We all wish we had more time to do stuff we love. We want to spend more time at the park or beach on weekends, but Saturday comes and we have errands to run, a house to clean and other responsibilities we need to take care of. We always say that next year things will be different, things are going to change, but it rarely does. Whether reading is a passion of yours or not, you need to be sure that you give it enough time throughout the week. I live my life trying to save precious moments and fill in what I call The cracks of time, with something useful.
There are too many benefits of reading to ignore. It can help calm you and relieve stress, it keeps your mind sharp and you have a sense of accomplishment when you finish a book, helping boost your self-esteem. Furthermore, it creates a new area to interact with people who love the same books that you do. So in between work, errands, shopping for food, cooking food, paying bills, trying to get some exercise, seeing friends, watching movies and TV and more, where are you supposed to find the time to start reading? These are the best options throughout the day. Naturally, you will have a good excuse for why a couple of these times won’t work, but it’s worth trying some of the others.
- In the morning: Waking up 20-30 minutes earlier is never a bad idea. You actually are not missing out on as much sleep as you think and you will not be in a rush when you wake up and get ready for work. The mornings are a great time for reading because it’s quiet and relaxing. Also, for a lot of people it is a time of mental clarity and creativity(at least after the first cup of coffee) and therefore a great time to read…or write.
- On your lunch break: How many times a week do you eat lunch in the break area or go to a noisy, crowded restaurant? Instead, pack your lunch and find a quiet place to eat while reading. It can be a bench outside of the building, an empty room in the office or even your car. The white noise of the people coming and going actually makes a better than you’d expect environment to tune out of the real world and into the one a book can open up for you.
- Right after work: Between work and your commute home it’s normal to feel a little stressed out when you get home. This is a great time to start reading because it will relax you and help you forget about the challenges of the day. Or even during your drive home if you are into audio books.
- Always have a book with you during those times when you know you will have to wait, the doctor’s office, an airplane, the beach or pool, the tag office, basically any government office you have to interact with personally is almost guaranteed to produce an unwanted interim that could be filled with the pages of your favorite read.
- Right before bed: Rather than watching television until you fall asleep, try giving yourself a half hour to jump into one of your favorite stories. Reading will lower your stress level and help you to get more comfortable before bed. It is also a wonderful tool to turn off the concerns of the day that tend to keep us awake. What better than another world?
Obviously everyone has different schedules and challenges each day. If you cannot find the time to read for a day or two that’s fine, but don’t give up on it. If you make reading a priority and keep a book with you, you will start to get back in the swing of it and get through books faster than you ever have before.