We all have the same 24 hours in the day and yet no two readers are the same in what we read and how much time we spend reading. When I was writing my first TBR tales article about measuring the year in reading, I wondered how I was able to read almost 120 books. When and where do I read? I wasn’t always reading that many books a year. Starting the blog in 2019 was a huge factor in increasing my reading time. In this article, I share the tips and tricks that I have discovered in the last five years for reading more. Many of these have been helpful in the times when I have struggled with reading and I hope they offer some inspiration when you are feeling like you are in the dreaded reading slump. Let’s dive into how to read more.
Create Your go-to Reading Environment
During my university education, the library was the go-to place for studying. I would spend hours working on assignments and doing research there. There are certain environments and set ups I gravitate towards for reading. I love huddling in a cozy blanket. My book, blanket and appropriate amount of lighting is all I need to get comfortable with reading. Sometimes, I will put on relaxing lofi music in the background.
Having a spot in the house or certain things that your brain associates with reading is a great way to naturally fall into reading. What are your essentials for reading? Is there a space in your home where you love reading? It’s nice to have a spot that automatically makes us think of books.
Make Time to Read
My big chunks of time to read are after dinner on weekdays and most of the weekend. Every Sunday, I look at the coming week. This is where I identify other smaller pockets of time that I might get for reading. Maybe my coworker is off this week and I get an extra 4 hours to myself on the commute. Maybe I have a doctor’s appointment that will be an hour in the car and then maybe half an hour waiting. I will have one of my books handy in case I may be in the mood to read at those times. You can learn more about weekly planning in this article.
Audiobooks have drastically increased the time I spend reading. Over time, I have become comfortable with listening to them during household care tasks like doing laundry, shovelling the snow, and cleaning the kitchen. They are great opportunities to read if you are an audiobook reader. My book bestie, Ariel, pairs an audiobook with a craft.
Are there daily activities where you can incorporate reading or you already do? Discover what works for you if you haven’t already.
Work Towards a Bookish Goal
Working towards a goal, whether it is a small one like reading a book to discuss with a friend or a long-term one like reading a curated list to analyze the same theme in different books or reaching a certain number of books in the year, can give structure to the reading practice. It can give us purpose to return to reading because there is something after the last page.
On the blog, I have hosted over a 100 authors after reading their book. I am slowly working towards another 4 interviews. I collaborate with publishers for many of these interviews but I also love reaching out to authors directly
Goals involve planning and sometimes that can be fun in itself, whether you reach the goal or not.
I sometimes make a list of books I want to read in a month. Planning my monthly TBR is a fun activity as I get to look at upcoming releases I have access to, library holds that may be coming up, tours I am participating in and anything else that I want to pick up. I love it for the close look it offers at my TBR and why the books are on there. I don’t worry about sticking to it. Sometimes, it will happen naturally that not having to choose my next book will be the most exciting thing. Other times, the joy of making that list, browsing my books, is all I need.
Last year, I created a monthly TBR for almost the whole year. I would make the list and generally not even look at it again until the end of the month. It was a great tool to reflect what I thought I might read and what I actually ended up picking up. Have you heard of writing sprints? According to MasterClass, “A writing sprint is a nonstop writing session constrained to a limited amount of time—usually a time limit between five and sixty minutes.” We can also do these for reading. Ariel and I regularly do a reading hour where we share our progress on our current reads during an hour of reading. Sometimes when I need to focus, I will set a 30 min timer to do some distraction free reading. Usually that gets me reading more than just the 30 min but I can always switch books or do something else after.
Find the Right Books
The trick to finding the right books is to pay attention to my thoughts and emotions. If I am thinking about a particular topic, I can start and finish a book about it within a few days. Goals also help in returning to a book. Topics and stories I am excited by and want to learn about are exactly the ones I want to read.
Even if magically everything was available at my fingertips, I won’t be able to read it all. It is not always possible to start every book I hear about. I may be in the middle of another book. Or I may be working towards a specific reading goal. In that case, I create lists. I plan out themed months, setting aside time for the worlds I want to explore in the near future. I planned an Artificial Intelligence (AI) August last year with a list of 5 science fiction books with various takes onAI. I DNFed one book. Enjoyed discussing a second one with Ariel. Had to pause on the 3rd book as it needed more time than I could give then. That’s where I stopped. I hope to get back into this theme in the future. If I get to it, that is great. If I don’t, I will be reading something that is calling to me at that moment.
When a friend raves about a book and I want to experience the pleasure that their reading did, I read that book, like I did with This Time It’s Real that my friend Aysha raved about.
