Busy book lovers often wonder how to find time to read, and these tips help
With so many demands on your time and attention, it can be difficult to find time to settle down with a book and lose yourself in a fictional world for a while. However, just because you can?t sit down with a giant tome and read for hours on end doesn?t mean that you should give up books.
Instead, consider trying some of these simple tips to help you find time to read.
Look Ma, No Hands!
Perhaps the easiest way work more reading time into your day is to go ?hands free.? Audio books are the perfect way to listen to books when you can?t even stop long enough to turn a page. Make better use of your morning commute by using audio books to filling your car with the words of your favorite author. Stop wasting time watching reruns on television; instead, turn down the lights, grab a glass of wine, and relax with the words of J. K. Rowling or Suzanne Collins.
Reading makes nearly everything more fun; even time on the treadmill can be made much more enjoyable by spending it with your favorite literary characters.
Timing is Everything
The typical family?s schedule is bombarded with work, school, medical appointments, and extracurricular activities. From the time you get off work until the time you fall into bed exhausted, it feels like there is not a minute to spare. However, it can be possible to find a few peaceful moments to read during other, less hectic, times of the day.
For instance, instead of running to grab fast food over your lunch hour, consider packing your lunch and reading a few chapters over your lunch hour. The early morning hours can also provide time to indulge in literary pursuits. Setting your alarm just a wee bit earlier can provide time to put the kettle on and settle down with your favorite literary protagonist before you have to face your work-place antagonists.
Short and Sweet
Another way to make time for reading is to take a break from long novels and give short stories a try.
No matter what your literary leanings, you can find short stories to fit any genre preference. Many beloved novelists, such as Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, Ernest Hemingway, and Joyce Carol Oates, also tried their hand at short stories.
Short stories can range from flash fiction comprises of only a few hundred words, to longer pieces. If you like your stories to last longer than just one sitting, you can always try slightly longer pieces, such as novelettes or novellas, to draw out your pleasure a bit longer.
Make it a Family Thing
Make reading a family affair. Instead of everyone disappearing to their respective rooms and vegetating in front of the television or computer, consider gathering together to read. You might want to read independently, or you could take turns reading one book aloud to one another, or you can simply listen to an audio book together before bedtime.
Not only does this communal bedtime story provide valuable time together as a family, but it also allows the listeners to set aside the stresses of the day and quietly focus on something other than their own concerns.
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Whether you prefer reading longer stories or short snippets, reading aloud or being read to, there are many simply ways to make time for reading during the course of the day. These simple changes to your normal routine can create the opportunity to bring the full and fascinating work of books into your life, and can provide fun family time memories that will last long after the last page of the book is turned.