Are you looking for ways you can read more books this year? Did you set reading more books as part of your New Year resolution but for some reason you can’t keep up? If you want to read more books it just takes commitment and dedication. Here are some tips that will help you read more books and reach your targets.
Always have a book with you
Always have a book on you because there’s always an opportunity to read. There are always moments when you can sneak in an opportunity to read e.g. When you’re waiting in line for coffee, on your lunch break, before a meeting, on your commute to and from work. These are some of the ways you can read more books. You can have a physical book with you, an audiobook, or even a kindle. There’s literally no excuse to always have a book on you.
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Schedule your reading time
This may sound intimidating but if you want to read more books you should try scheduling your reading time. You can’t read when you’re in the mood because the mood might come once a month for ten minutes. If you’re looking for ways you can read more books try scheduling your reading time and you will notice a massive improvement. You can choose to read for half an hour every day after work or school. This will help in building your reading habit and can even inspire you to read more than 30 minutes a day. c
Reading Challenge
Join a reading challenge to stay motivated. A reading challenge will help you track your reading. You can join sites like Goodreads that allow you to create your reading goals and track them. Goodreads has an annual reading challenge that reminds you of when you’re falling behind. It’s very inspiring and satisfactory to set goals and meet them. This will encourage you to read more books. You can join reading challenges in your local area as well or blogger challenges. This will increase the number of books you read.
Try Audiobooks
If you find it difficult to read physical books or E-books you can try audiobooks. Audible has multiple audiobook options. All you have to do is try out several readers before finally settling on a reader for your audiobook. The best thing about audiobooks is you can listen to them while driving walking to work, doing dishes, and even working out. This is one of the ways you can read more books.
E-Books
While paperbacks are amazing, the smell of a new or old book is unbeatable, sometimes you have to do with an E-book. If you travel a lot or you have a long commute you can always have an E-book on your phone or tablet. This way you can read anywhere at any time of day because you have your books with you.
Don’t force it
If you read books I am sure you’ve ever wondered halfway through a book ehy you’re reading it. You don’t have to finish a book that you do not enjoy, the same way you don’t have to finish a movie when you find it boring halfway through. Just put the book down and start another one. You don’t have to beat yourself up for not finishing a book. If you don’t find it interesting just put it back in the bookshelf.
Read what you love & enjoy
Only read books that you enjoy reading. Once you start reading books that you love you’ll find it harder to stop reading. This automatically makes you read more. If you love romance books read more of those and watch your reading habits improve. Your reading habits should reflect what you’re generally interested in. If you’re looking for parenting advice or relationship advice grab a book that can help you in these areas. Read what you love and enjoy.
Read before sleeping
Make a plan to read before bed. This is so much more relaxing than checking your insta and work emails. You get quality sleep if you’re off the screen for at least 30 minutes to an hour before bed. Reading to kids before bed works for kids so why not for adults. Grab a book and lull yourself to bed. This way you read more books and you develop a great reading habit.
Plan your next book
Always have your next book in mind to save on time. We can spend hours deciding which book to read next, having your next book in mind eliminates this stage. Because being stuck in an indecisive state might even discourage you to pick up another book. The decision fatigue may discourage you from reading more books. You can have a list of all the books you want to read in a year and choose from that list.
Read a variety of books
While this may not work for everyone, it can be effective. There are some days where you’re more exhausted than the others and you just want to read something light. You can switch things up by reading a less intensive book. This also reduces reading fatigue as it allows you to read several books at once and can keep things interesting. For example, you can read a romance novel, a relationship advice book and a motivational book. This way you don’t get reading fatigue, it also helps keep things interesting
Reduce screen time
The average person spends 4 hours a day looking at their phone. You can reduce screen time and indulge in reading as a hobby. Instead of scrolling on social media for hours you can grab a book for 2-3 hours a day. You can schedule your social media time and your reading time. This way you can build a reading habit that’s much more beneficial than social media.
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Buy cheap
Look for places where you can get books at a bargain. You can buy used books or shop online to get cheap books. If you’re on a budget you might not want to vidit the bookstore as you might leave with several books. You can start buying online so you can create a library of your own.
Reading nook
Invest in a comfortable reading space. You can get a comfortable chair or blanket in a room with minimal to no distractions. You can also decide to whoop up some throw pillows in a corner and make it work. The more comfortable it is, the more you get motivated to read.
Reading goals
Create reading goals that work for you. You don’t have to join a 100 books a year challenge if you are just starting out. Oftentimes after purchasing a new book, the thought of even attempting to finish a multi-chapter novel can be intimidating. But remember, reading is not a race. You can finish a story as fast or as slow as you wish. To maintain your preferred pace, in addition to keeping yourself accountable, create personal goals. This could look like 20 pages a day, two chapters a week, or finishing the book by the end of the month. Whatever works for your schedule is attainable.
Try a different genre
Try a new genre and it might just surprise you. It’s totally okay if you can’t get through the year’s trendiest memoir or if you’re finding that classic novels never seem to catch your attention. There are a variety of fiction and non-fiction genres (adventure, thrillers, biographies, short stories, graphic novels) for you to try out in order to discover what truly keeps your attention.
Surprise yourself and venture off your beaten path towards books you wouldn’t normally read. Try a sci-fi novel or a Western epic for a change, or pick up a non-fiction book or a memoir about an unfamiliar personality.
Poetry
Choose to take breaks from novels and books by reading poetry and short stories. This can also help prevent reading fatigue. It can be a nice break. You can still enjoy reading without making a long term commitment. They’re also great if you wan some time off.
Take notes
Have a dedicated notebook for taking notes of the books you’re reading. Mostly this is done when it comes to motivational and inspirational books. You can write down some of your favorite quotes.You can also choose to take notes of new words that you leran about. In some instances some sentence constructs might be more appealing and you want to jot that down. This helps increase retention.
Sprints
On some days your attention is better than others. On days where you have a great attention span you can choose to read for more time than usual. Some days my attention span is less than others. During these days, you’re motiviated to read more than usual, it’s however important to take breaks you can take snack breaks of 10 to 20 minutes. This will help to prevent burnout.
Adopt a reading culture
Create a reading culture in your home. You can make recommendations for each other, have reading challenges with each other. Make reading a culture in your home. This will create encouragement and motivation.
Know the benefits of reading
As you embark on a reading journey, it’s always important to know the benefits of reading. Reading strengthens and broadens your perspective, it increases your imagination and helps you sleep better. In some instances reading helps fight depression and increases focus.