Making Time to Read

According to research, the typical American reads about 4 books a year. While that’s not terrrrible, there’s definitely room for improvement. With the rise of the Internet and social media, finding good books to read is as easy as downloading Good Reads or searching #goodbook on Instagram.

Last year, Adweek published a study claiming that the average person will spend up to FIVE YEARS of their life on social media. I’m already mortified whenever I check my daily usage on Instagram (pro tip: check out your activity in the settings of your IG account). But how do you swap out page likes to page turns?

Use, don’t abuse, your commute

It’s tempting to spend your subway ride scrolling, or your drive listening to music or talking on the phone. But swap out that hour (or more) round trip per day with a paperback or audiobook? It takes the average person about 6-7 hours to read a 300 page book. Without changing any of your daily activities, you can plow through a book a week, easy.

Read before bed

I try to set aside 30 minutes before bed to decompress and read. Without the light from my phone and constant chatter on social media, I can really get into a story, which in turn helps me to read more quickly than when I am constantly starting and stopping. The only downside? If you get too sucked into a good read, you’ll be up much longer than you planned.

Always have a book on your person

Last week I waited twenty minutes to check out at the pharmacy. Luckily, I had a book in my bag. 30 pages later, I was a lot more concerned with the plotline than with whether or not I should keep waiting for a flu shot. Appointments, commuting, waiting for friends to show up to a restaurant, waiting for a delayed flight, waiting in the checkout line - these are all times that you may be tempted to scroll through your feed for the millionth time. If you have a book in your bag, you’re less likely to succumb!

Are there tips that help you read more? If so, let us know in the comments!