Vividly Creative

Making time for hobbies gets complicated as we grow older, but that does not mean we will not get to enjoy them as we used to anymore.

Here’s some quick tips how to get more reading each day:

Mak it easy for yourself

Every time I set a new goal for myself, I set a lot of unrealistic goals like «Read 100 books a year» «Read every single day, without any exceptions» «Read all the books from x author» «Read all the series that I’ve been putting off since 2012.»

Ambition is a good thing to have, but it can do more harm than good if you’re not mindful of it.

It’s important to classify your goals, for example reading 100 books in a year is a long-term goal, therefore you need to have a plan to actually get there.

Nothing too elaborate, this could be I will read a short play or a comic and an audiobook a week.

This way it much more manageable and is not as daunting, which will make it easier for you not to quit.

Don’t make yourself finish a book you’re not enjoying reading

Sometimes we read because a book is popular, it’s a classic, it was highly rated on Amazon or recommended by an author, media or someone you admire or trust.

Nothing wrong with this, but you might not like it. I have read so many books for the reasons above and had so many books that I did not enjoyed at all, but made myself finish them because everyone else seems to believe it’s amazing.

We’re all different, you might hate a book I absolutely adore and vice versa.

If you’re curious about how it ends, just look up a summary of it on the internet. No need to feel bad about it, the book taught you that this particular genre, writing style or theme is not for you. You’re not the target audience and that’s okay.

Move on to reading something that you actually might enjoy or even change your life.

It’s easier and will make you want to read more instead of never want to reach for a book ever again because you force yourself to finish that 800+ page book just cause you already spend so much time on it.

Incorporate reading into your routine

Making the time for reading as an adult can be difficult. Between work, adulting & making sure your house or apartment does not look like an abandoned building, reading might get overlooked.

Think about where it would be easy for you to add reading in your routine, is it right after you wake up? On your commute to work with an audiobook? Maybe while waiting for the train or the station you can squeeze a 10 to half an hour reading session.

I used to read on the train while I was in college. When I finished my degree, I was reading before bed for a while and now I usually listen to audiobooks while working.

Your routine might change overtime so don’t feel bad if you don’t stick with your routine forever, that’s normal. You just need to find another time that works for you in your current situation.

Read in different formats & different places

I thought that I could not read multiple books at once, now I don’t know how I didn’t get bored reading just a story at a time.

I love reading Webtoons, comics, audiobooks and physical books interchangeably. I usually read physical books during commutes and audiobooks while cleaning or working.

I love the change of pace from a very intense book to a lighthearted webcomic or vice versa. Taking my kindle to the beach and a book to read during my lunch break.

Reading in different places somehow helps me keep me interested in the book and it’s a nice memory to read outside your house: «I took this book to the beach» «I finished this book in one sitting in Starbucks.» «I listened to that while running.» etc

Sometimes is not that you do not want to read, in some cases we’re overwhelmed by life and what we need to get done.

Take yourself out on a date, bring a book with you and see where it goes.

Join a book club

Talking about books and being excited about it will make you want to read more. Especially when people start recommending you their favorite books.

There’s many books and authors to discover, you might just fall in love with reading again.

There’s a ton of online book clubs and you can also check locally what you have available. If not, join a community on Bookstagram, Booktok or Fable or even give it a shot and create your own, you never know!

Did we miss a tip? Let us know your advice on how you help yourself read more down below!