How To Read Books On A Busy Schedule: 6 Tips


Quote of the day: 
You take people, you put them on a journey, you give them peril, you find out who they really are. 
- Joss Whedon


Challenging yourself is one of the greatest ways of sustaining personal growth and advancement. There is good reason to derive happiness from a book. Asides the obvious -mental nourishment, there is that calming factor, the escapism from one world into another, transported by words like migrating birds, one becomes as the stars looking down upon star-gazers.

Out of busy schedules -which we all have, it becomes harder to make time for reading. For me whenever an opportunity presents itself, I embrace it with arms wide open. And in this post I've outlined what you need to do to create more reading time. So this post is for you -the busy individual caught up with everyday life, and less and less time to read.

1. Identify why you want to read more. 
For me its all about escaping as I mentioned earlier, and reading is a great way to do so. It is calming, and helps with concentration. Plus I get to improve my vocabulary while doing something I enjoy. Its like working in an ice-cream shop because you know...you just love ice-cream.

2. Have a set time for reading. 
From making little effort to read a chapter or more in the morning to getting lost in a book during the daily commute, there are many ways one can squeeze out time to read. Truth is, all that time spent on social media, or playing angry birds (okay maybe not), can be reduced to create space for reading. And to think there's an account dedicated to people reading on trains.

3. Read more than a book at a time.
Its certainly okay to juggle two or more books during a period of time -especially when starting with a new book. I use this technique when I find that my attention is reducing, or when I just need a new distraction. Reading more than one book at a time not only helps to pick where your interest lies, but also creates the longing to finish a book, and get started with another one.

4. Read while on your break
Lunch breaks shouldn't always be about food. How about a lunch/book break? You can either finish your meal first before reading, or combine both. You can get ahead with a few chapters doing this. Or you could try audio books as an alternative.

5. Get friends involved.
Most people complain about not knowing what to read. Becoming an avid reader may be hard initially, so why not get your friends who love reading involved -trade books and reading lists, download a book app, join a local library, and of course the list is endless.

6. Pick genres you would enjoy
There are no limits to the number of books and genres out there. Whatever scenario or story you'd like to read-has most likely been written already. A good website to try out is Goodreads -which is like a social network for readers and books lovers, tracking and rating books to give you an idea about what's good and what's not. You don't want to waste your time on books that hold little value.

The key element is to have a book with you during the day, this way when the world becomes boring, you can fly to another one, literally. So start reading today.

I'd like to hear about how you schedule your time for reading. Do share!


Be more, do more*


Current Listen: Kings of Leon -Sex on Fire






Post a Comment

27 Comments

  1. I set a minimum page limit per day. For me, it keeps me on track. I set a time goal for a book and read at least the minimum number of pages per day. After a time, the reading is automatic and not goal driven and worked into every day regardless of how busy I am. Good luck with your reading goal.

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  2. Good tips. I like the Goodreads tip--I don't like spending money on bad books.

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  3. I like reading books on my lunch break!

    -lauren

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  4. These are all great tips! My wife and I used to be in a reading group with some friends, and we loved it. However, after several of the couples moved out of town, the few of us that were left behind never have started a new one. I don't live far from work, but I could definitely start reading during my lunch breaks. Blessings!

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  5. As a child I dreamed of having a magic library that would fit in my pocket, with all of my fave books in it. Now I have a Kindle, and can take my library with me wherever I go, and spend every free minute reading and learning. I still have many 'real' books at home, but love my Kindle. Valerie

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  6. As a child I dreamed of having a magic library that would fit in my pocket, with all of my fave books in it. Now I have a Kindle, and can take my library with me wherever I go, and spend every free minute reading and learning. I still have many 'real' books at home, but love my Kindle. Valerie

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  7. My reading is usually split in two: I read one book on my kindle during the daily trip to and from work (and also take the kindle with me when I have an appointment such as at the doctor's or hairdresser's), and another (physical) book in bed before I sleep.

    Lunch breaks don't work for me as reading breaks - we nearly always eat with the customer, which is important for my work.

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  8. Reading on trains I've been known to miss my stop more than once. One time the guard punched my ticket and kindly advised me I should change trains at the next station. I carried on reading and you can guess what happened . . .

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  9. Sandwich lunch is perfect for reading - book in one hand, sandwich in the other!

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  10. I love to reserve Tuesday for reading only. If I have time during the weekend, I go back and read more chapters. These are some wonderful tips. Thanks for sharing.

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  11. I keep saying this: I should start reading again. It's how I feel everytime and you're right; every one is busy so that's not an excuse. Thanks for the tips.

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  12. Somehow I do not read books that much bt the tips r def worth keeping in mind.. thank u for visiting my blog.. have a great week xo

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  13. Great tips. This will definitely help.

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  14. these are good, I like to read during commute which I think it's better than standing around waiting for your stop.

    hope you have a sweet day.

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  15. This post was just for me! Ha. Really.. I've been reading a book for about a month now, and I can't seem to finish it! It's a bit annoying.

    I think reading two books at once and setting time aside to read might do the trick for me.

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  16. I like the idea of setting some time aside each day for reading. Amazing how much you can read if you do that.

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  17. I don't read nearly as much as I'd like to, but I very much appreciate the ideas! Thank you.

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  18. Great points. You come up with the most interesting posts!

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  19. i think you have to look at your priorities .. decide what you love more. have time for... i do read when eating breakfast or folding laundry, i do a lot of multi-tasking. always. ( :

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  20. This is very enloghtening. Thanks for sharing. I read one hour every morning, then another book during bible study session in the evening. With these, I can do like 2 books in 2 weeks, depending on the volume.

    If only they stayed this way forever

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  21. Thank you lots! you have really helped me, as part of my new year habit for the year and beyond is to read lots of inspiring and motivational books,m as a busy 9-5 and side hustle person, this tips will be so helpful
    www.ethniques.blogspot.com

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  22. you have no idea how the smile kept being fixated on my face while reading this post. i bought 10 books today with no regrets(though on impulse, but cheap)"the escapism..."- is everything.
    www.tegastoria.blogspot.com

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  23. Great tips! Noted and thanks for this.

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