I won’t read as much every month, but this is how I keep consistent (Image: Danielle Kate Wroe)
We all know that reading has a wealth of health benefits, and it’s just fun. But it can be really hard to sit down and commit to reading a book for hours on end for some people. But it doesn’t have to be that prescriptive.
The people who read the most don’t just sit and read constantly. I know it’s hard to believe, especially knowing that I’ve read 31 books in the month of August. But last month, I also moved house, went to Rhodes in Greece (which is stunning by the way) and had busy weekends. And yet I still managed to read a handful of books.
It’s definitely not a usual reading month, but there are ways that I’ve managed to read so much.
The purpose of this isn’t for me to preach at you about how much I can read this National Read A Book Day (September 6), but it’s to share the ways that I sneak in reading time when others may just decide to doomscroll or stare into space. Which can also be fun, to be fair, everything has a time and a place.
So, here are my favourite ways to sneak in reading, meaning if you want to read even a little bit more, you’ll be able to.
Audiobooks
Some people claim that listening to audiobooks is not reading, and I literally could not disagree more if I tried. I really think that it’s an ableist suggestion, and if you’re listening to the words, you’re processing them in the exact same way as looking at them, so what is the issue?
Anyway, audiobook haters aside, I think they’re an amazing way to do other things while also being able to get some pages in.
Take, for example, I recently moved house and had a lot of things to do. There were boxes upon bags upon even more boxes, and it felt like we were getting nowhere. I was looking in my office, genuinely thinking that I’d never be able to sort anything out. My motivation was low, and I felt overwhelmed.
But when I put an audiobook on, it gave me something to focus on, which meant that I was able to do the task at hand. Same for cleaning around the house. It serves as a motivator when silence is just making you not want to participate.
Plus, audiobooks are great for when you want to go on a solo walk, but also get some reading done at the same time.
E-readers
I literally swear by taking my Kindle everywhere with me, sometimes alongside a physical book if I’ve almost finished it. E-readers are fantastic because they take up barely any room in your bag, and you can download whatever you fancy on the go by just hotspotting your phone.
If you’re travelling as well, they’re perfect for the plane – just remember to download enough stuff to keep you busy if you’re going on a long flight!
Read when you’re waiting around
On public transport? Pick up your book rather than listening to music or doomscrolling. Waiting for a friend to turn up, and they’re going to be 10 minutes late? You’ve got time to fit in a chapter!
There’s a major misconception about reading that you have to sit down and dedicate hours and hours to it in one go.
You don’t have to participate in 24-hour readathons – just try and fit in a couple of chapters a day. Just six minutes of reading can improve your mental health massively.
