5 Ways to Read More Books
I read a lot of books, yet I'm 4 books behind on my reading goal. I'm not too worried about it though because my reading schedule is a roller coaster - I read a lot of books in a short amount of time then go on a long hiatus. When I say many books in a short amount of time, I'm talking about 4-6 books a month. That may not be a lot for some, but for a lot of people I know even a book a month is ambitious. So here are some tips on how to read more books:
1. Read during your commute
I've heard a lot of people say they just don't have time to read. One point in the day that's often overlooked is the commute to work. My commute is 90 minutes (one way) on a good day. That's a minimum of 180 minutes of reading time a day. I don't usually read for the entire commute and there are some days when I just listen to music, but it's basically built in "me time" during the day. No matter how long or short your commute is, use the time to read a book! I know people with 20 minute commutes and they still carry a book with them so they can chip away it.
2. Audiobooks
What if you commute via car and not public transportation? This is where audiobooks come in. You can download audiobooks from apps like Audible or from the library. Play them in the car or even while doing mundane tasks (like washing dishes) and you'd be surprised by how many you get through. Narrators make or break the audiobook experience, so be sure to read reviews before downloading one. I mainly only listen to non-fiction audiobooks because I find them easier to digest that way, but experiment with different genres to see what works for you.
3. Read shorter books
This one seems like a no-brainer. If you want to read more books then just read shorter books. I used to think that the longer the book the more impressive it looked that I read it, but that's bullshit. There are plenty of short books that are great. Another pro to short books: because you get through them faster you feel better about yourself and are motivated to pick up another book!
4. Skim
5. Put the bad ones down
I wish I learned this advice early on. STOP READING BOOKS YOU DON'T ENJOY. You may feel obligated to finish every single book you pick up, but if it's one that you dread reading then just put it down. You're only conditioning yourself to not enjoy reading by continuing to read things you don't like.
I hope you found these 5 reading tips helpful. Let me know what tips you have for reading more books!
1. Read during your commute
I've heard a lot of people say they just don't have time to read. One point in the day that's often overlooked is the commute to work. My commute is 90 minutes (one way) on a good day. That's a minimum of 180 minutes of reading time a day. I don't usually read for the entire commute and there are some days when I just listen to music, but it's basically built in "me time" during the day. No matter how long or short your commute is, use the time to read a book! I know people with 20 minute commutes and they still carry a book with them so they can chip away it.
2. Audiobooks
What if you commute via car and not public transportation? This is where audiobooks come in. You can download audiobooks from apps like Audible or from the library. Play them in the car or even while doing mundane tasks (like washing dishes) and you'd be surprised by how many you get through. Narrators make or break the audiobook experience, so be sure to read reviews before downloading one. I mainly only listen to non-fiction audiobooks because I find them easier to digest that way, but experiment with different genres to see what works for you.
3. Read shorter books
This one seems like a no-brainer. If you want to read more books then just read shorter books. I used to think that the longer the book the more impressive it looked that I read it, but that's bullshit. There are plenty of short books that are great. Another pro to short books: because you get through them faster you feel better about yourself and are motivated to pick up another book!
4. Skim
Reading every single word in a book is overrated. Google "how to speed read" and almost every web page mentions skimming. The idea is to read chunks of text as one instead of reading word by word. You're not missing anything life changing as long as you understand the gist of an entire chunk of text. I usually only read every single word of books I'm completely enthralled with, like Harry Potter.
5. Put the bad ones down
I wish I learned this advice early on. STOP READING BOOKS YOU DON'T ENJOY. You may feel obligated to finish every single book you pick up, but if it's one that you dread reading then just put it down. You're only conditioning yourself to not enjoy reading by continuing to read things you don't like.
I hope you found these 5 reading tips helpful. Let me know what tips you have for reading more books!
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