These are tips that I personally use to read more books. I find that when people find out I read regularly they often say,"I wish I read that much but I don't have time." I get that people are busy but I hope these tips can help you fit more reading into your day.
I would also like to say that you don't need a lot of free time to read a lot of books. You can work, do school, have other hobbies and still find time to read and if you are struggling to find time to slot reading into your day then I hope these tips help you out. :)
1. Choose a time and read at that time everyday.
Choose a time in the day that you will read and then read at that time everyday. It doesn't have to be hours, it can be 5 minutes or 30 minutes, whatever suits your daily life and schedule. A popular time to read is as soon as you wake up so that you read before you even properly start your day. You could wake up five minutes earlier and read in that time or instead of checking your phone as soon as you wake up, read.
Another popular time to read is before you go to sleep. Not only does reading before bed help you unwind and get a better nights sleep but it is also a way of reading more. You can still watch TV, check your phone ect... but carving out 15 minutes or even several hours will help you read more.
2. Read on your breaks.
If you are at work then on your break you could spend this time reading. At lunch break you can read while you eat your lunch. This doesn't work if you are eating with other people because obviously you are going to talk to them and not ignore them but if you find some alone time, you can read in this time. If you work from home you or do school at home you can also read during breaks, you may find this helpful to not become overwhelmed and to have a break to relax before going back to work/school.
3. Make time for reading.
If you want to read more, you have to make time for it because it's not going to carve out a time itself. If you spend several hours a day scrolling through your phone then use some of that time to read. If you watch TV for 2 hours at night, read for one hour. You have to make time for reading or you will struggle to read more.
4. Read books you enjoy.
I went through a time when I was reading books that were nonfiction and nonfiction has never been my preference but at this time I wanted to try something new. I was interested at first but I soon got bored of them. That doesn't mean you can't try something new but I felt like I forced myself to read and enjoy them. It made it feel like a chore to read and I wasn't feeling the same excitement when I picked up a book to read it. I went through a reading slump and then I did research, found books I actually wanted to read and I started reading a lot more again!
If you are reading books you don't enjoy then you won't get excited or love reading as much as you could if you were reading books you love. It's good to try new books, genres ect... but it's also good to not force yourself to read books you don't enjoy.
5. Write down the books you read.
Document the books you are reading, whether in a notebook or a digital app (like Goodreads.) You could make a list in a notebook (numbered if you like) of the books you've read and their ratings. You could even write up reviews in a notebook or on Goodreads if you wanted so you could look back and see what you thought of the book later on.
I've found that writing down the books I've read helps with a few things:
-keeps me motivated to continue reading
-helpful so I can look back at what I read that month, year ect...
-see what types of books I generally enjoy reading
If this makes you feel unmotivated or stressed about reading then don't do this! This is about you reading more, not less so do what you feel helps you.
6. Make a list of books you want to read.
Write a list in a notebook or somewhere you will find it easily of books you want to read. This could be books you want to read that you own, books you want to buy or new releases that you want to read. I find doing this makes me excited to read and if you are in a reading slump, it might help to look at this list and read a book you know you are excited about.
When I first wrote my list, I did research into recommended books, new releases and best books in my favourite genres. Now whenever I see a book I would love to read I add it to the list.
7. Make reading goals... or don't.
You can do this many ways, here are some ideas:
-Make yearly reading goals.
This could be how many books you want to read, what genres you want to read more of or random goals (like maybe you want to finish a series you started.)
-Make monthly reading goals.
How many books do you want to read that month? What books specifically do you want to read?
-Make weekly reading goals.
Do you want to finish the book you are reading? Do you want to read 2 books that week?
-Make daily reading goals.
You could say that you want to read a certain number of pages, get to a certain chapter ect...
I find it is helpful to put a second bookmark in your book at the place you want to read to that day to keep you motivated and reading.
I know goals for one person can be motivating and keeps them pushing forwards but goals for another person might be stressful or make reading boring to them. It is up to you, depending on if goals motivate you or not, if you set reading goals.
8. Listen to audio books when you are driving, walking ect... somewhere (a long distance might be best so that you can get into the book.)
I personally don't use this tip because I prefer reading a physical book but this could be helpful for a lot of people! This could be helpful if you don't have a lot of free time or are always on the go. You can fit some reading into your daily life while you are driving to work or walking to school ect...
9. Take a book everywhere with you.
I find it so helpful to nearly always have a book on me. If you are travelling in the car, take a book, if you are going on a walk, take a book and even if you are doing errands, take a book. There are times we have to wait (like errands or for someone to order food at a cafe ect...) and these times can be spent reading. You will find that when you bring a book, you find little times that you can spend reading it.
10. Find cheaper books.
Books can be expensive but they can also be cheap. Sometimes bookstores can be a little bit pricey but they often have deals that make the books cheaper. Second hand stores, second hand bookstores and libraries often have cheap books. Online you can sometimes find books in sales or for cheaper than in shops. Books can sometimes be really cheap if you know where to look.
I hope these ideas helped you and gave you motivation or tips to read more!