If you follow Myleik Teele or WellReadBlackGirl on Instagram or any social media platform, at some point, you've probably made the silent promise to yourself to read more as you watch Myleik and Glory fill your timeline with great reads. That sounds good in your head, but you know that as soon as you leave Barnes & Noble, your new purchase will be parked on the nightstand of never-to-be-read. Life happens, and it usually happens in a way that many times conflicts with our desire to do the things that matter most to us, reading included. Here's a few tips that could help you read more of the books you've always wanted to read:
Carry a small note pad or journal to write down titles of books
I never know when I'll see or hear about a book I want to read, so I keep a small note pad with me to write down titles and authors of books to add to my To-Read list. Librarianship has made this habit mandatory for me. One of my favorite parts of being a librarian is collection development, which is when I look through professional publications of book reviews to recommend new items for my library's collection. I usually add just as much to my personal list as I do to the list for the library.
Having a running list of titles that you'd like to read helps you to avoid that "I want to read something, but I don't know what I want to read" effect. That means you spend more time reading and less time deciding between that new release from your favorite author or that popular business book that everyone says is giving them life.
Decide on your frequency (Try one fiction and one non-fiction per month)
If you're a slow reader like me, two books per month should be plenty to keep you busy. Since I love reading both fiction and non-fiction, I try to read one of each every month, so I don't have to choose. Read one of your selections during the first two weeks of the month, and aim to have the other selection finished by the end on the month.
I know some people recommend skimming or speed reading books in order to read more books, but sticking to the two week time frame to thoroughly read a book cover to cover is much more rewarding for me. I'd recommend focusing on the quality of the digestion of the books you read over mass consumption of a bunch of pieces and parts of books just to say you "read" an impressive number of books in a particular time span.
Try audiobooks
Audio-books are great for busy people since they are perfect for multitasking. If I've got a few good audio-books and my favorite podcasts on deck, a couple hours on the road seems like nothing. Yep, audio-books and podcasts have pretty much replaced my radio these days.
Commit to a little reading "me" time
Women can have a habit of feeling guilty for taking time for themselves, even if they are single. Be it society-at-large or close family members or friends, many women experience external and internal pressure to be the 24/7 comfort zone to everyone but themselves. Part of building up your reading ritual and reading more books has to be making the commitment to yourself to take a few minutes each day to read. You deserve to have some down time.
What tips do you use to read more books?