How to Read More Books
Sometimes I think to myself, is there any way I could be reading more? I mean, yes, I would like to meet my goodreads goal for the year and one day, maybe, possibly, somehow make it through my physical TBR (to-be-read), but also there are just so many wonderful stories and actual works of art out there that I feel like I'm absolutely missing out on.
In 2020, I read a total of 57 books and in 2021, I read a whopping 102! Now you might be reading this, thinking "57 is more than I could even dream of reading in a year" or maybe even "pfft, 102 is child's play". That's absolutely fine. This post is definitely NOT be guaranteeing you that you can read x number of books each year. I mean books are all different. Some are short, some are long; some are difficult, thought-provoking classics, some are fun kid's stories.
No, this post is simply about helping you to read more. If that means reading 3 books a year instead of 1, it means we've accomplished something, am I right?
I'll try and keep things short and snappy when I can, but if you have any questions, or any tips yourself, please do post them in the comments!
Tip 1: What Are You Reading?
Are you reading books you enjoy?
Are you?
Are you really?
Or are you reading books that you think you should be reading? Because news flash - you should only be reading the books that you enjoy and make you want to read them!
Don't get me wrong, I read non-fiction now and then, when the book is about something I am interested in or when I have to, but if I forced myself to read nothing but non-fiction, I can guarantee I wouldn't read more than 3 books a year. The same goes with sci-fi; I just couldn't do it!
Of course, this might be different for you - you might adore non-fiction about a certain topic, or sci-fi, or you might exclusively read children's fiction or Young Adult... and you should go for it!
Read whatever makes you happy, whatever makes you want to jump into that book forever, or to recommend that book to everyone you know. Read the books that make you want to do nothing but read all day and never leave the house! (Although you should probably get some social interaction at some point just for your overall mental wellbeing).
But the thing is, you won't read (you won't want to read) if you don't pick genres that you enjoy. And besides, what is the point in reading something you hate?
It would be like trying to force yourself to watch Star Wars when you hate sci-fi and fantasy and stuff based in space (does that kind of sum up Star Wars?). It would be like forcing yourself to watch Encanto if you hate singing and cartoons and musicals and Disney. It would be like making yourself watch Pride and Prejudice when you hate romance, period romance, Jane Austen and classics. It just doesn't make any sense!
Tip 2: Put Down That Phone!
It would be very easy for you to sit there, scrolling through TikTok or Facebook or Instagram or YouTube or whatever, complaining that you don't have enough time in your day to read. I'm not shaming here (guilty of it myself) but scrolling through your phone for hours on end and claiming you "don't have time" to do something (when in actual fact you are simply addicted to your phone) is on you. Nobody can help you fix that other than yourself.
Decreasing my social media time has made such a huge impact on my life, not just with reading, but in all aspects. I get my work done so much faster, now that I don't stop every five minutes to pick up my phone and scroll mindlessly through one of the many distracting apps on there. I feel so much more productive when I spend less time on my phone! But also, I read so much more! That's not to say I don't go on social media at all; I absolutely do. It just doesn't rule my life anymore.
One thing that I started doing was, instead of picking up my phone first thing in the morning, I pick up my kindle. I know it sounds ridiculous, but spending the first twenty minutes of my morning reading, instead of scrolling, makes a huge difference to my day. And, okay so you can't read a book in twenty minutes, but the time adds up - twenty minutes first thing in the morning, thirty minutes at lunch time, forty minutes before going to bed - that's all time I would have spent just sitting there on my phone!
Tip 3: Make The Time!
My third and final tip for today, is to give yourself time to read. It's self care, it really is.
In the same way you might try to make time to have a long bath, or watch the new episode of a show you like on Netflix, or go for a walk, you can make time to read.
Personally, I make sure I have at least twenty minutes to read at the end of the day, before I go to bed. I usually have a little more time than that, but I make sure that's available.
If you make the time to read but you don't have time to that day, that's fine! But if you have that time available, chances are you will use it more often than not!
Another way I also made the most of my time was through audiobooks. When I'm driving, I tend to have an audiobook playing. It's a lot of time, especially when (like me) you're travelling to and from work and uni! My commute to work is half an hour each way and the same with uni. 5 days a week, that's a full 5 hours! You can easily listen to 1 audiobook every two weeks at a rate like that!
I did want to finish off this post with a quick reminder that reading is not a competition. You don't have to read a certain amount of books, or more than somebody else. You should be reading for your own pleasure :)