How to Find Time to Read
Few things can transport you to a new place like reading a really good book. In fact, reading has been scientifically shown to reduce stress by 68%, to improve memory and concentration and to reduce the likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s and dementia. Plus, there is nothing like the feeling of superiority that comes when you show up to book club actually having read the book.
And yet, many of us are more voracious book purchasers than readers. Especially if your days are frequently punctuated by kid pick-ups and drop-offs, meetings and check-ins, errands, texts from friends, activities, etc. It can be hard to know when exactly you’re supposed to tackle that book stack. If you wait till bedtime, chances are the book by the nightstand doesn’t stand a chance. Consider some of the strategies below to help you make more room for reading.
Advertise yourself as a reader. Claim the identity and then make it a self-fulfilling prophecy. The more you and others think of you as a reader, the more likely you are to make the kinds of decisions a reader would. This does not (and really should not) look like haughty condescension towards anyone who has not read the latest Malcolm Gladwell book. It’s more about what you ask people (what’re you reading these days) or what you follow on social media (bookstagram is an amazing place) or what you give as gifts (a hand-picked book can be an incredibly meaningful gesture!). You’ll grow into the label each time you choose to pick up a book.
Make it easy. Having book strewn around not only can create that breezy “lived-in” look, but means that any time the spirit moves you, there is a book within reach. Consider where moments of opportunity may be hiding (any place you find yourself checking email with no particular intention of responding, for example). Some particularly helpful places to keep a book:
In your car. Whether waiting your turn for an oil change or killing 45 minutes during your kids’ activities, a book on hand turns dead time into storytime.
At your desk. When I need a break, it’s tempting to reload the New York Times or the Atlantic or some other trusted source for the day’s disasters. But on the days I set my pomodoro timer and read a few pages of a book, I return to my work far more refreshed and less apocalyptic. It could be a non-fiction leadership book that makes you feel like it’s work adjacent or an Ursula Le Guin short story that transports you far far away from that disastrous zoom call.
In the kitchen or dining table. Maybe your life is more organized than mine, but it’s not unusual for me to have made a healthy, fresh, family-sustaining meal, only to have everyone inform me that they will be having cereal that night. Cracking open a book while you eat your delicious food, solo, can be a surprisingly pleasant way to spend dinnertime.
On your coffee table. By the time I make it to my bed, I’m way too tired to pick up a book. When I plop down on the couch, seeing the book just may nudge me to pick it up instead of the remote.
Stop making it so hard. There are so many archaic rules about reading that I encourage you to break. These include
“Only one book at a time.” I fully subscribe to mood-reading. It’s not unusual for me or most of the readers I know to have at least 2-3 books going at once. If it works for you, great.
“I must finish the book if I start it.” Give it a chance, but if the only thing getting in between you and the book you are dying to crack open is a book you cannot get through…let it rest. Maybe it will call to you at another time and be the book you need then.
“Audiobooks is not really reading.” Psssh. I admit, I was a late-arrival to audiobooks, but have learned to let go of my purist ways. I may not embrace all genres audibly, but have learned that perhaps the only way I can get through a pseudo-self-helpy-leadership-book is listening to it in my car and on my walks…at 1.5x speed.
“I need the perfect reading corner.” - Look. Nothing sounds more lovely than a cozy chair, a great cup of coffee, a fireplace, gentle rain and a good book. But waiting for that combination of things plus the time to actually read when you find that space is like waiting for the next season of Ted Lasso. It’ll be amazing when it comes, but you have to commit to something in the meantime.
Find what works for you and discard what doesn’t. There are no awards for being the world’s best reader after second grade. But that doesn’t mean you can’t benefit from a sticker chart.
Count your steps. We got my son a kid’s Fitbit for his 8th birthday and watching him run laps around our 100 square foot living room to get to his step count is equal parts amusing and sad. But it is true – what is measured gets managed. Find a way to define what metric matters to you as a reader. Is it the number of minutes you read? The number of pages? Of books? Perhaps it’s the number of different types of books or the diversity of authors. Whatever it is, consider the strategies you use in other spheres of your life and apply them. I use Bookly to track my time, pages read and book goals and a google form online to evaluate the author diversity I care about. This may be a weak attempt at gamification, but I have to admit that seeing that timer at 7 minutes when I feel like I’ve been reading for so long stops me from picking up my phone mid-sentence and it’s helpful to see that what perspectives I’m missing in the stories I consume.
At the end of the day, find what works for you. Reading in bits and snatches may be unsatisfying but if you’re always waiting for four hours where you can curl up on the couch uninterrupted, those books may pile up for quite a while. A few pages here or a few minutes there will keep the book on your mind, give you chances to talk about it in between and can add up to far more full books and new knowledge journeys than you think.
Oh and…put your phone in another room. That’s the real answer.