Last week I shared with you 8 steps to get into reading. Now, let’s talk about making time to read despite our busy lives.
Let’s face it: this life is busy! Whether you are a stay-at-home parent, an entrepreneur, part-time or full-time employee, life is just busy. That being said, we need to be intentional and make time for anything that is important to us. Unfortunately, we often consider reading just as a hobby and something we should incorporate in our lives when time permits. And because time rarely permits, we tend to push reading to the bottom of our to-do-list.
However, there are many ways to make time to read despite our busy lives and here are 6 of them:
- Make the most of your commute
If you don’t have to drive to work, start and end your day with a book or a newspaper. Whether you spend 30 minutes or an hour on the train or the bus, make it productive. Try not to spend all your commute time on your phone. If you drive to work, listening to an audio book could be a great option.
- Incorporate reading with other activities
This is more realistic with audio books. For example, you can be listening to a book while exercising, cooking, shopping, doing laundry, etc. If you sit in the laundry room as you wait for your load to be cleaned, take a book with you.
- Organize or join a Book Club
When you organize or join a book club, you are usually reading the same book (s) as others in the club; you are also probably setting some time (daily, weekly…) to discuss what you’ve read. The accountability towards others in the club usually serves as a motivation to get you through the book (s). Nobody wants to be that person who has no clue of what’s going on when members of the club meet to discuss.
- Stop wasting time on unproductive activities
There are many of them, but social media tends to be the number 1 these days. Unless you extensively need to use social media for work purposes, try to limit the time you spend on the platforms (i.e., Facebook, Instagram, Twitter…). This will give you more time for reading.
- Don’t leave your house without something to read
Make the most out of any downtime you may have. As you wait at the doctor’s office or are getting your hair done, use that time to read.
- Include reading in your bedtime routine
I really believe there is nothing more relaxing than reading before calling it a night. Reading before bed can help you sleep too. As you include reading in your bedtime routine, it will start signaling to your body that it is time to wind down and go to sleep. We’ve all zoned out in front of a screen a few times and woke up exhausted; falling asleep while reading will do the opposite. Don’t let your phone be the last thing you look at before bed. Not only do you waste time you could have used reading a book, but it is not good for you. According to a study published in the journal PLOS ONE, all the screen time before bed is likely taking a toll on our sleep.
I hope these tips were helpful. What other ways to make time can you think of?
Until next time,
Huguette