How to *actually* read more books this year

My completely amateur unsolicited advice

Setting some time aside as your dedicated reading time is a great way to ensure your favourite hobby doesn’t take a back seat (Photo by Nicole Wolf on Unsplash)

It’s the middle of April, almost a third of the way through 2021, and if you started this year with a list of New Year’s resolutions, you might be fretting over your progress (or lack thereof). Now, if your resolution was to learn coding or woodcarving, I’m afraid I can’t help; but if your aim is to read more books, I’ve got some tried and tested tips for you.

A quick disclaimer before we dive in - as I mentioned in my last blog, many people have been struggling to read since the start of the pandemic. It’s okay if you just can’t face picking up a book; you shouldn’t feel like you have to do your hobby, or hit a certain reading target. So if you’re not in the right headspace for reading at the moment, be kind to yourself, and find what feels good.

But if you have a TBR (“to be read”) stack you’re itching to get into, but the days just get away from you, here’s how you can inject some literary joy in your life:

#1. Add it to your daily routine

The easiest way to ensure you’ve got the time to read is to make the time. Without a dedicated reading slot in my day, my favourite pastime ended up getting pushed back in favour of more “pressing” tasks. You can tackle that by allocating some book time every day. For me, that’s first thing in the morning with a cup of tea, before getting out of bed; but you could also read on your lunch break - turning it into a screen break as well - or make it part of your bedtime routine.

#2. Try an audio book with your chores

It’s not the same as reading, I know. But allow me to propose the idea that it can be just as good. Yes, it takes some adjustment if you’re not used to the medium, but onces you get into the groove, it can be life-changing. A nice audio book is the perfect companion for all the times when you need your hands and eyes free, but you can let your mind wander. Try it when commuting, going for a walk, doing the dishes or even in the shower!

Added bonus: an excellent voice actor can really bring a story to life

#3. Become a mood reader

This is honestly the best thing you can do for yourself as a book lover. I used to obsess over the order I read books in, and never allow myself digressions, regardless my mood. New book in a series coming out? I must read this immediately. A novel someone at work recommended? I should probably pick it up next. A stack of unread paperbacks from my latest book haul? Better not reach for the Kindle store.

You get the idea. Whatever your personal restrictions, I advise you to ditch them, and listen to your heart whenever you’re choosing your next read. It might not banish your reading slumps completely, but you would notice a definite decrease!

#4. Don’t fear the DNF (“did not finish”)

Following from that, sometimes the timing is all wrong, and even if a book sounded amazing when you started, you find yourself struggling to get through each chapter. If you’re anything like me from three years ago, you’d be fighting an internal battle to “complete” the book, which turns into reading less and less, until you’re deep into a reading slump.

But putting novels aside if you’re not feeling them is completely fine. Maybe they’re just not right for your mood, or maybe they’re not the right story for you at all. And if DNF sounds scary and makes you feel like a failure, call it “on hold” instead. That way the decision sounds less final, and leaves a door open if you wanted to revisit the book later on.

#5. Don’t compare your progress to others

I won’t blow anyone’s mind by saying the internet makes it way too easy to compare ourselves to others. But did you ever imagine that would extend beyond looks, wealth and fitness to include reading habits? Neither did I.

Whether you’re on Goodreads spying on the reading challenge progress of your friends, or you’re scrolling through bookstagram and marvelling at how quick your favourite bloggers go through their TBR, the result is the same - you feel bad about your own, supposedly inadequate, read pile.

But cheesy as this sounds, everyone’s lives are different, and you can’t compare apples to oranges. Maybe your friend lives alone and you have three housemates to socialise with in the evening. Or maybe they commute and you work from home. Maybe they’re furloughed, unemployed, or reading to keep their anxiety at bay. Or maybe you simply have more hobbies you like to mix up.

Whatever your personal story is, remember, it’s not a competition. You can read as little or as much as you want, whenever you want, through any medium you want. At the end of the day, you’re doing it for yourself, and the love of books.