Six Ways to Squeeze More Reading Into Your Day

I read 200 books a year.  Now I admit, I am a stay-at-home mom/writer, but even when I worked full-time I read over 100 books a year.

So how do I do it, and how can you, too?  Here are some ways.

1.  Carry a book and find opportunities to read. 

On public transit.  In the can.  (Okay, this one is more my husband than me.)  At lunch.  Waiting for appointments: doctor, dentist, hair salon, etc.  At the airport.  During TV commercials.  While exercising. (I read while jogging on the spot--though if you get motion sick reading in a car, I don’t advise this one.) While your computer boots up.  While you’re waiting for the microwave or the coffee maker to finish.

2. Get an e-reader.  Or put the app on your iPod or smart phone. 

If you can check your email/Facebook standing in line at the movie theater/bus stop/grocery store, you can read a few pages of a novel, too.

3. Try audio books.

While driving or working out at the gym or doing dishes or anything that busies your hands but leaves most of your mind free.  (Hint: the library has a large selection.)

4. Avoid channel surfing.  

There are many well-written, excellent shows out there.  Keep the ones you love, but don't automatically turn on the TV.  Veg out with a book on the sofa instead.

5.   Set aside reading time as a reward for accomplishing unpleasant tasks. 

Tell yourself, “If I do the dishes/vacuum the living room/wash the floor I’ll let myself read for ten minutes.”
Or, if you're a procrastinator, "I'll let myself read one scene, and then I'll do the dishes."

6. Read something you enjoy.

I really cannot emphasize this one enough. Pick a fast read that hooks you from the first page. Save the meaty, heavy prize-winning books for longer stretches of time (or never if you’re reading them because you think you should rather than because you actually enjoy them). Read (gasp) two books at once and switch between them if you hit a slow spot in one. Give yourself permission to not finish a book that isn’t to your taste and pick up one you’re eager to read.

Happy reading!

P.S. I currently have three books on the go.  Main read: paperback of Shadowborn by Alison Sinclair.  Ebook read: Quarter Square by David Bridger.  Basement read (while computer boots up): Costume Not Included by Matthew Hughes.