In today’s world we are all running on little to no time for reading. It seems to be the last thing we do at night (and fall asleep doing it) or it’s pushed out of the day completely. As a military wife, homeschooling mother and a small-business owner, I’m short on time too, but one thing that rings true for me, no matter what – reading is essential, not just for keeping current and well-rounded, but for sanity’s sake.
Because of the demand on our schedules, it’s important to have a game plan for logging more reading hours, however possible. In this post, I’m including 7 tips that have helped me grow in my reading life. My goal in past years has been one book a week for a total of 52 books each year. Over time, with the tips I’m going to share with you, I’ve consistently exceeded that goal, so this year I’m bumping up that goal to 75 books completed for the year. So far I’m at 56.
1. Take advantage of your local library
There are many reasons this is a great idea. First of all, the books are free to use! And with the interlibrary loan system almost any print media is literally at your fingertips. Second, libraries offer more than just print literature anymore. They offer free access to audiobooks and e-books, movies, other web resources, free music downloads and more. Third, all of these loans are on a time sensitive basis, which means you have a deadline to finish what you’ve started. This is tremendously helpful to me because it makes reading a priority.
2. Join a book club or start your own
This tip is to broaden your range of reading. I think it’s easy to get into a rut and read books of the same genre only. Joining a club or beginning one expands your world of reading; it invites you into different cultures, other worldviews, a variety of stories and authors, as well as cultivating your imagination. There are many books that I’ve read that I wouldn’t have otherwise picked up.
3. Download the libby app
This partners with tip number 1, but I felt it deserves its own point because this has been a big help for me to get more read. The libby app uses your local library to borrow audiobooks for free. There may be a wait on some titles, but there is always something available that interests me. I can’t tell you how many mundane jobs around the house are rescued by my libby app and a pair of beats headphones. All the while I fold socks and wash dishes I am listening to a great read. It may not be as good as reading a print book, but it’s better than no book.
E-books are also available on the libby app and a perfect tool to use on the go. Having libby, or any e-reading app, on your phone you always have a book with you wherever you are. Waiting at the dentist’s office, waiting to pick up kids, waiting in the check-out line. It always seems like we are waiting. Instead of playing a mind-numbing game on your phone or binge watching cat videos on youtube, make use of your time getting in a great read. It’s a much better use of your time.
Visit your App Store to download the libby app and get started reading today! Wow, I sound like a commercial. But seriously, it's so worth it!
4. Read at least 3 books at a time
I don’t mean literally 3 books at once, I mean have 3 kinds of reads going continually. For example, I read a tough book (classic literature, biography, historical accounts), a help book (something business or school related) and a fun read (novel). As homeschoolers we have several other books that we read together for lessons and at least one fun book we read as a family. When you have a few minutes to read, grab the one that you’re in the mood for and go for it. Even if you only read a few pages a day, you’ll eventually get all of them read.
These last few tips are more on the lines of resources that have helped me increase the effectiveness of my reading.
5. Use book darts
We borrow lots of books over the course of a year, and many of those books contain nuggets that I want to remember. I used to carry a notebook and pencil along with whatever book I was currently reading in order to take notes as I went through the material. This grew cumbersome and irritating when I wanted to write something while reading, even more so when I forgot to bring a notebook and pencil along with me. I tried using sticky notes to mark pages that held a quote to take note of later. But I these too were bothersome as they would fall off when the stickiness wore off or even worse, stuck so much that it took great care to remove them from the pages.
Then, I discovered book darts. These are such a handy tool. They come conveniently stored in a round metal tin. When I want to mark a page, I attach the dart to the page where I want to remember a quote or passage. They work far better than paper clips, since these crease and leave marks on pages. You can easily clip several onto the first page so that you can bring them along with you wherever your reading takes you.
Once you have some time, grab a notebook (see #7 for commonplace book), and transfer your darted findings to look back on and treasure whenever you like. These darts have been a game-changer for me. You can purchase book darts here.
6. Use reading guides
Using reading guides has increased the speed of my reading and has improved my focus. This is especially helpful when reading deeper material. I have clear guides that direct my concentration without blocking my view of the words. It makes a handy book-mark too! Originally, we bought these to help Peanut when she encountered reading struggles early on. Even though she no longer uses them, I still do!
You can purchase reading guides here.
7. Keep a commonplace book
Dictionary.com defines a commonplace book as a book into which notable extracts from other works are copied. This includes poems, quotes, remarks, passages that impact the reader, etc. This practice has long been in use. Some of the greatest people in history were known to keep them: George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Mark Twain, Lewis Carroll, John Locke, Jane Austen and Ralph Waldo Emerson, just to name a few.
You can make your notebook as simple or as elaborate as you wish. An inexpensive dollar store notebook works just fine. If you want to splurge and get a beautifully bound journal it makes each entry all the more special and momentous and offers a sense of nostalgia when you peruse your findings later. Either way, it’s the words inside that matter most. It’s rewarding to see all the tidbits of wisdom and beauty that I’ve collected over the years.
BONUS tip #8! Keep a reading log
Keeping track of the books you read over the year is fun and rewarding. After you’ve been tracking your journey for a few years, it’s interesting and telling to see where your reading interests may have influenced you during specific times in your life or where your life altered your reading choices. Noting your reading journey inside your commonplace is one idea, but I also enjoy a visual aid so I have designed a line-drawn bookcase of my annual reads. If you’re interested in using it for your reading goals, just sign up to receive my blog updates below and download the two-page spread for free.
I hope this post will help you find time to read more or to gain more out of your current reading. Either way, thanks for joining me and keep reading and growing!
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