How to Make time to Read: 10 Simple Tips For Busy People

How to make time to read  Here are 10 ways to fit reading into your busy life so that you can spend more time with your favorite books.

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Whenever I mention how many books I read, I always get the question: How do you find the time? 

I’ve had years of practice to figure out the best ways to fit reading time into my busy schedule. And since the new year is here and I know that reading more books is on a lot of to-do lists and resolutions, I have 10 tips to help busy people make time to read. 

How to Make time to Read: 10 Simple Tips For Busy People

1. Read books that you like. 

I know! It sounds like a no-brainer. But a lot of people tend to think they should read that famous book-tok book, or the new serious best-seller or the book that their favorite influencer liked. 

An important tip to reading more consistently is to find reading material that YOU are interested in. It’s important to find the right book for YOU. So what if you only read romance or graphic novels or mysteries or self-help books? It’s reading. 

2. Make it a part of your morning or evening routine

Spend your early mornings reading instead of scrolling.  Starting your day reading might be a good idea if it is the only time you have quiet time before your day begins. 

If you are normally a TV before bed person, replacing that time with reading is also a great way to make time for reading. Reading at night before bed is a great way to unwind and get in some reading time. It keeps me off of screens and I get in at least a good 20-30 minutes of reading. 

Reading has become a part of my evening routine.

3. Make time to read by watching less tv

People who read a lot, tend to watch less TV. I know I know, you want to stream your favorite shows! But in the time you take to binge-watch Selling Sunset, you could have at least read a couple of chapters of a good book. 

4. Keep a book with you at all times

This is one of the main ways I get in a lot of reading time. I always keep a book in some form on me at all times. That doesn’t mean physical books! It may be my Kindle or the Kindle app on my phone. But that way, if I’m in a long line at the grocery store, I read. Or waiting for my son to get out of football practice or waiting in the waiting room of a dr’s office. I always have a book on me,

5. Multitask

This is where audiobooks come in for me.  And yes, they count as reading. You can read while on your lunch break or while commuting to work. 

I listen to books while driving, cleaning on a Saturday morning, or cooking dinner. I have a specific book I have designated for these tasks.

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6. Read more than one book at a time. 

I can hear you saying: say what now?

Hear me out: You can have more than one book in progress at once :like me with an audiobook for multitasking and a physical book at my bedside and another on my Kindle for when I’m waiting around outside the house.

But you might want to say:read an inspirational book first thing in the morning, but read a fiction novel to unwind in the evening. 

Variety is the spice of life and reading multiple books at once will help you to read more. 

7.Set Reading Goals 

If you are competitive or need goals to complete tasks, setting a reading goal or joining a reading challenge might be the best way to get in more books! You don’t have to set a goal to read 100 books! The number of books can be as little as 10 books, or 25 books or 52 books. 

Set a goal to read every book written by your favorite author, a non-fiction book a month, an entire series, or a specific number of pages a day. 

Whatever works. 

8.Stay off social media

To read more books, stop scrolling your Instagram feed. Or TikTok.  That hour of screen time that you have in your bedtime routine can easily be replaced with an hour of reading. 

9. Join a book club

Make reading a social activity and join or start a book club.  Book clubs are great for the sense of community they bring,  but they keep you motivated to finish your book within a certain time frame. So at least once a month, or once every 6 weeks you are reading a book. 

10. Schedule time to read

The busiest people always have a problem finding time to read. So add reading time to your actual schedule.  Yes, it does sound you are making reading a chore, but if you are having a hard time fitting a reading session into your life, scheduling actual time to read on your to-do list will help you get it in.   

Not only does scheduling time for reading make sure that you get it in, but it can help you turn reading into a long-term reading habit and make a daily reading habit a part of your daily routine. Block time on your calendar and watch yourself for a new habit. 

 I hope I was successful in showing you the different ways that you can develop the habit of reading. If you are looking for ideas and a reading list to get your started, check out the book lists below!