**I stretch my arms over my head as I push myself out of bed. I drink my tea and leave, taking my bike over to the shops. I start my shift and dust the endless shelves, then take to sweeping. After, I bike to the market to pick up food and make myself something to eat, brushing the hair from my eyes as I cut up vegetables. I stare at my book in longing. It calls to me from its spot on the low table near my shelves. I force myself to turn my back to it as I finish making dinner, eat, and do the dishes, before finishing some other chores and going to bed, without getting a chance to sit with my book.**

Do you ever feel like there are not enough hours in the day to do all the things you want to do? After work, school, household chores, and other responsibilities, it can be hard to find a few minutes to pick up a book and read. So I wanted to get into some tips for finding time to read.

When Can I Find Time to Read?

• Time #1: In the morning
  • Depending on what time your day starts, you can try to take a few minutes to read in the morning. This can be by waking up 20 minutes earlier, reading while eating breakfast, or just taking that time in the 15 minutes before you leave for work when you aren’t doing anything. I have been trying to read in the mornings, and I realize that it has greatly helped me in getting through my books.
• Time #2: At night
  • Now we see the opposite – Read before you go to bed. You can get in bed and read for just a few minutes every night or go to bed a few minutes earlier to stay up and read. Grab a paperback or your Kindle and take a few minutes before bed to read.
• Time #3: Commuting to and from work
  • If you have a long commute to work or school, or even an appointment, you can download an audiobook and listen to it on your drive. This way, you can get some reading done and also have an entertaining drive.
• Time #4: While doing chores or homework
  • This is another great opportunity for an audiobook. Look, I am not the biggest fan of audiobooks, but I have listened to a few to listen to something while I am doing other things. You can set up an audiobook on your phone and listen to it while you clean your room, do the dishes, grocery shop, or if you have great focus or a more hands-on school assignment, you can listen during homework.
• Time #5: Exercising
  • Again, this could be a great opportunity to set up an audiobook. You could probably also set up a book on a treadmill and read while you walk.
• Time #6: In the bath
  • If you like baths, you could bring a book with you and do some reading. Or you could always set up an audiobook and just listen while you relax.

There are a lot of different ways we can find reading time throughout the day. Of course, these may not always work as our day-to-day may change, but to keep in the habit of reading, it is important to find those little slots of time to read, even if it’s only for ten minutes. When do you find time to read in a busy day?

xoxo,

Just another reader