If you need to finish up homework, respond to emails, or do laundry, complete these tasks before sitting down to focus on a book.
You can also write down your thoughts, reactions, and predictions about the book as you read. Keep the notebook and a pen next to you as you’re reading.
If they haven’t read the book, you can talk about themes in the book that you find interesting, or characters that remind you of people in your own life. Ask friends and coworkers if they have any book suggestions for you.
Check the newspaper, classifieds, or social media to see if there is a book club near you. Create an informal book club with your friends or coworkers.
If you’re in a public place and don’t want to disturb others, try softly mouthing the words instead of speaking them aloud.
Set a timer for 20 minutes—or 30 or 40 minutes, if desired—so that you know how long you’ve been reading. If you find yourself wanting to keep reading after the 20 minutes are up, keep going!
Try reading both before bed and in the morning to take advantage of down time.
Reading during things like television commercial breaks will help you make use of even more reading time.
While you can’t read a book if you’re driving, you can listen to the book on tape. Listening to an audiobook requires the same mental process as reading a book, so it’s fine to do this. [11] X Research source
There are many books you can download on apps that are completely free, while others will cost money. If you download the app on all of your devices and read it on different ones, most apps will sync together, making it easy to pick up your reading spot no matter which device you’re using.
For example, sports lovers can look for books on football, sports car racing, or running. If you like medieval history, search for books in the historical fiction section that feature medieval characters. Do a search online to find great books about your desired topic.
If you’ve never been to your local library, go in and sign up for a library card so that you can start checking out books.
Stock up on books so that you’ll always have one to read next. Ask an employee for good book recommendations if you’re not sure which book to choose.
If you get tired of reading a mystery, you can switch to a memoir, while a graphic novel might be a good choice for a before-bedtime book. Reading multiple books at once doesn’t work for everyone, so if you’d rather read one book at a time, this is okay too.
If the book is part of an assignment and isn’t optional, you’ll have to power through it.
