Did you have plans to read a lot over the summer? Did you have books laid out for your holiday but you never opened them?
Even without the ambition to read a book a week, most of us tend to neglect books and pages in favour of screens and then, feel guilty about the amount of screen time we accumulate.
I’ve recently developed an approach for reading more and I want to share it with you.
Making time for reading
With a three month old baby I don’t get to sit down for hours in the sunshine reading a physical book. Until now I’ve usually been using my phone whenever Annika was feeding, especially when those feeds take an hour…
And I don’t like being glued to my phone. I want to be more present instead of scrolling through social media or being sucked into the news.
My solution is really simple: there are many different places where I will sit with Annika throughout the day: in the living room and the sunroom, on the bed, in the dining room, at the kitchen island and so on. I now leave books in every location and increase my chance of actually reading them.
Choose a variety of books
I make sure I have a variety of books to choose from. For example, next to the armchair in the bedroom is a book about things to do in the North East of England. Next to the bed is a book about sage burning and card set for morning rituals. Next to the couch in the living room is a book about gardening.
Having books in all these locations means I can read a couple of pages and continue learning about interesting topics whenever Annika is feeding. I also find books much easier to put down quickly than my phone, because they don’t hold my attention in the same way social media feeds and the endless scroll do.
Lower the barriers to reading
So if you want to read more, I suggest you make it as easy as possible to access interesting books, and have them in the different locations, where you spend your time. This could be in the living room, next to your bed, but also in the backpack or handbag you take to the office so you can read during your commute.
You will find it gets easier to remember to turn pages instead of swiping on your phone.
Is reading something you want to do more of? If so, what have you tried to increase your reading time and reduce your screen time?
I hope you enjoy this tip and that it will help you pick up more books, spend more time reading, and less time getting sucked into online debates, the 24 hour new cycle, and mind numbing scrolling.
Have a great week!
Eva