Warning: this post highlights my extreme nerdiness. I hope you'll accept me all the same ;)
I grew up a voracious reader. I sometimes attribute it to my inner only child, but once you handed me a book, I couldn't put it down. I was the girl who rode her bike to the library and would spend hours combing through the shelves. Weirdly, this memory made me realize how much things have changed. What parent would allow their child to just ride herself to the library at age 12? I digress.
The same thing happens when I pick up a book today. I literally get engrossed in whatever story I'm reading, so much so that {cv} would rather me finish the book than put it down. The only problem? Since I started blogging, I have noticed my free time to read has diminished greatly. I love traveling because I actually have time to read. Much like eating better, I know reading is good for me--and I desperately want to do more of it.
I'm being sneaky with the title of this post because I'm really coming to you for advice: What in the world can I do to find more time to read? While I was in Jamaica, I breezed through two books and realized just how much I missed it. I really want to make the time to read--without feeling like I'm missing out on something in the blog world. (Hello, FOMO.) As a blogger, I am the first to admit that I have a hard time shutting down the computer. By the time I crawl into bed after a long day, my eyes are already half-mast. Any help for this nerdy girl would be very much appreciated! Have a great Thursday! xoxo {av}
We might just be the same person. As an only child, I was routinely caught with my nose in a book and truly have an obsession even as an adult. I love to be surrounded by books and someday hope for floor-to-ceiling shelves. I recently had the same question for myself because I was lacking time in the evenings to read. Solution? Now I get up 15 minutes earlier and read just before I leave for work each day. It's only 15 minutes, but it starts my day on the right foot--with a book! I started with a goal of reading 12 books in 2013 on Goodreads (check it out if you haven't!) and I'm already at that goal and the year isn't over yet--just by waking up 15 minutes earlier each day to read! It's a small change, but I really have cherished that early morning time to myself :)
ReplyDeleteMy sisters,who were 8 and 9, would walk my four year old self to the library and back. It was about a mile each way. And now you know I'm old (48). I remember stacking those books so high that I had to use my chin to stabilize the stack for the walk home. Why did we never think to bring a book bag? Anyway, I make reading part of my bedtime routine. I read for 20 minutes and then it's time for washing my face and brushing my teeth. I also bring a book to work and read for my 30 minute lunch break. I also listen to audiobooks while I am washing dishes, commuting and walking! I know that stretches the definition of reading but still!
ReplyDeleteOh, I forgot one thing. I also formed a book club recently so that I have to read at least one full book a month. We just read the types of books we like and aren't always looking for deep, meaningful books, although those are welcome if we like them. You can even join an online club at Goodreads. If you join Goodreads, friend me there (Kristi Ferree). The pictures you listed in your blog post are some that I have enjoyed!
ReplyDeleteha! we are both writing about books today...nerd alert! :) lately h and i have been spending an hour every night after dinner to read (and he does rosetta stone). i love your tips! xo jillian - cornflake dreams
ReplyDeleteI'm a before-bed reader! Nothing better than climbing into a nice comfy bed with a good book. Though if the book is TOO good you might end up staying up later than you planned :). But really, vacations are the best times to read. I look forward to long flights because to me, that's uninterrupted reading time! I was also briefly unemployed recently and I read seven books in two weeks, so, quitting your job will give you lots of time to read, haha!
ReplyDeleteI was struggling with finding time to read as well. I recently started taking the train to my 9-5 job versus driving, and I am SO glad because it allows me to have this free time to read. After rediscovering my love for reading this way, I made the decision to unplug after 9pm and read before bed.
ReplyDeleteI have the same problem. I've been trying to tell myself to shut down the computer and read before bed, but it doesn't happen as much as I'd like. If you ever find a method that works, please share!
ReplyDeleteI am an avid reader. Like a crazy avid reader. That is part of the concept of my blog. I communte to work on public transportation so I get time to read then, but I also like to read for a few hours on Saturday and Sunday mornings. And I also take time to read during my lunch breaks. It is nice to get out of the office and get lost in someone elses world. I would also suggest trying a Young Adult book. They are typically faster reads so you feel like you get more accomplished in a shorter time.
ReplyDeleteMost of my reading is done on the train, but I do set aside 30 minutes before bed to read as well. I've been a huge reader forever as well, and I've found that reading before bed helps me destress and gives me a better night's sleep since I'm not going to sleep thinking about random things. I'm thinking of the book!
ReplyDeleteLike many of the others that commented, I make time to read before bed. I like to get in at least 30 minutes, but sometimes I go to bed early and get a little more! My husband has even started reading with me at night, which is really nice. Hope you can find a time that works for you!
ReplyDeleteI always read right before bed, it's always been a good way to help me fall asleep too!
