7 tips for fitting more reading into your life

I get asked all the time, "How do you read so much?" Sometimes it sounds like, "How do you find the time to read?" Most often it sounds like, "I wish I had the time to read like you do." I want to say, "You do!", but I usually just smile. Not today. Today I'm sharing my tips for fitting more reading into your life.

READ WHAT YOU LOVE

This sounds like a no-brainer, but it's probably the most important tip. Read what you love! Sometimes I find myself in a reading rut. (Yes, it even happens to me.) I find myself not excited to pick up a book. When I step back, I realize I have been reading a lot of best-sellers or others' recommendations. I haven't been reading what I love. Now, when I find myself in a reading rut, I stop listening to others and search for a book I know I will love.

SCHEDULE READING TIME INTO YOUR DAY

This sounds a little crazy, but it works. My scheduled reading time is 1-2 pm, every day. It doesn't happen every single day, but I find that scheduling reading time makes it more likely to actually happen. Why 1-2 pm? That is the hour before my kids get home from school. I find that if I work hard all morning while they are in school, then give myself an hour of reading time, I am much more happy to welcome my kids home and much more prepared to work hard all afternoon, helping kids with homework, making dinner, etc. That happiness mostly comes because reading energizes me, but also because I know I've had reading time that day.

PUT AWAY YOUR PHONE (OR OTHER DEVICE)

I am guilty of spending way too much time on Instagram. It is terrible. I enjoy social media and my phone makes it so accessible. A little too accessible. I find that if I have my phone near me while reading, I am likely to pick it up at the end of a chapter to do a quick check of Instagram. All of the sudden, that quick check has turned into twenty minutes, or more! Sometimes it's a text that distracts me. It will come in and I will put my book down to respond, whether it's urgent or not. These both result in a lot of lost reading time. To help keep me focused on reading, I now put my phone in a different room from myself and my book. Temptation gone. This has done wonders for my reading.

ALWAYS CARRY A BOOK WITH YOU

I always have a book with me, no matter where I am. It is amazing how much reading I can get done while out and about. I often find myself reading in the car while waiting for a child not quite ready to be picked up from school or an event, reading at the doctor's office when my doctor is running late or reading through a child's piano lesson. Without a book, I am positive I would spend that time on my phone, but if I have a book with me, I can fit in a page or a chapter or more.

LISTEN TO AUDIOBOOKS

Audiobooks are my best friend when I am in the middle of a project that doesn't require a lot of brainpower, such as painting kitchen cabinets, my current project. This particular project has required a lot of monotonous hours that would have been felt twice as long if not for audiobooks. My go to genre when working with my hands is nonfiction. I haven't quite mastered the ability to stay focused enough to listen to fiction, but if I ever do, watch out.

JOIN A BOOK CLUB OR COMPLETE A READING CHALLENGE

I've done both and I am amazed at the way they have added to and stretched my reading, in the very best ways. Book clubs and reading challenges have introduced me to books I would have never found on my own, books I have loved and adored and books that have challenged my way of thinking. I am currently a member of Modern Mrs Darcy's book club and am working my way through Modern Mrs Darcy's reading challenge. I highly recommend both.

HAVE YOUR NEXT BOOK READY

I almost always have a book sitting beside me, just waiting for me to finish my current read. (Actually, that book isn't a book, but a stack of books that is a little out of control. And doesn't include the list of books I have on Goodreads!)  Always having a book ready keeps me always reading. If I didn't have a book waiting, it would be too easy to let a few days or a few weeks pass before getting to the library or local bookstore to pick up my next read. I don't want to let that happen.

That's how I fit more reading into my life. Hope you can fit more reading into your life. Happy reading!