How to Read More Books This Year
Looking for tips on how to read more this year? I’ve got you covered!
I’ve always been a big reader, but during college I found myself reading less and less. After I graduated from college, I decided to set a goal to read two books per month.
I accomplished this first goal, and then the following year, I ended up reading over 70 books! Now I regularly read more than 70 books per year.
These are tips and tricks that helped me start reading more and took me from an inconsistent reader struggling to finish two books a month, to an avid reader finishing over six books a month. If you want to read more books this year and make reading a part of your daily routine, these easy tips should work for you too!
1. Read ebooks
In the past couple of years, I have really started getting into reading ebooks on my phone. I’ve always been a big fan of physical books, and I still am, but I can’t deny the convenience of ebooks. They definitely help me read more. I read almost everything on my phone, but you can also read ebooks on a Kindle or tablet.
Ebooks are so much more portable than physical books. Having books on my phone was especially useful for me last year when I spent the entire year traveling and living out of a suitcase. So with ebooks, I was able to read as much as I wanted while packing light and without having to carry around a bunch of heavy books!
2. Try audiobooks
I don’t personally listen to audiobooks, because I don’t like being read to and prefer traditional reading, but I know so many people who LOVE audiobooks! Especially if you already listen to music and podcasts frequently, you may enjoy listening to audiobooks and find it to be an easy transition to start reading more.
If you want to give audiobooks a try, you can get a free trial of Audible Plus which gives you 30 days of unlimited listening to more than 10,000 audiobooks including many popular titles.
3. Read wherever you go
Try to always have a book on your (whether that’s a physical book or an ebook on your device) so you can read wherever you go. I always read anytime I’m in transit or even waiting in line somewhere.
Even if you just have 5 to 10 minutes of downtime (and that’s time you would normally spend scrolling through your phone!) make yourself read instead, and soon it will become a natural habit.
4. Replace other habits with reading
Part of the reason I was able to start reading so much is because I cut out other habits that were taking up a lot of time, and replaced them with reading instead. For example, before I started reading, I used to spend HOURS a day scrolling through TikTok (such a big time waster) or watching TV shows.
Now I hardly ever do those things, because I’m spending that time reading instead. You have to make a commitment to cut out other habits and replace them with reading, but it’s worth it.
5. Track your reading
I started using Goodreads to track my reading and it helped me start reading a ton more.
Goodreads is a website that allows you to track your reading by creating “shelves” with books you’ve read and books you want to read. You can also rate and review books you’ve read, track your progress toward your reading goal, get book recommendations, and see stats and data about your reading.
I have found Goodreads to be incredibly motivating when it comes to reading more! I love being able to organize and rate all the books I’ve read and see my progress toward my yearly reading goal.
6. Read before bed
You’ve probably heard a million times that reading before bed is good for you and helps you sleep. Well, it’s true! Reading before bed for a designated amount of time is a habit anyone can start.
If you’re like most people, you probably spend some time before bed on your phone or laptop. I know I used to spend hours on my phone or laptop once I was in bed. Now, I spend that time reading instead and it’s when I get most of my reading done (also in the morning right when I wake up.)
7. Set a reading goal
It wasn’t until I made the FIRM goal to read 24 books that it actually happened.
Set a concrete goal (not just a vague resolution to “read more”) and write that somewhere you will see it and can track your progress. For me, I wrote it on the first page of my planner. You can also set your reading goal on Goodreads and track your progress toward it throughout the year.
Whether your goal is to read one book a month or one book a week, get specific with it and write it down somewhere. It’s been proven you are more likely to reach it that way!
8. Read what you enjoy
Don’t worry about reading books you think you “should” read because that will just make reading a chore. For a while, I was reading only reading books that were award-winning or “serious” literary fiction, because I felt like those were the books I needed to be reading. But that didn’t always mean I liked them.
Then I discovered that I LOVE reading fantasy and mysteries and thrillers. Once I found the genres I really liked, I started flying through books compared to when I would pick something up only because it was popular.
9. Join a book club or reading challenge
Finally, while this is not something I have tried yet myself, a lot of people get motivated to read more by joining a book club or participating in a reading challenge. Both can be very motivating.
Books clubs are great if you want some peer pressure to read (and of course to have a place to discuss what you’re reading with others!) And reading challenges like the PopSugar Reading Challenge make what you read in a year into a fun game with different themed reading prompts to fulfill.
10. Don’t put pressure on yourself
The final tip I have for how to read more is to not put too much pressure on yourself.
Don’t set a goal of reading 100 books in a year and feel like you HAVE to read that much. It’s better to set a small, easily achievable goal to start with, whether that is one book a month or one book a week.
Reading should be fun! It shouldn’t start to feel like a chore because you feel like you “have” to finish a certain number of books. So don’t put too much pressure on yourself to where it starts to feel that way.
How to Read More: Final Thoughts
This is how I started reading more and read 70+ in a year. If you want to start reading more, I hope these tips will help you prioritize reading and make it part of your daily routine.
It can take a little effort at the beginning, but like setting any habit, once you get into the groove by doing it consistently for a couple of weeks, it will become second nature!
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