When I have a review copy of a book and see it pop up at least twice on my various social media feeds, I prioritize that book. It’s a combination of pursuing what I was interested in by monitoring if others seem interested in it too.
The key is to make returning to a book easy and that happens when I read what I am thinking about. Once I commit to a book, I’m going to read it until it is done or I can’t (read about the practice of Did Not Finish).
I encourage you to think about how you choose the books you read.
The Multiple Book On the Go Strategy
Personally, I love reading multiple books. Usually, I have 3-5 books that I am making progress on. I may actively be reading only 3 of them and the rest may be soon-to-become priorities.
Having multiple books helps me make some progress on many books and this feels good. It is particularly a great strategy for buddy reads and book clubs. Ariel and I often plan out a set number of chapters/pages a day for our buddy reads. After completing that, we switch to another book. This way, we make the same progress every day and can chat about the story progression.
Based on the time of the day, my energy levels align with certain kinds of books. For my commute, I prefer audiobooks and physical books. For bedtime and after work, I like short stories and non-fiction essays. After dinner and during the weekend, I can read anything. Audiobooks are best for laundry and folding, but only if I don’t want to take notes!
What are your thoughts on having multiple books on the go? Are there certain times during the day when you can read certain kinds of books?
Multiple book reading is not a strict practice. I often have many books going so that as good as I reach a certain part in a book where the story is too engaging to put down at regular intervals, I just finish it up. The rest wait their turn.
Share Your Love for a Book
I love sharing about the books that get me excited, no matter how much I have read. Talking about a book is a way to make my way back to it. When a book has me hooked, I tell someone. It’s usually Ariel or my husband, the two people who I talk to daily about books. 🙂
I encourage you to express your excitement for what you are reading. Book clubs and buddy reads are a great way to continue to check in with someone who is reading the same book as you but you don’t need to share it with an avid reader. Tell anyone!
And if that book doesn’t end up being as soon as you thought, that’s ok. Chatting about the flaws in a book with a friend is cathartic too!
The Reading that Doesn’t involve Reading a Book
There are days when I don’t feel like reading. My TBR is pretty much a mountain but I am not motivated to escape into another life or learn something new. In those times, I turn to other bookish endeavors. There are pros and cons to many of these activities:
- Staging photos is fun. Though like all creative pursuits, if I am not happy with my compositions, I get annoyed with myself.
- Planning my TBR is good too but it can increase stress if that is a reason I am struggling to read.
- I also enjoy going to the library. Bring back more books haha.
- Browsing my own bookshelf is time spent looking at what I have. Sometimes I will just try a book. Read a couple pages.
- I reorganize parts of my bookshelves. The whole bookshelf, depending on how big it is, can be too big of a project. The feeling of having taken on a mammoth task is deflating.
- Connecting with a friend about bookish and non-bookish things is a great way to be in touch with the part of us that desperately wants to read but can’t.
- Writing or reading an article about reading is another way to keep reading. Hence, TBR Tales!
All of these lead me back to either my current read or a new book, because all I really want to spend time doing, my top hobby if you will, is reading.
I encourage you to think of all the things you do that are remotely related to books. Any time spent with books counts. It may not be reading but it is the way back to reading.
Final Reflections and Invitations
Each article in TBR Tales lets me step away from the books and look at reading as a hobby and a way of life. These past few months have been exhilarating in bringing these thoughts to you though also slightly nerve wrecking when an article is complete and I don’t know what I will explore next. If you have ideas, let me know in the comments! I love having you on this journey of creativity, imagination, and personal growth through books and reading. Thank you for being here.
No matter how many strategies we employ to read more, the ultimate goal remains the same: to find joy in our hobby. May we celebrate each step we take toward our reading goals, finding solace in the journey rather than obsessing over the destination.
Whether we steal moments for reading during our busy days, immerse ourselves in stories for hours on end, or find ourselves taking a break from reading altogether, may we embrace all experiences in our reading journey.
Let’s continue to explore the vast world of literature, embracing each moment spent with a book and continue to grow the love of reading in us.
Now it’s your turn: What strategies do you use to maximize your reading time? Are there any particular times of day when you find it easier to read? Do you find that certain genres or formats of books are easier for you to read in specific situations?
About TBR Tales
Dive into the world of TBR Tales, where the journey through the to-be-read pile becomes a rich narrative of literary exploration. Join me as I navigate the pages of books, reflecting on the joys, challenges, and unexpected treasures found along the way. From rediscovering old favorites to embracing new genres, TBR Tales is a celebration of the reader’s life. Sign up for the TBR Tales Exclusive Mailing List and get an email from me when a new post is available each month! Thank you for reading. 🙂
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