7 Ways You Can Read More Books

A guide to reading more books this year.

Books are fascinating and I am certain that you agree with me, you wouldn’t be here if you’re not interested. But if you are like me, you might have an obsession with books and I really couldn’t blame you.

Yet so much stuff and content have arrived these years, the rise of social media, podcasts, Youtube, Netflix, and other forms of consumable media all take away a portion of our limited time, amidst all of these content vying for our attention, it can be quite challenging to keep up with our reading goals.

Look, we do not have to succumb to a book-less world where social media and other forms of content suck our time, we just have to be smarter and sometimes proactively enforce some methods to make sure we spend a portion of our time reading these books we bought but never had a chance to open in the first place.

So with this, here are 7 ways to can read more books this year.

Set Up a Habit of Reading

I personally set aside 30 minutes of my day to read books every single day. Do not let this seemingly small chunk of time fool you into thinking that it’s not going to make a difference, because it does.

30 minutes a day adds up to 210 minutes a week, or 10950 minutes a whole year of 182 hours a year!

It doesn’t have to be 30 minutes or so, you can modify this if you’re just starting out or you’re a reading veteran. When you’re starting out you could just set aside five or ten minutes then increase as you’re building momentum.

Don’t go for reading 2 hours a day and then do it again next week, or probably never again. Read 10 minutes a day then slowly build up until you get to a time you are satisfied with.

Strive for consistency.

Utilize Your Ears (Audiobooks)

If physical books or the physical act of reading is not working out for you, you might want to use audiobooks instead. Audiobooks are a great way of spending your time while doing menial tasks that require low level of focus.

When you are doing household tasks or preparing meals or anything you’re doing that still allows you to comprehend additional stream of information to your ears, put on your earbuds then play an audiobook.

Most of the time especially in the evening, before I go to bed, I listen to audiobooks if I’m not feeling like reading before bed.

Use your ears and pop on an audiobook when physical reading doesn’t seem to do the trick.

Replace Bad Habits with Reading Time

Instead of mindlessly scrolling Youtube or Reddit before bed, why don’t you do reading instead? Identify the bad habits that you want to replace and then replace it with reading time instead.

I usually just watch vines or whatever stuff I can find on Youtube before bed and I notice that this sucks a lot of time and it’s not really a sustainable habit. So I replaced it with reading before bed, either an audiobook or physical book.

But first you have to identify what parts of your day do you consider unproductive or in need of modification then replace it with a habit that you like to have which in this case is reading more books.

Set a Dedicated Time and Place to Read

Know when and where to read, do you like to read at night or right when you wake up? Do you like to read outside or in your own room? Figure out what the answers are to streamline your reading habit.

I personally read at night because I’d like to end the day with thinking and actively using my brain if that makes sense, but you might not like the same and that’s alright. You can read in the morning, during afternoon breaks, or even at the earliest crack of dawn. We all have different preferences and you need to undergo trial and error to see what works best for you.

Now I don’t have a permanent reading place yet, I used to always read outside under the sun but the rainy season is night and it’s impossible to do so without being drenched. And I couldn’t go to cafes anymore because of the COVID pandemic so as of now I am stuck reading inside the house.

Don’t Push Through With Books You Don’t Like

When you start a new book expecting that you’ll be immersed and absolutely enamored by this piece of literature then you suddenly don’t, you just experienced something that most book-lovers and readers can relate to. But here’s the thing especially if you’re starting out, if you feel stuck and feel that you cannot go on with a specific book, then just put it down and read a new one.

Do not pressure yourself, reading is supposed to be a subjective and a personal experience. Read what you like to read, you can always return to books you do not like later on in life.

Create Achievable and Realistic Expectations

This concept goes far beyond reading habits, when you want to build a reading habit that lasts, you do not have to submerge your entire body in the ocean, test the waters with your feet and slowly descend. Apply this concept in trying to read more, know that you have to start somewhere small and you won’t become a reading veteran overnight.

You won’t immediately read all of Shakespeare’s work on a single night or read 150 books a year. Your focus should be creating realistic goals that are effective but do not put too much pressure on yourself. Aim for sustainability that progresses in the long term.

Eliminate Resistance

Reduce or eliminate resistance when it comes to accessing your books, want to read more? Put a book in a table in your living room or in places where you are often there. Remove the strain of finding a book or selecting a book that ultimately results to a Netflix or a Youtube rabbit hole.

Make it easier for yourself to actually perform that habit, put a book near you that will be very convenient for you. Put the audiobook app on your homepage instead of finding it on one of your app folders.

Remove the tension, remove the resistance.