As a hardcore daydreamer, reading has always been one of the top priorities in my life, not only for the fun of reading exciting stories or learning something new but also because I’m fully aware of the countless benefits it brings. That’s why I could never imagine my life without my books and, TBH, I’d rather lose a hand than having them taken away.
However, if you work or study full time like me, it can be quite challenging to find time to dedicate to leisure activities such as reading, writing or painting, among other hobbies you might have.
In this post, I’m going to share with you some strategies I use daily to find extra time to read. I hope they can help you, too!
How to Find Time to Read
When I get up in the morning
I usually get up a couple of hours before leaving home to go to work. Apparently, I’m a very calm person, but I get stressed very easily and I hate rushing. Sometimes, I’ve overslept (who hasn’t, right?) and, for me, going in a hurry is one of the worst feelings in the world.
First thing in the morning –after my first meditation session,– I prepare a delicious cuppa coffee and sit on the balcony to read a bit in a relaxed way while I smoke the first cigarette of the day –hey, nobody’s perfect. This is my moment. Nobody bothers me and I can dedicate myself to savouring the pages of a book or read an article online. No hurries at all.
When commuting to work
Unfortunately, during the week I spend too much time commuting to work by train. Every day, I spend one hour travelling by train, 40 minutes walking and one more hour in the café having a latte and waiting for my train. In total: 2 hours and 40 minutes every single day from Monday to Friday!
I take advantage of this excessive amount of time not only to read books but also to listen to audiobooks –when I walk or when I simply feel lazy. On LibriVox, you’ll find a lot of literary classics. (I’m currently listening to Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë.) Or you can also try 1 month of Kindle Unlimited for FREE to get access to unlimited books and audiobooks of all type of genres.
At first, it annoyed me a lot to commute to work, but now I see this moment of the day as an opportunity to sit back, relax and enjoy a good book.
During breaks at work
I spend countless hours in the office working in front of a computer. Sometimes, I go for a walk to clear my head or I pick a book to entertain myself. I always have at least one book in the office and, in case I don’t have any, I make sure to stop by the local library or the second-hand book shop right next to my office.
On weekends
Since I work in an office, I’m always off on weekends. I don’t know if that’s your case too, but whenever you’re off work, make sure you set some time aside for reading, either fiction or non-fiction.
Before going to bed
Finally, in the same way that I read every morning, I also do it at night, even if it’s for fifteen minutes. I know you must feel exhausted at the end of the day. I do too, and that’s why I usually feel extremely lazy and pick a fiction book instead of non-fiction, just as if I watched a film or a TV series.
What strategies do you use to find extra time to read?
Peace, love & happiness, y’all. ✌️
