We all know how important it is to read frequently, but unfortunately, life is busy. It’s hard to find time to read when you have so much other stuff going on and while most of us long to get stuck into a good book, we rarely make the time to do so.
If you love to read but struggle to find the time in your busy schedule, we’ve put together some tried and tested tips to help you squeeze in some reading time between work, errands and social life too.
But before we dive into these tips, take a look at our blog post on the Benefits of Reading. Learning just how good reading is for you is where the motivation to read more books will begin!
Now you’re motivated, grab a cup of tea, sit back and discover how to read more books…
Get started by setting yourself some reading targets to work towards. Having some reading targets such as reading a certain number of books by a certain time, can help you start to get into the routine of reading more. Just be careful that this doesn’t start to take the fun out of reading for you.
It can be tricky finding the time to just sit down and read a book when you still don’t really know what you enjoy reading. Take some time to do a little research and figure out what kind of genres appeal to you, then you can focus your book search on your favourite genre and find something that you can really dive into.
Like with so many things, getting into a routine of doing a little bit every day will promote consistency. Once you get into the habit of reading a little bit every day; at breakfast, before you go to bed or on your lunch break etc, those books will soon start piling up.
If you are used to reading the same genres, titles or authors on repeat and you find yourself getting into a bit of a rut, try mixing your choices up a little. Try a few new genres or authors, ones that you might never have chosen and who knows, you could find your new favourite.
One of the biggest obstacles to reading more is getting stuck on a book that you simply don’t enjoy. To overcome this bump in the literary road, don’t be afraid to just ditch the book and start a new one. If you aren’t enjoying it then you won’t be losing out on anything.
A simple but effective way of reading more is by always having access to a book. Keep your book with you at all times, either in your car or on your person. Then, anytime that you find yourself with a few spare minutes, you can whip out your book and move the story along a little.
Physical books aren’t always the easiest way to enjoy your favourite literature. If you are really strapped for time or don’t have the means to carry a book with you, you can listen to your favourite titles via your phone using audiobooks. This is a great way to utilise driving time to read more books.
Join a book club and read along with some friends. Not only will this help you choose a book, but it would give you another excuse to read. We all know how frustrating it can be when you're totally consumed by a great book that you're reading, but can’t talk about it to anyone, but a book club is a perfect opportunity to do just that.
We know this sounds counterintuitive, but try to leave yourself wanting more. There’s nothing better than having your book waiting for you after you left it right at the pinnacle moment! Leaving yourself on a cliffhanger will leave you yearning to pick that book up again.
Get bored easily and run out of interest in your books quickly? Then why not have several books on the go at once? As long as you can keep on top of them and they don’t start merging into one, having more than one book on the go is great for having something ready for wherever your mood takes you.
Make sure that you are taking breaks when you are reading, especially if you are picking the book up for long periods of time. Nothing can put you off a book like burnout. Give your eyes a rest and put your book down every so often.
It’s not always the reading itself that you might find hard. Often it's finding somewhere quiet, comfortable and without distractions that can be the challenge. Find a small space somewhere in your home away from any hustle and bustle and designate it as your reading corner.
Take a step back and evaluate what you do in your spare time that you wish you didn’t. All you need to do to read more books is quite simply replace those bad habits with reading. Whether these habits are spending too much time on your phone, games consoles or TV, try picking up a book instead and gradually the change will become easy.
If you are like us and don’t want to end up spending an arm and a leg for a brand-new book, fear not because there are plenty of other options available! You could look into second-hand books, these tend to be significantly cheaper than buying new or ask a friend for a book swap.
Maybe it’s a whole bunch of external factors that are stopping you from relaxing with a book. Decluttering to create a clean and tidy space can help you read more. And if it’s books that are causing all the clutter, why not jump on the WeBuyBooks app to sell your books and earn some cash while you declutter?
Whatever your reasons for wanting to read more, there will always be time, you just have to find it. We hope these quick tips and tricks can help you start ticking off your reading list. If you have any other tips that can help us read more books, let us know on our Facebook or Twitter.