Are you one of those people who says, “I should read more” and never gets around to it? Did you give up on your reading goal a few weeks into the year? Can you never seem to find the time or energy to pick up a book?
Well, you’re in luck because I used to be just like you. In high school and college, I got so busy with academic reading that I completely stopped reading for fun. This bothered me enough that I made it my mission to get back into pleasure reading, and now I read 50-70 books a year (I’m at 23 as of now).
While there’s no perfect plan for reading more, and different strategies will work for different people, I’ve put together a list of everything I’ve done to read more, from habit changes to motivational methods. Hopefully something here will inspire you as well.
1—Set Realistic Goals
I find it helpful to start with why you want to read more, then backtrack that to a goal that fits your reading desire. When I first got back into reading, I had small yearly goals that have slowly increased as I’ve gotten a feel for how many books I can read in a year. Your goal can be as large or small as you like. It could be book goal for the month, a page goal for the week, or even just to read something every day. It’s more important to enjoy and learn from what you read than to hit a specific numerical goal (as much as I personally am motivated by goals).
2—Track Your Reading
I love tracking my reading progress. I primarily use StoryGraph, which has lots of cool stats and features for discovering more books. I’ve also used Goodreads and Fable, and there are tons of similar apps. If that isn’t your speed, consider a physical journal or some kind of document. I find it helpful to jot down thoughts about the books I’m reading and occasionally write reviews.
3—Read What You’re Into
For many of us, reading became a chore during school when we were forced to read books we didn’t enjoy. The best way to recover from this is to read what you love. If you like YA fantasy, don’t be ashamed about reading that over and over again! Amish romances your jam? Clean out the bookstore. Prefer nonfiction? Dive into a topic you’re fascinated by. I will caveat this by saying that you’ll probably enjoy a lot more books than you think you will, especially as you become more familiar with your reading tastes. I have a few types of story that are always comfort reads, but I like to get a few books outside of my traditional range in my rotation and often find them enjoyable even if they’re not my absolute favorites.
4—Read for Your Mood
Some weeks, I’m craving a book that challenges me intellectually and gives me ideas to ponder. Others, I need something easy and fast-paced. And others, I want a feel-good, coming-of-age narrative. While I do loosely plan out books I want to read in the near future, the individual reads I select are almost always based on my mood. Most importantly, put the book down if you’re not feeling it. Nothing will kill motivation to read like slogging through something you hate (do consider returning to those in the future, however, if it was a timing issue—I’ve hated a book and returned a year or so later to discover that I now love it).
5—Read Multiple Books at a Time
Mood reading is much more doable when you can continue and put down multiple books as needed. I read anywhere from 2 to 5 books concurrently. For example, I might do one from a series I’ve been working through, one lighter read, one good book to lull me to sleep, and one book in my second language. I probably won’t touch all of them every week, but I’ll work through them as I feel like and rotate new books in as I finish my current reads.
6—Read Multiple Kinds of Story
As alluded to in #5, reading different kinds of books helps keep your reading interesting and attuned to your mood. This can be reading different genres, reading authors with very different writing voices, reading multiple sub-genres within your preferred genre, reading a mix of series and standalone, reading books with different tones and pacing… There are many ways to mix it up. I primarily read speculative fiction (sci-fi and fantasy), but I switch up the aesthetics of my reads regularly—I was recently on a space-based sci-fi kick, and now I’ve transitioned to YA dark academia—and occasionally throw in another genre (including nonfiction).
7—Reading Can Include Non-Traditional Books
There’s a lot of research suggesting that visual storytelling is good for our brains, too! Reading comics or graphic novels won’t develop lexile skills in the same way as traditional books, but it totally counts as reading if that’s what you enjoy. Poetry? Totally reading. Audiobooks and narrative podcasts also count here—again, develops different skills in your brain while engaging you with a narrative. Basically, if it has a story and you enjoy it, consider it reading!
8—Block Out Time for Reading
Admittedly, I’m not very good at this. I get stressed when my life feels too structured, so I tend to read whenever I feel like reading during periods that I have blocked out for [insert chill solo activity]. Some days, I don’t want to read, and others I want to devour half a book in a few hours. I do read more, however, when I have time set aside specifically for reading. Blocking out locations for reading can also be helpful—on the subway home, at a library or coffee shop on a Saturday morning, or in a specific chair in your home.
9—Multitask reading
Another strategy for getting reading into a busy schedule is finding ways to pair reading with other tasks. I always have at least one audiobook in my rotation. If I’m doing a repetitive or boring task like cooking, going on a long walk, driving, or winding down for bed, I’ll pop one on to keep me company. If you have a long commute where you aren’t driving or regularly find yourself in waiting rooms, consider bringing a book (or loading an e-book on your phone).
10—Find Community for Your Reading
Reading is most naturally a solo activity… but it doesn’t have to be! Many of our first experiences with reading, whether with our parents or in the classroom, were in communal settings. As we become more proficient, we branch off to read by ourselves; however, though the physical act of reading is individual (unless you’re attending a read-aloud), the experience of it doesn’t have to be. Read around other people, whether your family, a roommate, or in a public setting. Use the community features in apps like StoryGraph or Goodreads to keep up with what your friends are reading. If you use social media, follow accounts that post about books and read the stories that sound interesting. Read book reviews and post your own. Make a habit of asking people in your circles what they’re reading and what they think of it. Join a book club—or create your own, even if it’s just you and a friend reading the same book. Complete reading challenges with people in your life. There are so many ways to create community around reading!
Now, it’s time I stopped writing this list and got back to my own reading. Hope these strategies help you read more books!
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