ReplyDeleteThis does not make you a nerd at all!! I'm jealous! I feel like I'm purposefully reading the book I'm reading now very slowly - I just don't want it to end & I don't know what to read when I'm through with it!
ReplyDeletexo, B
BKCsquared
This is something that I have been struggling with as well! I would like to read more but other things seem to get in the way. My husband's much better about getting in bed early to read than I am and he'd like there to be a "No Screens after 10:30pm" rule in our house where we both have to be off our computers, phones etc. so we can unwind before bed and have time to read/relax...however, I am a chronic nightowl who likes to blog after 11pm...so it's kind of a struggle! xoxo
ReplyDeleteThis is my dilemma, too! I always intend to read before bed, but the time gets away from me, or I end up too engrossed in the book and 30 minutes turns into 1am. It's also tough choosing to read instead of hang out with my husband, since we only have so many free hours between work and bedtime.
ReplyDeleteSadly, my solution involved deciding whether I get more out of reading or blogging. I picked reading, and it's part of the reason why I cut back to 3 posts per week. However, I don't treat my blog like a business, so I know that would be a tougher choice for many people.
I'd suggest a couple of 'no internet' nights per week and see how that translates into book time. I plan to give it a shot as well, since I'm the WORST about iPad browsing while watching tv on the couch and losing most of the evening. Good luck!
I love to read, too! But I have a slightly crazy work schedule so reading before bed isn't always an option.
ReplyDeleteI've found that books on tape work WONDERS. You can put the Audible app on your cell phone and just download books on tape straight to the app. I live in LA and spend a lot of time in the car, so I end up going through a book about every 2 weeks! It's awesome.
If you like it, I'd recommend getting one of their subscriptions. You get a book each month and it's much more cost efficient. Check it out! You'll love it. :)
http://www.audible.com/
I try to read a bit in the morning and a bit at night. Sometimes it's hard because I can't put a book down and then I go to sleep late!! But I prefer that feeling over the feeling of not reading anything at all. At my old job I used to go to the park on my lunch break and read for most of it. It was nice, especially since I always keep a book in my bag for moment like that (granted, they're increasingly rare!) where I find myself waiting for something or someone... Instead of whipping out my phone and scrolling for ages, I'd whip out a book instead!!
ReplyDeleteI don't have any suggestions because I am looking for more time as well... but I am loving the ideas from your other readers. I hope I can incorporate them and finally start the book I have that I've been meaning to read for months.
ReplyDeleteI was definitely expecting to get advice and really looking forward to it! Haha. I'm in the same predicament as you, but I'm trying to do the "no screens an hour before bed" now, so that gives me more time for reading. If I go get in bed and don't bring my phone or iPad (and we don't have a TV in our bedroom), then I can enjoy my book with no distractions. Also (this shows what an introvert AND nerd I am haha), I always take my lunch break really late at the office - around 1:30 - so no one else will be in the break room and I can read for my entire lunch break. :)
ReplyDeleteI have an ever growing list of books to read on Goodreads, so I have also been trying to read more. I loved to read books as a kid, and like you, once I start one I just need to finish the entire story. Just got a Nook, which will maybe make it a little easier to read more often and a lot more portable. :)
ReplyDeleteI love, love, love books, too. I learned to read before I even started kindergarten and I distinctly remember our librarian in elementary school telling one of my classmates that "books are our friends" when he was being a little too aggressive with his page turning. That phrase - books are our friends - has stuck with me to this day. I love to squeeze in reading time whenever I can and one thing I like to do is, after working on a project or task for about an hour or so, I give myself a 10-minute break and read a chapter (or half-chapter if it's a long one) of whatever book I'm reading at the time. It's a lot easier to this now that I'm working from home but I even did it when I worked at the law firm. I just shut my door, turned on my timer, and let myself get lost in my book for 10 minutes. I don't do it after every hour of work, but just a few times throughout the day. It helps me stay sane and it helps me get through my books faster, making time for even more reading! :)
ReplyDeleteI was a big reader as a kid too :) My recommendation would be to get a Kobo or a Kindle. I chose Kobo because it uses the epub file format which is what most public libraries offer (you can borrow library books without leaving the house!).
ReplyDeleteIt's way easier to slip in little moments of reading because you can hold it in one hand, it weighs about 200 g and you can bookmark the page with one finger in half a second. If I end up in line with 15 people ahead of me at the post office or the bank or wherever, it's totally reasonable to pull out my kobo and read a few pages. Five subway stops? Also a totally reasonable moment to pull out an e-reader. At that weight you can bring it everywhere, and instead of filling 10 minute stretches with texting or emails, you reply at home with a keyboard and sneak in a little extra reading :)
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