5 Effective Ways to Read More Books!

It’s not easy to make time for reading when your concentration isn’t the best. Every year I make a resolution to read more books. And I’m not alone: reading more books is up there along with eating healthier in people’s most popular New Year’s resolutions. But a couple of months in, the motivation dwindles. I pick up a book & my mind starts wandering.

People think it is easy to do what you enjoy and love, but that’s not always how it works. It takes discipline to make time to read. But if you love books but can’t seem to get going, here some great tips to get in more reading.

Read Before You Sleep - Skip out on the late-night scroll through your social media and go old school with this. Read a bedtime story to lull yourself to sleep. If you do this frequently enough, it can become a part of your nighttime routine. Reading a few pages right before you sleep, every night and maybe even after waking up will help you read a lot more. Even if you read the book for 5 minutes and fall asleep, you have read it for five more minutes than you would have otherwise, and it just becomes a habit.

Follow Bookstagram on Instagram - Yes, "bookstagrams" aka book Instagram accounts are one of the best things ever. It's a dedicated book community that post covers of their latest reads and such pictures only motivate us to read more. The aesthetics of these accounts will inspire you to head to a library or a bookstore. If you need any suggestions on who exactly to follow, here a couple of options. These ones are my personal favourite.

 

 

 

 

Have a Book with You at all times - Whether you're commuting to work or on a getaway, have a dedicated space in your bag or an e-read for your next read. This makes sure that whenever you find yourself with some unexpected downtime and are free, you will have reading as an option.

Listen to Audio Books - While you're not technically reading, people have claimed that listening to a book with an engaging narrator can get you excited about finding your next novel and this goes even for those who think of themselves as old school physical book copy readers. For people that don't love audiobooks, try listening to non-fiction and memoirs/biographies, as these genres are the most popular among audiobooks, and people swear by these.

Change your TV Time to Reading Time - This mental trick will (hopefully) urge you to see just how great it is to sit down with a nice book. The few hours you'd usually spend binging Netflix? Maybe use at least half of that time to finally read some of that book you’ve been dying to get to, but hadn’t. This is a great and convenient way to incorporate more reading into your schedule.

A few more ways would be to join a book club, and also switch up the kind of genres you’re used to reading. You can also try a buddy read where you read a book with a friend. This is a really fun way to read more, and where you both can encourage the other to read more!

These were just a few simple ways to get in more reading in your days. But there are a lot more of those, and we would love to make part 2 of this article.