Many readers are constantly looking for the magic formula that will allow them to find the time to read more books.
Unfortunately, when you see people reading more than 100 books a year, it is not because they keep a magician of average stature locked in the basement.
Nor have they sold their souls to some mystical being.
The secret you so much seek is locked up in these little tips I am going to tell you today.
If you follow even two of them, your Tbr will be grateful.
But before I start explaining to you the methods for finding time to read, I want you to get your motivation straight.
You must understand why you read and what it is that drives you to do so.
To help you in this self-discovery, I have put together a short list (because the benefits are endless) that shows you what you gain from reading.
Why you should read more books
The side effects of reading are many and important, here I will give you a list of the main ones.
- You will think and speak better
Not only does the way you speak change through reading but also, and more importantly, the way you think.
You will be able to articulate each thought better because you will have the means, the right words, to do so. And this ability will accompany you throughout your life.
- You will never be bored
Readers develop a superhuman ability; they can look at a blank wall for an hour and enjoy themselves in the process.
Where normal people see boredom, a reader sees time to give vent to his imagination.
The more you read the more your head will be full of thoughts, your imagination will take you to worlds that would otherwise be lost.
- You will be a good writer
All writers are readers but not all readers are writers. And rightly so.
But one of the benefits of reading a lot is that you will be a flood of words – your body will contain more words than water.
So if you are a writer or aspiring writer, well, reading will be the most productive thing you can do for your literary career.
If, on the other hand, you are just a reader, do not underestimate this benefit; in life, writing is always needed.
It is present in almost every job and you need to know how to use it to communicate.
Just think of writing an email, a legal document or even just a message to a friend. Writing is always present and books will enable you to use it to your advantage.
But now let’s start with the real thing, here’s the best tips for cultivating your reading habit.
Related: Reading is so much better than television…here’s why
Ways to find time to read more books
Read before going to bed
The evening is the only time that many people let loose. When I found myself without having read a book for months, it was reading before bed that saved me.
The only time I did not torture myself by forcing myself to be productive.
The moment when everyone goes to bed and you are finally at peace and free to relax.
There is a reason why in many movies you see the usual book on the bedside table next to your bed, reading before bed will not only allow you to find time to read books but will promote a deep and restorative sleep.
It has only positive sides but I recommend that you choose light reading for the evening.
Remember that you will be tired and have the weight of the day on you, it is only right that you relax with a good book.
Go to the library, deadlines help
Some people hate having deadlines but often these are the same people who need them.
If they don’t feel like doing something and can put it off until later, they will often prefer to put the future us rather than the present us.
There is a super interesting study that explains in fact that we do not see the ‘we’ of the future as ourselves but instead our mind sees it as another person, who has nothing to do with us.
Deadlines help to avoid this whole mental process. If you have to return a book to the library at the end of the month, either read it now or never.
Trying it could save you from the illusion of reader’s block.
Put a time limit on social media
Sad but true, social media constantly robs us of the most important thing in our lives, time.
Even those who say they are only on Tiktok or Instagram two or three a day are wasting precious time they could be spending on themselves.
Three hours a day is 21 hours a week, 84 hours a month that will never come back.
Social media is attractive, I know that, and I’m not asking you to throw your phone out the window.
But even if you decrease your time on social media by an hour or two, you will have gained more than 40 hours of reading time monthly.
Counting that the average reader, without distraction, reads 50 pages per hour, imagine how many interesting books you will be able to enjoy.
Put a limit on the maximum number of hours you can spend on social media and after that get rid of your phone. The more you do it, the easier it will become and you will be grateful that you valued your time.
Find out “How many books can a person read in a month“.
Wake up earlier
Now that we have realised that time is the most important thing in our lives, the one thing that can never go back, we have another difficult discussion ahead of us.
I love sleeping Okay, I love rolling in the blankets and enjoying my beloved dreams.
Unfortunately, however, the extra hours I dedicate to sleep are taken away from other things I love.
One should always sleep at least eight hours a night and I know that many readers are indeed sleep deprived. But here I turn to those who instead sleep and laze around too much.
Waking up early has countless benefits:
- You have time to have a lovely breakfast
- You have time to meditate
- You have time to exercise
- You have time
Taking a few hours off your sleep, waking up at 9am instead of noon, will improve your life in every way.
It will make you more awake (ironic) and positive. You will often find that it is much more natural to do the most difficult tasks in the morning.
Besides doing them better because you will be rested, you will have the whole day to devote to your hobbies (reading in this case).
If, on the other hand, you are among those who can only be productive in the afternoon/evening, you can devote the morning to a book that has been hiding in your Tbr for years.
Keep your motivation high
Before you can train the habit of reading, you must actually feel like reading.
You can do this in two ways:
- Watch videos of readers
I know I told you to decrease your time on social media but that doesn’t mean you can’t use it to your advantage.
Tiktok and YouTube are chock full of readers talking about their recent reading.
You can find conversations on any genre, historical books, novels, fantasy books, and the list goes on.
Seeing someone reading so many stories and getting hooked can rekindle in you the desire for a good book.
- Find plots that inspire you
The fleece of books is that they are many and varied, you can find a book about anything.
It is true that good writing is essential in writing a successful book, but it is the plot that ultimately wins readers over.
Whenever I read an exciting plot, I cannot think of anything else until I read the book. As it happened with ‘The Dictionary of Lost Words‘.
Find what inspires you and trust your instincts.
You have choices to make
There are only 24 hours in a day and unless you wait billions of years, this truth will not change. That is why every hour is precious and one must consciously decide what to dedicate it to.
Those who say they can’t find time to read are often because they work or have to take care of a family, so the time for hobbies decreases.
But even if you dedicate 8 hours a day to a job and 8 hours to sleep, you still have 8 hours of the day left to utilise.
And often those hours of relaxation are stolen by social media (and we have already discussed this), TV or even online shopping. There are a thousand activities we do without thinking and we don’t realise all the hours they take away from us.
If reading is your passion and makes you feel good, there is no reason why you should deny yourself this in favour of something that does not benefit you.
The time is there if you make the right choices.
Read everywhere
Every day we needlessly waste many hours waiting.
Take for example all the minutes lost at bus stops, or in the queue at the cash desk when you have 20 people in front of you. Or at the doctor’s.
All that time spent staring at the phone or at the wall can be spent reading instead.
Now I know that unfortunately we are much more used to seeing someone with a screen in their face than with a book in their hand.
So many people may give you puzzled looks.
If you don’t mind, perfect take the book you are reading everywhere and take advantage of these breaks.
If, on the other hand, you do not feel like carrying your book in your bag, there is an easy solution. Use digital books.
This way you will be staring at your phone like everyone else but instead of being on social media you will be reading your favourite book.
Just be careful not to get too sucked in or you will miss the bus!
Read the right things at the right time
I advised you to wake up earlier and read before going to sleep. Of course, two different types of books should be chosen for these situations.
In the morning (once the initial state of coma has passed), our brain is super awake and ready to put itself to the test.
At this time, it’s best to read heavy books that require a lot of mental effort.
In the evening, on the other hand, those same books will make you doze off after two seconds.
When it gets dark and you are tired, the best books to read are light and interesting ones.
I personally love reading fantasy books in the evening, they make me feel like I am in another world even before I fall asleep.
If you choose the right book at the right time, you will never find yourself bored or sleepy.
I am sure that by following these tips you will be able to read all the books in your library. In fact, you will have to prepare your wallet to buy more.
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