Life Hack: Three simple tips that help me read more than 50 books every year
Try these simple tips if you want to increase the number of books you read.
One of the main issues I hear from people who want to read more is that they don’t have enough hours in the day to find time to read. However, if you’re like me you probably spend an unhealthy amount of time on your phone. If you have a smartphone, you can quickly find out how much time you’re spending scrolling each day, even broken down to how much time you spend on each app.
When I was going through a reading slump, I quickly realised I was spending too much time doom-scrolling on social media or being sucked into an endless scroll through videos on TikTok. I put a time limit on the apps most likely to drain time from my day and never looked back.
When TikTok, in particular, has been open for a certain length of time, be it 30 minutes or an hour, my phone tells me and it’s easy to redirect my attention to the page instead.
With this free and easy trick, I’ve found myself naturally reaching for a book over my phone to pass the time.
You should not think only physical books count as reading. Too many people dismiss audiobooks, thinking it doesn’t apply as it is someone reading to you, but if you’re on a time crunch, or stuck somewhere where you cannot physically look at a book, they might be your answer. How much better would your work commute or school drop-off be if you could listen to novels while you drive?
Imagine listening to your favourite author while working out, walking or cooking. Multitasking with literature in your ears will quickly clock up your book count and much of it can be free — BorrowBox is a great app from the library with hundreds of audiobooks available to borrow for free.
Similarly, Spotify now has a vast selection of audiobooks for Premium customers at no extra cost, though it is limited to 15 hours of included listening time per month.
This is similar to the screentime conundrum in that you can swap out one habit for another, but you can also add reading to more mundane situations. Since I started carrying a book in my bag wherever I go — either physical books or as an ebook on my phone or an audiobook through BorrowBox or Spotify — I’ve found that those small bursts of reading quickly add up.
My lunch break while in the office passes much quicker when I read, with the added benefit of reducing stress as my mind is truly taken off my work.
If I grab a coffee in town I can sit and read while I enjoy it, and a bus ride home can be spent with my nose in a book too.
