, cooking, cleaning, looking after a baby, looking for a better job (because why not do something you love?), having recently moved house, blogging and making time for real life friends (humour me, please), then life can feel pretty hectic sometimes!

Yup! I don’t know who you are Mr. American comedian, buy yup.

Anyway, because of this I thought it would be good to talk about how we can all fit a bit more of what we love – reading – into our days! These are just some quick tips and ideas from me, and so you might have some of your own… So do share in the comments section!

Anyway, here goes:

Read before bed (and maybe in the morning too!)

Look at the name of my blog and guess what time I get most of my reading done? That’s right, at lunch time. Okay, I joke. I do most of my reading before I go to sleep for a variety of reasons, including just the simple fact that I find it relaxing.

Sometimes, just sometimes, I also read first thing in the morning. This one isn’t so common as I happen to like pressing that snooze button way too much. But if I find myself up early then I might just pick up that book (though I this is often when I do most of my blog reading too).

Switch up the format

I love reading a physical, whether that is paperback or hardback, BUT I will admit that I am pretty sure I read faster with an e-book on my phone. I don’t know why, though. I would guess it has something to d with the fact that, like so many of us, I am attached to my phone at all times. This means the book is always there AND my eyes are trained at reading it quickly. Just a hunch.

Other than e-books, you can also speed up your reading with audio books. This gives you loads of extra, previously unavailable time. You can now read while your driving, read while your cooking, read while you;re tidying, etc, etc. I powered through The Name of the Wind recently in audio book form just reading during chores and on my commute in the car.

Carry that book everywhere

This is one might seem kind of obvious, but you know what, I didn’t always do it. I read at home and that was pretty much it. Sure, I;d take a book if I was going on holiday or knew I had a long train/bus journey, but otherwise my books stayed at home. But not so much now. I try to carry my book around a bit more now. Grabbing a quick 10 minutes here and there all adds up you know! Don’t like your work colleagues? Read that book at lunch time! Waiting at the doctor’s surgery? Read that book! Friend is late for meet up at the cafe/pub/wherever? Read that book!

And with the previously mentioned switching up of formats, this point is really quite easy. We all carry our phones everywhere anyway!

Get rid of those distractions

As much as I just said that grabbing a few minutes here and there helps, we all know that settling down to a longer reading session and getting lost in a book (preferably under a duvet) is the real great joy of reading. And that is impossible if there are a hundred different things going on around you all at once. Turn that TV off (or maybe leave the room to read somewhere else if someone else is watching something because manners), put those leftovers in the fridge so you don’t have to get up in bit to sort it out, pray that the baby stays asleep, etc. Small things, but they make a big difference.

Variety really is the spice of life

Mix up your genres and stories. This is one I am still working on myself, but am definitely getting better at. I don’t know about you, but if I have read five fantasy books in a row, then maybe the 6th will feel like a bit stale (especially if the settings/plots are similar). So, go and pick up some non-fiction history book or a travel book or whatever else you like to read. Perhaps a whole genre change is a bit much as you still want a fantasy, just want one a bit different? Just make sure that next book is different. Maybe you read a YA or children’s fantasy instead, maybe it is set in a world inspired by India or Africa for a change. Just keep mixing things up. You never know, you might fnd some new niche that you absolutely love!

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Anyway, there you have some quick ideas to make sure you can read as much as possible during the day! Let me know what your tips are.

Jack