There are a plethora of books to read, but too little time to read them all. As our wish lists (and our shelves) expand, it can feel like we’ll die of old age before we have a chance to read every book we want to. Celebrities and billionaires make us envious, as they showcase their ability to read hundreds of books in one year—despite some of them having schedules which are as busy, if not busier, than ours. Many of them have tricks, but if speeding up your reading isn’t feasible, simply making the time can suffice. However jam packed your schedule is, there is bound to be fifteen, even five, minutes somewhere.
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1) The Commute
Love it or hate it, your commute is likely here to stay. If waiting for the train or being shoved on a (rather odd smelling) bus is a hardship for you, this tip could kill two birds with one stone. By bringing a book on your journey, you can make the chore a personal time to lose yourself in another world; not only will you have time to read, but you’ll be too distracted by your book to glare at the woman who had the audacity to place her bag on a passenger seat. You earn bonus points if you can read a book standing, while clinging to a poll for dear life.
2) Before Bed
It’s possible your commute’s precious minutes have already been stolen by your phone. The time needed to post to Instagram, catch up with friends, and check important emails can stack up. However, if you’ve relegated your commute time to your screen, it’s important not to do the same with the quiet hours before you shut your eyes. Numerous studies warn against the pitfalls of going on your phone before bed (which you’ve likely read; I won’t go into specifics). Long story short, blue light is bad for you, but reading is relaxing. With your day job and commute behind you, as well as that re-run of Friends, you have nothing but time—to read. However, this tip comes with a warning: if your book is especially good, you may sacrifice your sleep. It’s a danger faced by all book lovers, with staying up to three in the morning to finish a book being a kind of badge of honour among literary worms.
3) On Breaks
It’s possible reading at bed is only messing with your sleep schedule. Yet you’ve already done everything on your phone during the commute; as you scroll mindlessly through the same Facebook feed, you wonder what you should be doing with your life. If you’re on a break, you should be reading. Most jobs (or all jobs that actually obey the letter of the law) will give you breaks. Half an hour is the legal minimum, but more breaks are included if a shift is especially long. During these half an hour or fifteen minute stretches, having grabbed a snack and used the washroom, you may be able to knock five pages off that 1000 page epic. At this rate, you could finish the first Game of Thrones book in under a year!
4) Mornings
If none of the above sound appealing, the morning might be your best bet. While many of us race around the house in a panic, there is merit to setting your alarm back by fifteen minutes to give yourself the extra time. If you only have time for breakfast, you can still flip through your novel while you eat cereal—though it’s likely the spoon will miss your mouth repeatedly as you sink into a conversation between a Hobbit and a wily dragon.
5) Weekends
Every job has weekends (or they do if you’re not working two extra jobs to make ends meet). The weekends are your best bet for uninterrupted reading time (unless you messed up at work yesterday; the rant from your boss might require twenty minutes or so). If you’re one of the lucky people who a) has a weekend and b) is actually given privacy on that weekend, your time is yours to do with as you see fit. That television series can be binged on week nights. Those emails can wait until Monday. You don’t have to devote the entirety of your Saturday (or your Wednesday, if that’s more your thing) to reading, but with the schedule in your grip you should be able to carve anywhere from five minutes to five hours from your day if you so choose.
6) Book Clubs
It’s possible all of that spare time you could use for reading is going into having a social life. If so, that’s great, but why stop at one good thing? A book club offers the opportunity not only to read, but to interact with others as you discuss your favourite—or most hated—reads. Whether you want to question the sanity of that one friend who loves Twilight, debate the controversy of Lolita, or argue which “Team” you’re for, book clubs offer a place to make (or stay connected with) friends. Plus, having buddies who are reading the same book as you keeps you accountable to actually…read. Moreover, having each member pick and choose will likely prompt you to read some books you wouldn’t have on your own.
7) After Work
There’s a tiny stretch of time between arriving home and making dinner during which you kick off your shoes and sink into a well worn armchair with a sigh. Though your stomach is snarling, you must sit—at least until your feet stop throbbing. As you try to block out the memory of the man who gave you the bird on the freeway (you remember his license plate, so you could go and find him) you glance at your side table to see a novel sitting there. Pride and Prejudice seems to smile at you; that’s right, you put it there this morning! As you lose yourself in old England, you forget all about the rude driver you were going to hunt down and kill.
8) Pick a Day
It’s possible you have plenty of time, but reading is something you do because you’re supposed to, rather than because you want to. It’s possible you even love reading, but you’re a notorious procrastinator. Between the five video games you love, the ten television series waiting in your Netflix cue, and the eleven social media apps you have on your phone, you don’t feel you have time to read; there’s too much content, too much noise, as there is. Yet it doesn’t have to be this way. If you technically have time, pick a day. Choose Thursday to be your “reading day.” Even if you watch Friends (again) every other night, Thursday is sacred. When you fall into the habit of reading on Thursday, your renewed passion for reading might even prompt you to choose a second sacred day.
9) Stop Reading This Article
Yes, stop reading this. If you have time to read this, you have time to read a couple pages of your book. The internet is a major time suck; the moment you shut your phone off, seize that book. Don’t let this flash of guilt go to waste.
Even for the busiest among us, there’s always time to read. The Victorians didn’t have cellphones; instead, they carried newspapers, or tiny books, in their pockets, which they would take out while they were waiting. You can do the same. Between putting your phone down, turning off the television, and taking those little pockets of down time, you can read a book (or fifty) this year. Now, stop reading this blog, and read your book!