sarahwilliamsandco

I presume you’ve clicked on this post because you want to read more. So let’s not dilly-dally.

1. Let’s start simple. Take a book with you everywhere. And I mean everywhere. In the past I’ve turned into Rory Gilmore and had several books in my bag depending on mood. But this can get heavy pretty quickly so let’s stick with one book for now. Don’t have a bag? Do you know a lot of books fit in your back jeans pocket? Not your aesthetic? Okay, you have a phone, right? Always be reading a book on your kindle app for instances when you find yourself with no other reading material.

2. Replace social media scrolling with book time. Whenever you find yourself in the inevitable cycle of refreshing the same stale feed, put your phone down and pick up your book instead. Waiting for a bus? Waiting for your frozen pizza to cook? Get rid of the phone and read a chapter instead. Take a book to the toilet. No, that’s not weird. We both know you already take your phone there so why not be somewhat productive instead?

3. If you commute by public transport then this is the excellent time to get a few pages in. You’re gonna need to blast your Spotify to drown out the other distracting passengers but it’s not impossible to concentrate. If you drive to work, sorry, you’re screwed. Just kidding, you could try an audio book. I don’t use them particularly cos I find them to be super expensive. However, if anyone knows where to find some cheap ones then lemme know!

4. Speaking of audio books, they’re also a great way to get into reading if you haven’t physically read a book for a while. Pop one on whilst you drive or cook tea. There is a few free books that you can find on Spotify and some people find an Audible subscription to be good value so there is options out there. The people who say audio books aren’t reading? Ignore these people, they’re stupid and always need to prove they’re the ‘best reader in the world’. Whatever that is.

5. Actually schedule time into your day to read. Like put it on your calendar with your other meetings and events. Be serious if you want to read more and not just talk about it. Some people might get up thirty minutes earlier to fit in a chapter or two. Maybe you have time in between classes, or on your lunch break at work. Or maybe it’s only right before bed that you get your first chance of the day. That’s okay. Even if it’s only ten minutes. Be consistent and give yourself the time.

6. If you’re not enjoying a book, you’re allowed to stop reading it. We have some weird notion that that if a book is started it must be finished. I don’t know where this comes from cos have you seen every episode of every show you’ve ever watched? I definitely haven’t! So why do we suffer when reading? Why do we try and drag ourselves through books we hate? If a book isn’t serving you, release it from your life. Some people go by a 100 page rule, after that if they really don’t like it then they stop. I’m even more brutal, I have no limit. If I know after twenty three pages that the book is not for me then I’ll stop reading it. I might try it again in the future, don’t get me wrong, but for right now it’s shelved and I move on to find another book that I cannot put down.

7. Keep yourself accountable. Whether that’s using a tracker in you bullet journal; updating your progress on Goodreads; making videos or blog posts about your reading or even starting a book club with a few friends. Find a book you’re all excited about. You’ll get through it quicker because you’ll know you can drink wine and talk about it with your friends once you’ve finished!

Why is there seven tips? Not like five or ten or something? Cos I only have seven tips and we all need to calm down about odd numbers that aren’t multiples of five being creepy.

Happy reading!

Love Me – The 1975