Booking Your Life

I love reading; you'll rarely find me in a situation where there isn't a book either in my hand or in my bag. One question I get a lot is, "How do you get so much reading done?" This is something I've spent a lot of time thinking about, since most of my life has been trying to find time to do all of the reading I want to do. Because of this, I've come up with many tricks you can use to get more reading done.

Set aside some time for reading every day.

We've all got busy schedules. Whether it be work, school, or kids, there's always something keeping us from getting that things-to-do list checked off. One way to ensure that you get some reading done in a day is to actually schedule in. If you've penciled reading into your schedule, you're more likely to actually pick up the book and take the time to read it. This tip actually goes hand in hand with:

Treat reading like a priority.

It can be hard to justify taking time out of your day to read when there are so many other things that need to get done. If you treat reading like it is just as important as the other things you have to do, it won't feel like cheating when you sit down and read your book.

Read what YOU want to read.

We've all been there: you're sitting in a public place, rereading the same page of Great Expectations over and over again, trying to will yourself into caring. (For the record, I've been "reading" Great Expectations for the last year—it's rough. I feel your pain.) You don't actually care about the story, so why are you reading it? To seem smart to people walking by? Or maybe you're reading it because you actually want to be smarter.

Here is the steaming hot truth, people: it doesn't matter what you read. You're reading! Whether it's a romance novel or classic literature, you are using your imagination and expanding your vocabulary just by picking up the book! Your brain reaps the same benefits—so take time to read what YOU want to read, not what you think others want you to read. And, if anyone tries to make fun of you for it, remind them that Charles Dickens' works were equivalent to penny dreadfuls, and were those considered high class literature? Yeah, stuck-up jerk, that's right. Get booked.

Take a book with you everywhere you go.

Trust me, this one really does work. I'm sure you've heard this advice a lot in articles like this, and that's because it really is the best way to get reading done. If you have a book in your bag, you'll be more likely to reach for it than for your phone. Plus, you never know what will happen! A meeting could be cancelled, or there could be traffic on your bus ride home—now you have extra time and a book to read!

Listen to audiobooks.

This is a super easy way to get more reading done! I listen to audiobooks while brushing my teeth, doing my makeup, doing laundry, cleaning my room... anything you do in your day-to-day life, you can do while listening to a book! You can register with a local library and take out audiobooks from there, or you can get an Audible subscription and listen to books that way.

Unplug.

Social media is a drug, and most of us are addicted. I myself have fallen down the rabbit hole that is YouTube far too many times—so I can tell you for a fact that this tip works! When you want to read, turn off your phone, your laptop, your tablet... any device that could distract you from your reading, turn off, put away, and then you can kick back and relax! (With a book, of course.)

And that's it, folks! These are all of my tips to add more reading time to your life without disrupting your whole life. I hope these helped and you are able to read all of those books on your wishlist—and some that you haven't even discovered yet. Happy reading!