As I have shared before, 2019 was a rough reading year for me. Looking back I see that I read a lot of great books. However I didn’t meet any of my reading goals and reading started to feel like a chore.
So for 2020 I decided to put less pressure on myself. I set my reading goal for the year at 52 books. One book a week seemed doable especially since I’ve been exploring comic book series and graphic novels which tend to be quick reads.
I decided not to worry about my nonfiction vs. fiction ratio or how many books I’m reading that I already own to get my “To Be Read” list under control. I still am trying not to buy any more books but that has more to do with being a minimalist. I prefer to use the library to borrow books whenever possible.
So far the year has been wonderful. March and April were pretty slow months for me. When my work shut down plus all the other stresses in the world, I had a hard time focusing on books. But luckily I got my reading mojo back and the past couple months have been awesome.
I’m calling my approach intuitive reading. I believe the right books have a way of coming into my life (or hands) at the right time.
Here are the ways that I am making more time for reading:
Building time for reading into my daily rhythm
I get up early (for me at least). I’m up at 5:30 on the days my husband works and usually by 6 or 6:30 on others. My husband is a naturally early riser but I have to set an alarm. I’m really enjoying this new rhythm though. I read for a half hour or so while I have my morning coffee.
I also read before bed. In the past it’s been a habit to put on a show before we fall asleep. I find I sleep so much better when I read instead. Since he gets up earlier, my husband often falls asleep an hour or so before me. Reading in bed until I get tired is a great way for us to stay on the same schedule and for me to get a calm hour in before sleep.
I also keep my kindle on my nightstand. It hasn’t been an issue lately but I used to wake up in the middle of the night all the time. Now If I wake up I can grab my book instead of looking at my phone. I think scrolling the internet in the wee hours only adds to my anxiety and the blue light makes it a lot harder to go back to sleep. Reading instead is more enjoyable and I find I fall back to sleep much faster.
Watching less TV
Well we don’t actually own a television but we can still watch movies and TV series on my laptop. I am the worst about binging a new series or even one that I’m watching again. I struggle with moderation and watching a show is no exception.
For some reason I’m more drawn to shows than movies. It’s very easy to get into a habit of watching a few episodes after dinner and before you know it, it’s every night. So now I’m just trying not to get hooked in the first place.
There are some exceptions. Putting something on if we’re not feeling well or on nights when we both had really hard days. But now instead of huge seasons and series, I try to pick things with only one short season. And I try to make sure it doesn’t become a habit with too many nights in a row.
Cutting TV out opens up a lot more time for conversations and books.
Side note: This also helps me cut down on my dessert cravings. A bowl of ice cream or brownies seemed to go hand in hand with an evening binge.
Having lots of ebooks to choose from
As stated before, I’m a bit of a minimalist. We live tiny so there’s not a lot of extra room for books. I do have some but the majority of my already owned books live on my kindle.
I used to have a space on my shelf dedicated to library books but my library still isn’t open so I’m getting tons of use out of my Libby app and using their online catalog. I also went ahead and signed up for Kindle Unlimited to have access to even more books and that way without waiting on any holds.
I usually have 4 to 6 books out from the library and the 10 that can be borrowed at one time from Kindle Unlimited. That way I always have something that sounds good to read.
I try to go through and prioritize what I want to read next once a week. Right now it’s working fine. If things go back to normal, the Kindle Unlimited library might feel too overwhelming to me with all of the choices.
Also reading on my kindle makes it easy for me to always have a book with me. A habit I’ve always been in. Not that I get to go out and about too much.
Putting down books that aren’t working for me
This is something that I’m working to develop. Luckily I haven’t had to put a book down in awhile. There’s lots of reasons a book might not be working for me. Often it’s a case of the right book but the wrong time.
I used to get so invested in finishing a book (to count it as read) that I’d force myself to complete it. Nothing makes you feel less like reading than having to pick up a book you’re not enjoying.
So now I put books down for a later time or just acknowledge that it’s not my cup of tea. I was getting pretty good at this last year though I think it had more to do with me (in a reading dry spell) than the books themselves.
Doing this frees me to grab other books that I can enjoy at the present time.
Reading two or three books at once
I usually have two or three books going at one time. So at least one will appeal to me when it’s time to read. I no longer try to read a nonfiction book for every fiction one but I often am reading one nonfiction book, one fiction, and then one comic book or graphic novel for when I’m really drained and lacking focus.
What are your reading habits? How do you make time for reading?
