Here are my tips for making time to read when you have no time to spare.<\/p>\n
\n
Read only books you enjoy<\/h3>\n
Don’t be afraid to drop a book you hate. Reading books you don\u2019t enjoy takes the pleasure out of the activity, resulting in it taking you longer to force yourself through the text. Bad books make reading a chore, not a hobby. You will find more time to read if you\u2019re reading something you enjoy.<\/p>\n
Check out my post, Life’s Too Short to Read Bad Books<\/a>, for more on why it’s ok not to finish books you don’t like.<\/p>\n It\u2019s acceptable to power skim things you have to read for school or parts of books that you don\u2019t really enjoy. You don\u2019t have to take in every detail of every chapter to get what you need from a book.<\/p>\n I always have at least one non-fiction and one fiction book going at the same time. That way, I always\u00a0have something to read that fits my mood.<\/p>\n That 10 minute wait between classes is an excellent time to read, but only if you have a book with you.\u00a0There really is no reason with current technology that you should ever be without something to read. I do a lot of reading on my iPhone, so I have my Kindle and iBook apps everywhere I go. I\u2019m never without a book because I\u2019m never without my phone. It\u2019s much more practical than carrying around a physical book all the time.<\/p>\n You have to relax sometime. Plan your reading and relaxation at the same time. There are three times I read most\u2014right before I go to sleep, right when I wake up and when I\u2019m relaxing in the bathtub. These blocks of about 30 minutes give me time to relax, recharge and enjoy a great read.<\/p>\n You can\u2019t read a book while you\u2019re lifting weights (at least I haven\u2019t figured out how), but you can read on the bike, treadmill or elliptical. Again, I usually read on my phone in these locations because it\u2019s just easier to control than a book. You can easily sneak in a chapter while you\u2019re doing a cardio warm up or cool down.<\/p>\n One of the great secrets of reading is that you don\u2019t have to physically read everything you \u201cread.\u201d Audiobooks are an excellent alternative to reading that still allow you to consume information. Audiobooks work well during exercise and while commuting.<\/p>\n The average American spends four hours a day watching TV<\/a>. What if you spent even half of that time reading instead?\u00a0I am not a big TV viewer. So, instead of spending hours every evening vegging out in front of the television, I read a book. I find this time much more enjoyable than that spent staring at a screen.<\/p>\n Keep a running list of things you want to read and things you\u2019ve already read. The GoodReads<\/a> app is a nice way to organize your lists. If you’re not sure what to read next, take a look at my 2016 reading list<\/a>, which I update regularly. You also can find and share reading recommendations on my Real Nerds Read<\/a> Facebook page.<\/p>\n I hope this post has given you some good ideas for making more time to read. There is time in your day to read, you just have to be intentional about it. You’ll be happy you did.<\/p>\n
\nSkim when warranted<\/h3>\n
\nRead several books simultaneously<\/h3>\n
\nAlways have something to read<\/h3>\n
\nRead to relax<\/h3>\n
\nRead during fitness<\/h3>\n
\nEmbrace non-reading<\/h3>\n
\nTurn off the TV<\/h3>\n
\nKeep a running book list<\/h3>\n
\n
\n
![\"profKRG\"](\"http:\/\/studentpress.org\/acp\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/09\/profKRG-150x150.jpg\")
Kenna Griffin is an assistant professor of mass communications and director of student publications at Oklahoma City University. She is the author of the