As a kid, I wasn’t much into reading. The school books were enough to handle, and I wasn’t in any mood to add to that pile!! I was more into outdoorsy things than reading. At Virginia Tech. keeping a balance between fun and studies once again never gave me a chance to get into reading.

Once I started working, I guess I missed the smell of books and read some here and there, but I got into the habit of reading once I got married. My hubby is an avid reader and often on our vacations to the beach and chill sessions by the pool, I’d be restless to play something or do something, while he’d be reading away to glory!! It’s when he “gently forced” me to start reading (I guess so I wouldn’t bother him and leave him alone to read in peace) that I discovered my love for reading.

July 13 2014 is when I became an avid reader (I remember that date thanks to my first very book upload on Instagram) and since then I have read a total of 85 books, just finished my 86th book this afternoon (keeping a track is easy thanks to my Goodreads account) and I couldn’t be more proud of myself!!

Today I am sharing with you, ways to make more time for reading. These have worked for me and I hope you’ll find them helpful too!!

1) Make a routine: Make reading a part of your day and not just a leisure activity. In our busy lives today, we’ll never just find the time to read, we’ll have to make a conscious effort to do it. So here’s what I do: I definitely read every night before going to bed, I also try and read during my lunch break, and in the evenings before the hubby gets home, I make my way to the patio swing for some reading time.

2) Set a goal: This may sound clichéd, but it works!! Last year my goal was to read 24 books and I read 26 books!! This year I set a goal for 30 books and I finished my 33rd this afternoon. Yay!! I’ve surpassed my goal this year too 🙂 I would say that the key is to start slow. It’s more encouraging to reach/surpass your goal than to not be able to make it. Maybe start with setting a goal to read one book a month. And if that seems unlikely, then make it one book every two months. Use apps like Goodreads to keep a track!

3) Mix it up: Everything done the same way can get monotonous and so can reading. In my opinion variety is the key coz if you read the same genre over and over, you’ll eventually get bored and then choose to binge watch Netflix!! My go-to genre is romantic (no surprise there) but I do branch out and read thrillers, murder mysteries and even short stories!!

4) Have fun: This one is important. I usually never leave a task in the middle but I have “skipped and read” 2 books because reading every single page was a death sentence thanks to the monotony of the writing style. I skipped a few pages here and there to finish the book fast!! Not that I am proud of doing that, but for me everything needs to be fun coz if I am having fun, then I do things while heartedly. Don’t just simply read a book simply because a friend suggested it – think about your hobbies, interests, and passions—then go and read about those subjects. It’s nice to get suggestions, but I never blindly follow them.

5) Take it with you: Carry your book with you wherever you go, coz this way, you will have it on you when you have a few moments of reading that you can slip in. I always carry a book with me when I go for doctor apts, nail or spa apts and even sometimes when I am meeting a friend coz you never know when someone might be running late and that’s when the book comes to my rescue! Ofcourse sometimes I just browse on my phone instead… Haha!!

So go ahead and make time for reading, trust me you’ll enjoy it 🙂 and hey, have a great week!!