Most people agree that reading is very beneficial and lament the fact that they don’t have time to read more. Here are five simple tips to help you fit more reading into your busy schedule.
Keep a book with you.
Keeping a book with you gives you a productive way to fill in those little 10- to 20-minute pockets of time where you are waiting on someone or something. Not every book is good to read in short bursts, so choose something that works well with the time spans to which you plan to commit.
Stop reading something if you don’t like it.
Just because you started a book doesn’t mean you have to finish it–no matter how many awards it has won. I started reading The Sound and the Fury and kept pressing on because I felt that I should enjoy it. Finally, I gave myself permission to give up and just admit that I didn’t like the book and went on to read something that I enjoyed more.
While there is value in stretching yourself by reading things that are different than what you normally would read, there is little value in simply reading things that you dislike. Life is too short and there are too many good books for that.
(By the way, have any of you actually enjoyed reading The Sound and the Fury?)
Clip articles and take them with you.
Most people have stack of magazines they want to read, but haven’t gotten around to reading. Tear out the pages or clip the articles that look interesting and take them with you in your purse, computer bag, or pocket. Simply having something to read when you are waiting in line or early for an appointment can help you cover a great deal more material in a year.
Turn your phone into an ebook reader.
Most phones can be turned into ebook readers when the user downloads a certain application. The Kindle software is available for some phones. There is also Mobipocket and Kobo. Many times classic books are free on these platforms, and they can be an easy way to read on the go. You can always find your place and read the physical book when you have a few hours free at home and don’t want to deal with the smaller screen size.
Set aside time to read.
If you really want to increase the amount you read, set aside some time each day to do reading. Even a 30-minute window dedicated to reading will let you cover some significant ground in a year. The idea is to establish a permanent daily habit–not to do a reading sprint and try to cram in as much as you can in a day or two.
Not reading exactly, but I listen to books on CD during my commute. It may not be for everyone, but I can catch up on a lot of “reading” this way.
That is great. I use to do the same thing when I had a long commute. I now subscribe to a service that produces audio CDs with summaries of business books. This helps me cover a lot of ideas where I probably wouldn’t have time to read every book individually.
What service creates audio CD summaries of books? That’s a cool idea!
There are several companies that do it. Do a search for audio business book summaries. (I’m using Audio-Tech.)
This is actually something Ive been struggling with lately. I think the biggest one is actually finding the time to read. With so much going on in our lives it is that much more important to prioritize activities that are truly important to us. On the flip side that also means saying no to things that are not important so as to free up time for this. Only 24 hrs in a day and so forth. Thank you for the reminder. I think Ill go read that book Ive been putting off.(BTW Wealth of nations by adam smith)
Good point. It is easy to get very busy with stuff that really doesn’t matter, but consumes large amounts of time.
I’ve been listening audio books for a few years but reading is much more beneficial for me. Especially if I read for comprehension instead of for pleasure. Like many, many other people, the time to read books is hard to find. So, now read at least one magazine and newspaper article everyday. Thanks for the tips!
Good article. This is a good way to get a lot more reading in if you don’t have the time. I especially likes the idea of using my phone as an e-book reader!
I love audiobooks and books on CD. But, my newest fascination is http://readitlaterlist.com/ Great site and even better iPhone app! I tried Instapaper and it’s iPhone app – they were good, but not as good as ReadItLater.
Hi Mark,
I really love this article. I love the over all point but I love how you distinguished that not all books are in the moment reads. And you even made the point that some books we have to give ourselves permission not to finish it if we don’t like it.
I’m reading a book right now “What To Say When You Talk To Your Self” by Shad Helmstetter and I loving it. I think it is a great Idea to carry books around with you because you never know when you will be sitting idol throughout the day and reading is, in my book always a great thing to do in these idol times.
Thanks for sharing!!
I think a great idea that has worked for a great number of people is to set a 30 day trial of reading for 30 minutes of 1 hour per day. Whichever works for you and you feel that you can handle. After a month, the habit is installed and you have no obligation to continue after that but you will probably want to. It’s an amazing habit to take on.
I liked “The Sound and the Fury,” but it took me a couple of times to finally get through it. I agree with you that you should stop reading if you don’t like what you are reading, but don’t mistake dislike for something that challenges you.
It isn’t an issue of it being “too hard”. I read a lot of stuff that is much more difficult. I didn’t particularly like the story and I didn’t care for the style. It was interesting to see a book written from the perspective of someone who was mentally retarded, but not exactly the type of thing I enjoy reading.