21 books is a lot of books, considering I read for fun and only review my reads casually on Goodreads, not for any sort of profit or anything. (Although I have considered it, I have a few too many side hustles right now to take on another. So, it's for fun!) But I've always been a huge reader and I can almost always be spotted with a book in hand, or in my ears, or on my phone/iPad.
But honestly, although I know I read a lot more than the average person, I don't feel like I'm reading that much at all. In fact, I feel like I don't read nearly enough – there are so many books out there that I'm missing out on! So I wanted to share the why and the how of it, for anyone who made it a 2018 resolution to read more books.
Why I read so much
This one is easy: Reading is my happy place.
I love bookstores, and I love having books in my home, and of course, I love reading books. When I was little, my parents used to take me to Barnes & Noble in Wilmington once every few weeks; I would grab a pile of books, and I would almost always finish one before we got home. (It was an hour drive back home.)
When I started college, I was too busy to read, but I tried to make time for it when I could. No matter how busy or stressed I was, I always felt 100 times better if I just made time to sink into a book, if only for a little while.
How I read so much
I wanted to share a few of my tips for those of you who wanted to read more this year or who want to make it a goal in the future. It CAN be done.
1. Make time for it.
Sounds easy enough, right? If you schedule time for yourself to read, you are way more likely to remember. Set an alarm, or put it on your calendar. I set an alarm to get ready for bed an hour earlier than I need to be asleep, so I can spend that extra time reading in bed and winding down for the night. It's a double win!
2. Don't go anywhere without a book.
Seriously – always have something to read, and you will be amazed at how much more reading you can do! I always have an audiobook downloaded on my phone to listen to in the car; I have an ebook on my phone to scroll through while I wait in lines or in the car while Pat drives; I have a physical copy for waiting rooms or doctor's offices or lunch breaks.
3. If you don't like what you're reading, put it down.
This is why I end up reading 7-10 books at a time – I start a book, read a chapter or two and put it down if I'm not into it. That doesn't mean I don't pick it back up, because I do hate to never finish a book, but I don't force myself to read something that I'm not feeling. That's how you end up in a reading slump! Only read the books you are interested by and really enjoying – that will keep you turning pages, instead of making reading feel like a task to be completed.
4. Set a goal.
I am really goal oriented, so setting a yearly Goodreads goal as well as a daily goal of 30 minutes of reading is huge for me to make sure I make time to read! I set a goal of 100 books for 2018 (which is a lot, I know!) and aim to read for 30 minutes every day. Some people like to say they'll read so many pages every day, and some people like the reading challenges that require you to read many different kinds or genres of books. Whatever works for you – if you like goals, set some!
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