Reading is a great habit to get into, but you may feel that you do not have enough time. You may work a full-time job and are tired when you get home, or you are a parent with a busy home life. There are many other reasons you may feel you do not have time to read.
Here are five ways to develop a reading habit with no excuses:
- Use Your Devices
- Use Traditional Books
- Take Advantage of Audible or Audiobooks
- Use an App like Blinkist
- Take Advantage of Your Local Library
- Use a Lending Library
- Take Advantage of Magazines or Newspapers
Use Your Devices
You may be someone who feels you cannot read because you cannot carry a book around with you all the time. There is no excuse.
You can use any device to read. I have a laptop, an iPad, an iPhone, and a Kindle Fire. I have the Kindle app uploaded to all my devices. It does not matter where I am or which device, I have with me, I can pull up any one of my books that I am currently reading. I am usually reading 4 to 6 books at any given time. I find using a device gives me the freedom and flexibility to read wherever I am.
My mother-in-law has a Nook, an iPhone, and a laptop. She operates the same way I do. Sit down, turn on your device, and read.
If you go on a trip and you cannot pack multiple books, you always have your devices. I usually take my laptop, my iPhone, and my iPad with me on every trip. If I am sitting at the airport waiting on a flight, I have my iPhone or my iPad out reading. If I am in a hotel or a resort at Disney, I sometimes like to pull out my laptop and read.
The advantage of an electronic device is that you always have your book with you no matter where you are.
Devices can be expensive depending on what you have. I have accumulated all these devices over time. I am not advising you to go out and buy these devices. I am just saying if you have them, take advantage of them.
I have an iPhone instead of a landline and I use it to stay in touch with my friends and family, and right now during the pandemic, I use it for work. My husband bought my iPad. My mother-in-law bought my laptop as a gift when I started blogging. I won the Kindle Fire at a conference.
You may be one that only enjoys reading books and that is fine. The disadvantage to that is when you go on a trip, you may be limited to only one or two books, that is the advantage of a device. You may decide you want to take one book and then one of your devices so that you have more choices.
If you are sitting in your hotel room, at a family member’s home, or by the pool you may decide to take a book with you to read. If you go somewhere like the beach or a trip where someone else is driving, you can have your device with you and you can read while riding in the vehicle.
I do not limit my reading to just my devices. As I stated above, I typically have 4 to 6 books going at one time. I may have a book or a magazine that I am reading but I still have my iPhone or iPad that I am reading on as well. I am a moody person, so I get in the mood to read different things, hence the 4-6 books.
Download the free Kindle app to any device of your choice.
Use Traditional Books
The use of traditional books is usually most people’s first choice. You can sit down in a comfy chair next to the fireplace or on your porch to read and do not need to take it anywhere.
You may be someone who must hold the book physically in your hand. There are many like that. While this may not always be the most convenient way to read, it works.
Think ahead of time and think about your schedule. If you use traditional paperbacks or hardbacks think about the size of the book and where you will be.
Will it fit in your purse or briefcase?
You can take a book with you and read it on your lunch break or while sitting at an appointment.
Take Advantage of Audible or Audiobooks
Although we are talking about “reading,” it does not always have to come in the form of a book or device. Audible or Audiobooks can be just as enjoyable as reading a book. You get the same thing from it as actually reading. It is the same story, same plot, same characters, or maybe a learning experience, it is just on a different platform.
Sometimes it is nice to just sit and listen to something. I often sit and listen to music to relax. Listening to a book can be just as relaxing, and your imagination can run away with you.
Sometimes an audiobook is more advantageous than a device or a book itself. If you are sitting on an airplane on a trip, you may be tired and do not feel like reading. You may decide you just want to listen to something. You can listen to the book that you have already been reading.
With Kindle Unlimited you have the option to download a book and read or listen to it interchangeably. You may decide that you want to read the book and then listen to it so that you understand everything that you read.
I know people who have long commutes to work and back home who enjoy listening to a book while on the road. When my husband and I lived in Atlanta, which was years ago, he used to listen to books on tape, that was a long time ago. He had motivational books and inspirational books that he listened to.
Instead of just driving to work and being stuck in traffic he was taking the opportunity to listen to something that he enjoyed.
My son is a truck driver and enjoys Audible because he can listen to his favorite books on the road.
By taking advantage of Audible or Audiobooks you can listen to a book at any time you choose.
Use an App Like “Blinkist”
You may think that you do not have much time to read. Think again.
Blinkist has developed a way to read or listen to short summaries of a book. The books are divided into short segments and can take anywhere from 15 to 20 minutes to read.
I love to read the “blinks” because it does not take long, and I get something out of it. Sometimes I may only have a few minutes and I want to read something, so I pull out my iPhone or iPad and find a blink to read.
Even though I have only read for 15 to 20 minutes I get enough out of the book to have fed my mind or decided I like the book enough to purchase and read the whole book.
A new feature with Blinkist is that now you can sync the books you are reading with your Kindle device or Evernote.
Blinkist is also partnered with Audiobooks so that you can purchase and listen to a book of your choice.
You will probably read a lot about Blinkist here because it is such a great way to get in a little reading each day. I have been quite happy with it.
You can read my review here.
Take Advantage of Your Local Library
There are many people who make an excuse not to read because they do not feel they have the money to buy books. But do not forget your local library.
I will not spend much time here, discussing getting a library card. I did so here. This is a very convenient way of acquiring the books that you enjoy and want to read.
Use a Lending Library
When I talk about a lending library, I am referring to something like Kindle Unlimited or BookLender.com. I personally use Kindle Unlimited.
Kindle Unlimited has a monthly membership where you can download and read unlimited books in a month for $9.99. You have a specific timeframe to read them.
I know others who have used a lending library, and they enjoy it. An electronic lending library is where you purchase a membership, and you can read but do not purchase the books. You do not have to worry about accumulating a stack of books each month. These books are lent to you to read. Be aware though that you have a limited time to read them.
Take Advantage of Magazines or Newspapers
If you are someone who does not really enjoy sitting and reading a book for a prolonged period of time, you maybe enjoy just reading a short story in a magazine or an article in the newspaper.
I guess the reason I harp on reading so much is that of all the many benefits that you get from reading. You can read about that in one of my previous posts. There are a lot of health benefits to reading.
Magazines have a variety of stories or articles in them that you can sit and enjoy for just a few minutes at a time. A magazine is not something that you just have to sit down and finish when you read it. A newspaper is the same. You may sit down and browse the newspaper and read a few articles and feel just as relaxed as you would have if you had sat and read a longer book.
Whatever you do, find something or some way to read. Reading exercises your mind. There are way too many people sitting in front of the TV vegging out on comedy or drama and letting their minds get soggy.
I hope that you will look at these examples and take advantage of some of them and stop making excuses not to read.
Happy reading!
Pamela
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