author: Sabrina Espinoza
With constant assignments, tasks, exams, and extracurriculars having to be focused on during school, it can be difficult to find the time to just sit down and read something. Having to read, annotate, and do long projects on books in English class doesn’t help the most with making reading seem like a fun activity either.
However, reading can be a valuable time to get away from school-related responsibilities for a while, allow our minds to imagine and wander, provide us with relaxation, and introduce us to new ideas. We can also gain new insights, acquire knowledge about a certain topic, enrich our vocabularies, and learn advice from others through reading books.
Overall, adding reading to our routines can provide us with benefits as simple as providing a relaxing activity to ones like providing us with new knowledge. Still, with all the tasks and things we’re surrounded by, how can we fit a bit of reading into our schedules? And how can we see reading as something to enjoy instead of associating it with stressful assignments and exams?
1) Figure out where and how you can have access to books.
This first point is one of the most important: if you want to add more reading into your day, you need to have some sort of book or magazine at hand. It’s difficult wanting to read but having no idea how to get a hold of something to read in the first place.
Luckily, there are many ways to have access to books and other reading media. There’s bookstores, libraries, school media centers, online shopping sites, e-book shops, and magazine subscriptions. There could also be book donations and book sales around your area. You could ask a family member or friend to lend a book or magazine too.
A quick search of “bookstores/libraries near me” can provide you with some shops to visit, whether it’s a Barnes and Nobles, a local library, or a used bookstore! If you don’t feel like visiting a shop or there are no stores in your area, online sites are other great options, such as eBay, Amazon, Barnes and Nobles, Thriftbooks, etc. Local book sales and used book shops also provide a wide variety of books for cheaper prices!
Overall, it really depends on which option is most convenient for you and which fits your lifestyle/schedule/budget the best.
2) Figure out which genres you enjoy the most or are the most interested in.
Whether you’re a long-time reader or someone who rarely picks up a book, forcing yourself to read a book you don’t find interesting or dislike can turn reading into an unappealing activity.
Although you probably won’t like every book you pick out, it’s helpful to identify which genres you’ve found yourself gravitating to the most, so that you have a higher chance of being interested in the book you end up choosing.
A way to do this is by thinking of the books you’ve enjoyed in the past and seeing if they have anything in common. You can think of any movies or media you’ve enjoyed as well. Chances are, they might have a common genre or characteristic. If they don’t, that’s okay too- some people like a variety of genres instead of only sticking to one.
Still, there’s a chance that there’s at least one genre that you’re frequently drawn to, whether it’s science fiction, fantasy, realistic fiction, nonfiction, mystery, horror, romance, etc. You can simply be mindful of your favorite genres when searching for a book to read or write your favorite genres down in a notebook or piece of paper to remember them.
Of course, it’s always valuable and beneficial to branch out and read a variety of genres! Don’t feel pressured to only stay with one all the time (it might get a bit boring!).
3) Create a book wishlist.
Once you’ve figured out how you can get books and learned which genres you’re interested in, you can create a book wishlist. Personally, I think book wishlists can make reading exciting; it’s a nice feeling when you can finally read a book you’ve been wanting for a long time. It’s also enjoyable surfing the web and finding different books to add to your wishlist. If you’re having trouble seeing reading in a positive light, making a list of books you want can help reignite excitement for reading.
Sites like Barnes and Nobles, Amazon, book blogs, book websites, etc. are good options for searching for potential books to add to your list. Goodreads is an especially good one, as you can see the ratings, detailed reviews, the genres, and the summaries of different books! Goodreads also has personalized recommendations and different lists of books (most anticipated books, debut novels, new releases, etc.).
You can get book recommendations from others too, whether it’s people you know, someone you admire, or an influencer/celebrity.
4) Set aside a certain time to read.
Setting aside a more specific time to read can really help with adding more reading in your routine, since it helps make reading almost become a habit. Doing this is what helped me the most with reading a lot more during quarantine!
You can choose to read in the morning, after lunch, in the evening after schoolwork, or before you go to bed. You can get very specific with the time if you want (ex. 12:30 pm, 5:00 pm, 8:00 pm, etc). I usually read in the evenings during my winding-down routine, since it helps relax me and clear my mind!
Of course, days vary a lot, depending on your amount of schoolwork, any responsibilities, events, meetings, and other factors. Some days, it’s very difficult to squeeze in reading! Still, setting a certain time of your day for reading can help make it a part of your routine and incorporate it more into your life!
5) Set a reading or page goal.
It can help to set a reading or page goal that you want to achieve, since it can give you motivation or structure. For example, you can determine a certain amount of pages you want to read during sessions (ex. I will read at least 5 pages) or a certain amount of chapters (ex. I will read at least 2 chapters). Your goal can be time-related too, such as saying you’ll read for at least 10 minutes, 20 minutes, an hour, and other lengths.
Additionally, many people like to set goals for a certain amount of books they want to read in a year or month, whether it’s 5, 15, 30, or even 50!
You can make your goals more specific and interesting if you want, like wanting to read x amount of books in a certain genre, reading a book for every letter in the alphabet, reading x amount of books that start with a certain letter, reading every book by an author, etc.
Your reading and page goals don’t need to be large, intimidating numbers. If you’ve fallen out of a reading habit, it can be a bit difficult to set a goal for numbers like 100 books in a year, 5 hours of daily reading, or 150 pages each session. It’s helpful to start small and gradually build up to longer reading sessions or more books to read. Even just a couple of minutes a day reading can help clear your mind or give you ideas!
Don’t feel shame at choosing lower numbers either: it’s better to read 5 books and really immerse yourself in them than to read 50 books and rush through them.
6) Join a book club or community.
Joining book communities like Goodreads, school or local book clubs, or forming reading groups with friends can be great ways to engage more with reading and discuss different novels. It can help with making reading an enjoyable, exciting, and enriching activity as well.
By interacting with others about certain books, you can share and discuss theories or ideas about a story, and feel more motivated to read since you’ll want to understand what others are talking about. You can also hear the reading goals of others, as well as share your own!
While it’s relaxing to have some alone time and escape in a book, it can be fun and insightful to be involved in a book community or club.
7) Listen to audiobooks.
This last point can help if you’d rather listen to the books you want to read! With audiobooks, you can listen to different books while doing activities like cleaning, cooking, walking, or just sitting in bed. Audiobooks also help add some emotion, voices, and entertainment to a book.
Sites like the well-known Audible are good resources for audiobooks. If you find that you can’t seem to enjoy reading a book in silence for a period of time, audiobooks might be the answer for you!
In conclusion…
Reading doesn’t have to be a dreadful activity associated with excessive analysis, assigned chapters, and tiring projects. It can be enriching, imaginative, and insightful. It can be relaxing, soothing, and calming. It can entertain you, give you ideas, give you advice, and provide you with knowledge.
Even something as small as reading for 5 minutes a day can help add more reading into your routine and make reading a beneficial habit. You don’t need to read every day or every week if that’s not your cup of tea. Still, reading a full-length book or magazine at least once in a while can give you emotional and mental benefits.
There are thousands of books out there to be read. Why not choose one and start?