The idea of curly up with a good book in the sunshine has always been one that's appealed to me. I've always had a passion for reading but as I've gotten older my mobile slowly started becoming a good friend of mine & I started putting less time into reading. For the longest time my excuse was that I simply just didn't have time to sit down & read but in reality, I did have time, I just was prioritising reading as something I wanted to do with my time. Here's how I've managed to carve some reading into every single day...
Have Books You Actually Want To Read
Well, duh..right? I struggled for a little while when I was younger to find books the actually could keep me interested for anymore than 25 pages. I thought that maybe reading just wasn't my thing but turns out reading is my thing, I just needed to adapt the genre of the book I'm reading. Find something that draws you in, captures you in an instant or even something you can learn from. You don't have to be reading the newest book on the shelf all the time. Don't feel like you have to read X, Y & Z because everyone else is. You do you & read what makes you happy.
Get More Books
I say 'get' lightly because you don't always have to empty your pockets. Instead you can borrow books from friends & family or sign up to your local library & max out your borrowing limit. I quite enjoy having my next couple of reads setting on my bedside table which gives me a bit of oomph to actually get through them & move onto the next one. Not in a particularly stressful way but more of an exciting way. It's like a visual checklist that I'm happy to never see the end of.
Find Your Pockets Of Time
This is going to be different for everyone but was important for me to work on as I'd convinced myself life was so busy that I didn't have the time to pick up a book. Some of you might have kids who wake you up at the crack of dawn & so having a wee read before breakfast is out of the question. Others might have an hour-long train or bus commute to work which would be the perfect window of time to crack down & get some reading done. For me, it's before bed. I use to cradle my phone close whilst my volume was turned down to the minimum so that I could still watch that one last YouTube video or Instagram Story. Not the best use of my time I must say, so I now have less phone time & more reading time before bed. I do also enjoy a quick 20 minute read throughout the day if I have some spare time up my sleeve or even while having a bath, instead of picking up my phone, I'll pick up a book instead.
Set Yourself Challenges
Set yourself a challenge to see how many books you can read in a certain time period. It might be a year, it might six months or even six weeks. Goodreads is a fantastic app to not only for you to keep tabs on the books you've read but also what you're currently reading & want to read next. I use to just have a note on my phone of all the books I wanted to read but the Goodreads allows you to do so much more! You can read other peoples reviews & recommendations, you can add your own reviews & recommendations along with create a future long of all the other book you want to tread while having it directly plugged to Amazon so you can order at the ready.
Always Have A Book On You
I always like to have something on my that I can read. It's normally a book of some sort but sometimes it can be a booklet or some information related to my job. Of course, if you're heading out for the supermarket shop, chances are you're not going to have time nor want to stop in the middle of an aisle to read. However, if you're heading into the city on public transport, to meet a friend who tends to run late 99.5% of the time or you're running early - then make sure you have a book in your bag. You never know, you might just have the chance to read it!
B x
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