The question I get asked most is, “how do you find the time to read so much?” The short answer is, I make time for what is important. The long answer is, I make sure to set aside uninterrupted time for reading on a daily basis. I am always the first to say that my lifestyle is one that allows me to read a lot. I recognise that there are a lot of persons who lead very busy lives and can only do 30 minutes of reading a day or a week. This post is for you; here is how you can maximise your reading time.
Decide on a time
A lot of people pick a up a book when they “get time”; however, in order to maximize on your reading time it is important that you knowingly set aside a time for reading. When you are mindful about when you are going to read, it means you might get the most out of the time. If you only have 30 minutes to read a day, you need to decide when works best. If you are the kind of person who falls asleep while you read, reading before bed might not be a good idea. If you are a morning person and you get up before dawn, using 30 minutes to read before work might work better for you. It is important to decide what time works best for you to read and then go from there.
Where to read
If you find that you fall asleep a lot where you read, you might need to change location. While my favorite places to read are my bed, couch and car (not while driving, of course!), that may not work for you. Being too comfortable means, you may fall asleep and not use the time you set aside to read, but to sleep. Find your reading nook, the place where you can be comfortable and read interrupted for periods at a time.
How to Read
If you are like me, you may find big books daunting. As soon as I see a book that is over 450 pages, I start to panic and my first thought is, “I am never going to finish this!” Usually I do but…that initial thought can be crippling. What I do before I start reading is that in addition to saying I am going to read for X amount of time, I also use my bookmark and make a mental note to read X amount of pages before the time is up. While it is good to have a time limit in mind when you read, adding a page limit helps to ensure that you do maximise your reading time.
What Kind Of Time
When you do decide to set some time aside, it is important to make it uninterrupted time. setting aside time to read means also setting aside your phone. I know, I know, our phones are glued to our hands, but if you want to maximise your reading time, it is essential that you leave your phone in the other room. It is hard to concentrate in a world where you are constantly being stimulated, and when you do decide to spend the only time you have reading it is important that you do just that- read.
This might sound like common sense and pretty basic, but this is exactly how I get the most out of my reading time. I am not entirely strict about this approach - there are times when I will have my phone close by, there are times when I do fall asleep in the middle of a book - however, for the most part, I do ensure I stick to my uninterrupted reading times daily. Let me know if these four things work for you or if you do something else that might work for me, fill me in.
Cindy Allman is a Caribbean Girl Reading the World. A Jamaican living in Trinidad & Tobago, she is a top Goodreads reviewer and hopes to inspire you with her passion for books. Follow her at www.bookofcinz.com or @bookofcinz on Twitter and Instagram.