If You Want to Read More, You Have to Prioritize Reading

Raise your hand if you've ever thought to yourself “man, I wish I had more time to read,” or “I made it my goal to read 50 books this year and so far I've only read 12.” 🙋🏼‍♀️ One that I’m super guilty of is, “that bookstagram influencer read 9 books last month and I barely even read one! How do they do it!?” Friendly reminder y'all that comparison is the thief of joy. When I compare my reading life to anyone else's, I find it all too easy to start to beat myself up for not being a “better” reader. And then the shame of being a “bad” reader will just put me into a reading slump. And that's a sure fire way to make sure I don't read as much as I want to. So besides not comparing my reading life to anyone else's, here are my top tips for reading more.

1.) Decide if reading more is important to you.

This may seem like a no-brainer, but it piggy backs off of the “don't compare your reading life to anyone else's.” If you want to read 100 books a year because that's what all your favorite Booktok accounts read, or because you think reading more equals reading better or makes you a better reader (spoiler alert: it DOESN’T) then you may need to sit down and truly look at your motivation for why you want to read more. At the beginning of this year I decided NOT to set a numerical reading goal like I have in the past because it was actually a hindrance to my reading life, and would put so much pressure on me to hit my reading goal. I wasn't actually enjoying or retaining any of the books I was reading! I realized I wanted to read more QUALITY books, not necessarily more quantity. Finding your “why” for wanting to read more is important because it will help you gauge whether or not reading more is worth it.

2.) Put your phone down!

I know, I know. This one is wayyy easier said than done but my phone not being in my immediate vicinity is by far the biggest influence on if I pick up a book in my free time. It's so much easier for me to ignore my phone and any tempting notifications if it's in a completely different room. So usually at night after my shower, I'll leave my phone in my room to charge and I'll go out to the living room to wind down with my book and my puppies. I've found that not only is this beneficial for my goal of reading more, it's also been a huge plus for my mental health. I've found that my anxiety tends to be at a high after a night of doom scrolling on Instagram reels or Tiktok before going to bed and that does nothing to help my insomnia! Giving myself less opportunity for mindless scrolling has been a total game changer for my reading life!

3.) Be strategic where you put your books.

Out of sight, out of mind. Don't let this old adage keep you from reading as much as you want to read. I am someone who personally LOVES having my books strewn all about my house. Little piles of adventure and knowledge stacked up on various surfaces in my house. Overflowing shelves, neat stacks on end tables, an opened book face down on the kitchen counter are all little reminders of how many physical books I have access to that are on my TBR. And having books in virtually every room of my house means one is never far from my reach, making it that much easier to pick one up in a moment of down time.

4.) Don't overcomplicate it!

I have a tendency to think in absolutes. An all or nothing mindset has held me back from so much in the past and I have to be mindful when those perfectionist thoughts start to creep in. I used to think if I wasn't reading a book a day, or because I wasn't well versed in the classics, or because audiobooks are my preferred medium, then I wasn't a “real reader.” But I'm here to tell you (and myself) right now that that attitude is complete bullshit! It doesn't matter what genres you prefer, how many books you read per year, what format/medium you read in most. What matters is that you are reading. Even more than that, is that you enjoy what you're reading! You don't have to complicate your reading life with all the “shoulds” that make reading less enjoyable. We're readers because reading is fun!

These are just a few of my tried and true tips that help my prioritize my reading. Let me know in the comments, what are some of the tips, tricks, or hacks you use to read more often?