When I tell people how much I read, they often say that they would love to read more but they don’t have time. Trust me, I understand a busy schedule, but that episode of TV they watched in between classes was 40 minutes of quality reading time wasted. So if you are intrigued and interested in reading more, here are my essential tips.
- Read Across Multiple Formats
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I almost always have an e-book, audiobook, and physical book with me each day. This can be pretty confusing if they’re all different books, but it’s the best way to always be reading. Check out which apps your library uses to provide digital access to books, so you can get more books for free.
- Audiobooks Are Everything
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When I’m super busy, I always turn to audiobooks. There are so many audiobooks to listen to on library apps and it has revolutionized my reading. Often, I want to be reading a book but I have to do actual adult things. But with the help of audiobooks, adult chores like cleaning, cooking, and doing the laundry are the best times to be listening to books. The first couple of audiobooks you listen to are tough to get through, so I would recommend listening to a re-read or a light/easy read for the first book at normal speed. Once you’ve listened to a couple books, it will be much easier to get through them. Now, I can even listen to books at two times the speed!
- Always Have a Book With You
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This is where the importance of e-books and audiobooks comes into play. Without digital formats, it is incredibly tedious to always have a book with you. However, it is really easy to always be reading with audiobooks and e-books—I can get a significant amount of reading done while walking to class or doing other everyday things.
- Read as Many Books as You Can During School Breaks
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When I say that I’m Pre-Med and I read this much, I get some confused looks. I probably should have prefaced this article by saying that I read 61 books over the summer. My best reading definitely happens during breaks from school.
- Don’t Force Yourself to Read When You Don’t Want To
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When I go through phases of reading a lot, I often feel guilty when I’m not reading. As a result, this makes me not want to read and causes the dreaded reading slump. A lot of people say that you should plan time to read every single day—I don’t really agree with this one. Trying to read every day causes reading to become a chore and builds resentment. Only read books you’re genuinely excited about and don’t force yourself when you’re not feeling it.
Go forth with these tips and happy reading!
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