Want to read more? here are 10 useful tips

It’s no secret that reading is a time consuming hobby. On some days, i want to 100% invest myself in a story, where i can just sit down, in a calm and quiet area, and read for hours without having to think about anything else or without any distraction. Unfortunately, this isn’t something that happens on a daily basis for me with my busy shcedule. Of course, if I could, i would move to a deserted island where i could nap all day on the beach and read all night and drink pina coladas from coconuts, but for now, this isn’t my reality. So of course, i have to implement reading to my busy schedule. Here are ten tips and tricks that have been helping me reach my goodreads challenge year after year no matter how busy life gets.

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1. set weekly reading goals; setting goals for each weeks helps me motivate myself to read on the daily because i know that if i dont read at all for one day then i’ll be behind on my goal of the week and because of the over achiever and perfectionist i am, so far this has worked for me. but of course, remember to give yourself appropriate and achievable goals.
2. have a reading planner; now this one goes hand in hand with having weekly goals. because i like to stay busy, i like having a planner where i can write down every thing i plan on doing for the week, wether it is house chores, my work shifts, the hours i want to spend at the gym, my family and my friend time, etc. everything is included in my planner so of course i like to add some reading time in there. that way, i can see ahead when i have plans and when i have down time where i can spend doing some reading. having reading written directly onto my planner is also a great reminder to pick up my book whenever i have a chance.
3. audiobooks; now i know audiobooks aren’t for everyone but so far they have worked for me. I love listening to audio books because they are another way of consuming a story while also doing something else. If you are like me and tend to get easily distracted or have a hard time managing doing more than one thing at a time then i recommend listening to audiobooks while either at the gym, while driving from and to places or when doing house chores where you don’t need to concentrate as much. that way you are being twice as much productive.
4. read before bed; this is one i am still working on. wether you read 10 pages or 50 pages or wether you set a timer, reading before bed every night not only helps you with reading more but it is also a great way to decompress and relax which in return promotes a healthy and good night of sleep.
5. bookclubs or buddy reads; participating in a buddy read or in a book club can be extremely motivating when trying to read more. if you decide to pick up a book and buddy read said book with a friend, it encourages you to turn reading, a personal activity, into a social activity. having someone else holding you accountable for how much you read each day can be a great motivator to pick up your book every now and then.
6. find what you like; this one is crucial. because reading should be fun, it is important to find the genre of books you like. wether you like comics or horror or romance. READING IS READING. of course, it might take a little bit of researching before finding the genre that is perfect for you but once you find what you love, its makes everything more enjoyable.
7. bring a book everywhere; this is an easy one. just bring the book you are currently reading every where with you. you might have time between classes to read a couple of pages or on your lunch break or even when you are waiting at the doctor’s office. these little bits of reading here and there will help you implement reading in your daily life, and will help you reach your daily reading goal faster.
8. use tbrs; to-be-read are lists of books you havent read but would like to. planning a tar for the month can be a great way to plan ahead of time what you wish to read that said month. if you ten to be indecisive, tars will be great for you.
9. join the community; join the book community! wether it is by having booktwitter, bookstagram , booktube or becoming a book blogger, joining the book community is a great way to first, find new books and authors you might like and secondly it introduce you to people who share the same love of books as you do. having people to talk to about books and share your thoughts and opinions with makes the reading experience a hundred times better.
10. allow yourself to have breaks; and finally, allow yourself to take breaks from reading. remember that reading is an activity that should be enjoyable and a stress reliever. you you feel overwhelmed and stress yourself with reading, it turns into a negative activity and in return makes it less appealing. so keep it chill, keep it fun and happy reading.

SO, that is it for my 10 tips and tricks on how to read more. I hope some you these tips will be helpful to you. Of course i know not all of them will work for every one, but if i can help one person out there to read more then my job here is done !! Let me know in the comments your thoughts and opinions on these tips and let me know about some of the tricks you have up your sleeve to help you read more as i would like to know 🙂 Thanks for reading, xoxoxo