How Reading Made My Week Better: Tips to Read More Books
When I surveyed women for my Fringe Hours research, reading was the number one activity women enjoyed doing in their free time.
It certainly is one of my favorite pastimes and has been my whole life.
Yet, I am oftentimes guilty of letting it fall to the wayside when I am busy. Up until two weeks ago, I had only read six books this year. This is an all-time low for me.
But then, the tides changed. I become consumed with one book, and then another and then another. Within a week, I finished three books.
(In case you are curious, I read The Nightingale
Doing all this reading made my week. I was happier, more present (despite being lost in books for hours) and satisfied. This translated to a positive ripple effect on my family.
I have made a commitment to myself to be more diligent about my reading. This past weekend I read Circling the Sun
Friends, can I just encourage you that, if reading is something you love, make time for it. Here are five practices I did to read three books in a week:
- I read on my Kindle app: Two of the three books I read with my Kindle app on my iPad mini. I find that reading on my mini iPad, which is much more portable, allows me to read more. For instance, while I am nursing, it is easier to have the iPad beside me to read then holding a book, which Ezra tries to grab. Or, when I am waiting for a meeting to begin, having the iPad sitting on the table doesn’t draw a lot of attention.
- I was ruthless with times of waiting: If I was waiting — on anything — I was reading. On average we wait 45-60 minutes a day. To maximize times of waiting, you have to be prepared. It’s not any good if you find yourself waiting and you don’t have your book or kindle enabled device with you.
- I read when my children were awake and around: Some women believe that they shouldn’t do things that they enjoy if their children are around. I think this is silly! It is important for me to model to my children a life that includes making time for my passions, like reading. For instance, I read in the evening, when they would be playing. I was in the same room, but doing my own thing.
- I avoided social media: Social media can be a BIG time suck. By limiting my time checking in on social media, it gave me more time to read. (Check out the app Moment to track how much time you spend on your phone in a day.)
- I read while blow drying my hair: This is a bit of a silly example, but having my iPad on the counter while I blow dried my hair each day gave me roughly 70 minutes during the week to read.
For more ideas, read Money Saving Mom’s 7 Ways to Find More Time to Read. Crystal reads more than 100 books a year and is definitely an inspiration in how she uses her time and practices self-care. I also love this Fast Company article, How Busy People Find Time to Read.
Share your tips for reading in the comments.
Great tips! I used to pride myself on how much I could read each year but since the baby I have hardly read anything. It’s true that when I am waiting or have a few minutes, I tend to check in on social media instead of catching up on a book yet somehow it never leaves me feeling as refreshed as getting lost in a good story does.
Truth. And I’m not even on facebook!
“Social media can be a BIG time suck. By limiting my time checking in on social media, it gave me more time to read.”
I watch shows on my ipad when I am blow drying my hair or doing make-up!! Will read instead!
Great ideas to read more books. I just got a Kindle myself and that has improved my ability to get books read too.
Love this! I love to read too and I also read while I am blow drying my hair or while I am waiting in school parking lots for my kids to get out of their after school activities. Thanks for the book recommendations!