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After I posted my Books Read in 2018 blog, I got a lot of questions about finding time to read. How can I read more? How do you have time to read? Etc.
Reading, for me, has always been a way to expand my imagination, expand my mind, learn to be empathetic and understanding, and ways to better my life. It’s been an essential habit in developing me into the person I want to be. However, when adult life hits you, reading can kind of slip away from you. You’ve got things to do, and you’re tired. I get it.
As I track my reading history, I notice the ebbs and flows in the amount of content I’m reading. Last year, I read far more than I did in 2017. And I’ve noticed a few huge reasons as to why. Today we’re going to chat about how you can read more books in 2019, if that’s one of your goals.
Reduce the friction that keeps you from reading.
The first thing you need to do if you want to read more books is remove the friction that actually keeps you from reading.
The biggest point of friction I have is probably a familiar one; sometimes I’d rather just scroll through my phone mindlessly. It takes less brain power to do this, but it doesn’t really make me happy. It actually doesn’t usually make me feel any kind of way. To counteract this, when I’d rather be reading, I just chuck my phone in my purse or in another room. Out of sight, out of mind usually works for me. I also keep a book in my bathroom, near my bath tub. And I pick it up a lot more often than you’d think.
Maybe you don’t actually want to go to the library or are rubbish at returning books on time. There are apps, like Libby, that allow you to rent ebooks to your device from your local library. It even returns them for you when your time is up.
Keep a list of books you want to read.
The second tip I’ve got for you is to keep a list of books you want to read or use someone else’s. I have a running list of books to read…actually I have a few. I have a list in the notes section of my phone, my planner, 2 separate notebooks, scrap pieces of paper, my desk top. Whenever I get recommendations or I read a synopsis that sounds interesting or read a book rec, I jot it down on my list. That way I always have a list if I’m at a loss for something to read.
Or if you don’t want to keep a list or don’t know where to start, borrow someone else’s. Find a reading list from someone you admire and have similar tastes to.
I get a ton of fiction recommendations from people I follow on Youtube with similar reading preferences to me. So try going down the BookTube route if you’re struggling for fiction recs.
Doing these things removes the excuse of ‘not having anything to read’ out of the equation, because you always have a list to revert to.
Read what you want to read …
This might be the most important thing on this list: read the things you actually want to read, not just things you think will make you look cool. Reading self-improvement books is great, but if you aren’t struggling with productivity you don’t need to read The Productivity Project at that moment.
Read with intention. Choose books that are relevant to your situation or that will engage you. And this doesn’t always have to be non-fiction. I like to alternate between fiction and non-fiction, because I don’t really want to read 7 books on economics in a row. It get monotonous and boring. So I switch it up with fantasy and mystery.
Read what you feel up to reading.
… But don’t read just to look smarter.
Don’t feel like you need to always be reading a cult list of books that ‘smart people’ read. Last year, I read quite a few series that were not making any English teacher’s top 10 list. The Diviners was about a group of kids in the 1920s with magical abilities saving the world from bad guys, and 666 Park Avenue was of the smutty paranormal variety. But you know what? I enjoyed them both.
Don’t feel like you have to constantly be snuggling up with Jane Austen or John Steinbeck because you have a superiority complex where you need people to think you’re smart based on what you read.
Audio books count.
And on the topic of superiority complexes surrounding books, I’m here to tell you audio books DO count. I mean, it’s not exactly the same thing as sitting down with a paperback, but you’re absorbing the content either way. And that’s good enough for me.
There are some reads, like The Poet X or Shakespeare, that I do want to read in print because the format of the prose or spelling is important. But I usually have an audio book going at the same time. I like to listen to audio books with Audible when I’m in the car, cleaning the house, or putting my makeup on in the AM.
I hope you found these tips helpful so that you can read more books in 2019. How do you like to read: physical books, audio books, or ebooks? Let me know in the comments! I’m a paperback gal–dog-eared annotated pages and all. (:
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