Many of us literary lovers have wondered how to read more, myself included. As a child, I was a slow reader, but in the past few years, especially after doing my undergraduate degree in English Literature, I’ve learnt tricks to read faster. Today I’m going to share with you my best tips on how to read more.
Is It Possible for Me to Read More?
Our lives are so busy that it can often be tricky to find the time to read, but it all comes down to being organised and having priorities. Last year I read 71 books (that’s more than 1 a week!), but I hadn’t always been such a prolific reader. In fact, in Year 7 it took me the whole academic year to work my way through Charlie St Cloud! So, you can see I’ve come quite a long way in reading since then!
8 Tricks to Read More
I’ve put together 8 of my top tips on how to read more in the hopes that one of them will help you reach your reading goals!
Listening to Audiobooks Can Help You Read More
My best discovery of 2020 was audiobooks! Without these wonderful audio files, I never would’ve got to such a high book count last year. There are some people out there who believe audiobooks aren’t really reading. I think they’re whole-heartedly wrong. By reading through audio you are able to enjoy your favourite hobby whilst multitasking!
Read Whilst Cooking
Speaking of multitasking, whilst I was at university studying English Literature, I used to read whilst I was cooking my lunch or dinner. When I say cooking, I mean boiling pasta but still. I found it very easy to hold a book in one hand and stir a pot with another! Do be careful if you choose to use this as one of your ways on how to read more however! We don’t want any cooking disasters or injuries!
Make Extra Time in Your Day to Read
The most obvious trick for how to read more is to make the time. This may seem tricky but it can be as simple as taking ten minutes in the morning before or after breakfast to read a chapter. Or you could even turn Netflix off 1 episode sooner and read for those 45 minutes instead! Wherever there’s time to adapt your routine, there’s time to read.
Go to Another World Whilst on Your Commute
Many of us have returned to our morning commutes to work, school, or university. The train or bus is the perfect place to squeeze some more reading into your day. During my gap year, I used to get a fifteen-minute bus to work and it was the ideal place to zone out and transport myself to the reading world. Just don’t miss your stop!
Take a Book Wherever You Go
You never know when you’ll have a moment spare so take a book with you wherever you go. Whether it’s twenty minutes in the doctor’s waiting room, or five minutes waiting for your friend to meet you at a cafe, take every opportunity to read!
Set Yourself Reading Goals
If you’re anything like me, you work better with a set goal or deadline. Setting yourself a daily reading goal, even if it’s only twenty pages, will give you the motivation to pick that book up and turn the page!
Become a Member of a Book Club
Accountability makes us far more likely to do things, even reading! Joining your local book club is a simple way to make sure you read more! With the deadline and want to be able to fully participate in the discussion, you’ll find yourself whizzing through your next novel in no time!
Choose Books You Can’t Put Down
This is quite a blatant tip on how to read more books, but opt for literature you know you’ll enjoy. After all, if you don’t like the classics, you’re going to struggle to get through reading them!
Share Your Tips on How to Read More
I hope you’ve found some useful ideas on how to squidge more reading into your day with this post. If you have any other tips that I haven’t listed, share them in the comments below so we can all improve our reading abilities together! For more reading content from me, make sure you follow my bookstagram!
About Katie May
I am a digital marketer with a passion for writing and creating content. Whether you’re after travel tips for the best things to do in Los Angeles, or are interested in the reasons to study abroad, I have the posts for you! I hope you enjoy your time on my site, exploring the beauty, travel, and study content I share here.