Ringing in the new year of 2020 I found my self setting some new years resolutions. One of my first goals was to read 15 books this year. Maybe to you that sounds like a ton of reading. Or maybe you are one of the lucky ones that gets to read all the time and you have already surpassed me when we still have half a year to go. But for me it’s 2 more than I read last year, and sounds like a reasonable, quantifiable goal. To achieve this goal I made a few small tweaks to my day and now I know that not only will I hit that goal, but I can tally up a few more if I so choose. All of these tweaks can help you get more reading done, even if you’re busy.
Try paper vs e-reader, what is more convenient for you?
As much of a paper lover as I am and I have shelves of physical books; most I have read, I have found I will accomplish more reading if I have an E-book. I own a Kindle and I downloaded their app on my phone for when I don’t have it on me and they are linked so it always picks up right where I left off. It’s convenient and it lets me download a new book without leaving my house.
Say goodbye to easy access social media apps from your home screen
Yep I said it, I went there. You would be shocked if you could see the number of hours TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and all those other social apps suck out of your day! Now, I’m not saying uninstall them all, because I know I love a mindless scroll sometimes. But here me out, I put all of my social media apps on my phone in a folder and then put my Kindle app where my most used social app was. My habit of clicking that spot on my phone was already there but at least now, clicking that new icon would take me to something more productive and meaningful to me. This screenshot of my homescreen shows exactly what it looks like.
Read while watching mindless TV
Even though this has worked for me, this tip might not be for everyone. I know my sister has mentioned she can’t do this. But if we are just watching something that doesn’t take any brain cells to follow along then I will likely open up my app and start reading. I do not however, do this during new episodes of Grey’s Anatomy or The Bold Type or any other favorite show for that matter because I want to pay attention to that instead.
Read for 5 minutes before bed
Slow progress is still progress, try to sneak in 5 minutes of quality “you” time and use your reading to wind down for bed. On the other hand, if you have already been doing all of the other tips then tacking on 5 more minutes will only help you get a little more time in. Who knows this might even help you switch your mind set. Instead of ruminating about how the day went or how you didn’t get everything you needed done, you could turn it all off and fall in to a story.
Audible books count too!
When all else fails, chose an audio book. This has been me in the past for sure, being a student working multiple jobs, sometimes there is literally no more time left in the day for reading. When it comes down to it and you have to chose between getting a pitiful 4 hours of sleep or reading; choose sleep because then it’s your health we’re talking about. But, I bet you drive in a car or ride a bus, or could play an audio book while doing chores or getting ready in the morning. Sometimes an audio book is just a nice option on top of other reading.
Track your progress on Goodreads
If you are the type of person who likes to track your progress then this is the tip for you. On Goodreads you make a free account and can log every single book you have ever read and update your reading progress while you read. In the specifics you have to option to enter the dates you were reading past books, add reviews, read notes about the book. You can also tag books you want to read in the future so you can easily refer back to them and find them again. There is an annual reading challenge to join and you can set it to any number you would like and literally see your progress.
As I am writing this it is June 2020 and I am just about to finish my 12th book of 2020. I know first hand that these tips work. I’m almost at the total amount of books read for all of 2019 and we have 6 more months. If you’re looking to read more, hopefully something here helps you out, I would love to know in the comments if you’re going to be trying any of these out and if they worked for you!
