Tips On How To Read More

Everyone has their own pace when it comes to reading and, whether you finish two books a month or twelve, you shouldn’t be made to feel guilty for the speed you read at. That being said, I am trying to get a lot more reading done because, not only do I want to read almost every book I come across, I find reading to be a great way to keep myself busy that doesn’t involve my laptop or my phone.

I have compiled a list of tips and tricks I use to read more. These are in no way going to make you read hundreds of books a year, but hopefully you’ll start to see a difference!

Eliminate distractions

I find that I can only read if I am in a quiet environment. I’m not a big fan of having the TV on or listening to music while I read, as I find my mind wanders very quickly. I like to either curl up on the sofa or snuggle into bed with my book, making sure my boyfriend, who seems to talk non-stop when I’m reading, is in another room!

Listen to an audiobook while you read

While I was getting into IT by Stephen King, I found that listening to the audiobook helped me maintain a decent reading speed. It’s a pretty tough book to get into and, although I did end up ditching the audiobook about a quarter of the way through, the audiobook helped me read a lot quicker than just reading alone.

Give yourself a daily target

I try and read for an hour or two a day, depending on whether I am working or not. On weekends, I tend to spend a few hours reading but, on a weekday, I read in the evening before bed, rather than watching TV. Say if I have a 350 page book that I’m just starting, I will try and do 100 pages a day, that way it’ll take me roughly 3 days to finish.

Pick up smaller books

I’m not a big fan of short stories but most of the books I read tend to be below 400 pages. With books this size, I usually finish two or three per week, depending on how busy I am. With bigger books, you often find yourself spending more days in the week reading. If you are trying to get your numbers up for goodreads or a personal challenge, have a look at some smaller books.

Read more

This might sound silly but trust me, reading more will help you read more. I’ve been reading so much recently that I’ve found myself finishing books a lot quicker than usual. I’ve gotten used to having reading in my daily routine and practising the speed of which I read has helped me develop a good habit of finishing books in a couple of days.

Remember that reading is fun, don’t stress yourself out because you aren’t reading as much as you’d like! You need to develop a good reading habit and, after a while, you’ll find yourself flying through books! It just takes some getting used to!