finding time to read in busy seasons.

I've always liked reading, though I've had seasons of more or less consistency through the last nine years of motherhood.   (Last year's reading list, for instance, ended up being pretty anemic.)  Recently, I decided to take it up a notch, and start striving towards truly ambitious-for-me reading goals.  And it has been so good.  I have seen so much character growth, added mental stimulation (a must for moms of little kids!), and skills development just over the last couple of months of striving toward bigger goals.

I'd urge you to start reading more, too.  I do get that it takes time, something many of us feel is in short supply.  Not all of us are quick readers.  Not all of us like doing it.  We won't all have the same reading goals.  But we should all be reading.  Even moms.  Especially moms.

So how do we do that, without manufacturing more hours in a day, or dropping the ball on other things we're already committed to?  Here are a couple things I've found to be helpful in pursuing a book-dense life:

1. Set a goal, and make it just out of reach.  Tim Ferris says it's easier to fundraise a million dollars than it is to fundraise $100,000.  Why?  Because a bigger goal makes you feel the strain and urgency of the push.  Often, we're tempted to set 'realistic' goals, but the truth is that we actually make more headway when it takes a little bit of sweat to get there.  I set my goal at eight books a month.  I haven't made it there yet, but I did make it to seven last month, and that is much farther than a goal of four books would have gotten me!  (Four was my 'realistic' goal.)

Maybe your realistic goal is two books a month.  So shoot for three next month.  Or even four.  Push yourself and you'll see better results, even if you don't quite hit the mark every time.

2. Figure out where the time is going to come from.  I get that you don't have hours on end open to you right now.  No one does.  Nature doesn't exist in a vacuum - your time will always be full.  But you're the one who chooses how to fill it.  I remember the specific moment that I realized I had the exact same number of hours in a day as anyone else, and there were people getting a whole lot more learning done in their hours than I was.  So I simply stole time from my more 'mindless' activities.  I stopped watching Netflix during naptime, stopped checking Pinterest, and scaled way back on Facebook and Instagram.  And I have found around two hours every day to read.  TWO HOURS are being put to much better use each day, and I'm no busier than I was before.

3. Tell other people your goals.  I choose my eight books at the beginning of the month, snap a photo, and share it on here and on my social channels.  By the time I'm done, I've seen that photo in front of my face a bunch of times, and I've invited other people to keep me accountable.

4. Set your book stack where you can see it every day.  My monthly stack is sitting on the table by "my end" of the couch.  I look at it dozens of times every day.  When I see what's left to dig into, I get excited to finish the book I'm currently reading so I can start the next one in the stack.  And I can see the stack get smaller and smaller as I make headway.  The visual really helps.

5.  Read first.  If I'm tempted to check Facebook or something, I just tell myself I can do that... after I've simply read a single page of a book first.  One page takes 2-3 minutes tops, so it doesn't cost me anything major, and usually by the time I'm done with that page, I'm more motivated to continue reading than to set my book down to scroll the never-ending newsfeed.

6.  Take advantage of short chunks of time.  I do not have two hours straight to sit down and read every day, but I do have a bunch of ten minute chunks.  They add up.  We've also had a lot of appointments lately, so I just bring along a book to read instead of the waiting room magazines... on the (very very) off-chance the kids are sitting quietly and don't need me to constantly referee them while we're there.

7.  Read from a variety of genres so you don't lose steam or get bogged down.  I like to have a work of fiction or memoir going most of the time, since these genres are pretty easy, fluid reading that I don't have to work super hard to concentrate on.  I also like to have a book on spiritual growth, and a nonfiction/skills-development book, both of which take a bit more focused effort and time to get through.  I have a variety of options and styles to choose from during any given ten minute chunk of time.

8.  Audiobooks count.  I've been listening through audiobooks as I cook or do my hair.  My eyes or hands are occupied by something else, but I'm still reading.

9.  Keep a list.  It is so helpful to my momentum for me to track my progress.  I love writing down the title and author of each book as I complete them - it is so weirdly gratifying!  Plus, I love going back later to see what all has been shaping me over the course of time.  I've been keeping track of every book I've read since 2010 - and I love using these lists to recommend books to others, and jog my memory regarding which books I'd like to re-read.  (If you'd like to take a look, here are my lists from 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016 - 226 books so far in the last eight years!)

This month's stack.  I'm on track to have completed six or seven of these by the end of the month, unless I really get my butt in gear in the next few days!


In the long run, you will be so glad you committed time to this kind of growth!  I'm finding that the time I spent scrolling social media or watching Netflix isn't missed - I'm no worse off for having missed out what I've given up.  But I am reaping dividends from having spent that time reading.  Five and ten and twenty years from now, I will be a different person than I would be otherwise, because of how I'm choosing to spend my time now.  And that's super motivating to keep going!

If you'd personally like even more motivation, check out these two mind-blowing articles on why you should (and could!) be reading more.

In The Time You Spend On Social Media Each Year, You Could Read 200 Books

Reading Wars

On Friday, I'll be posting a thread (maybe even popping in live?) on the Facebook page where you can talk about your reading goals for October - big or small, make a goal!  Spend the week making a plan - how many books will you read?  What genres will you include?  Where will you find the time?  Then head over there on Friday (don't worry; I'll post reminders in the meantime) to tell me what you're thinking.  I'm SO excited to see what you all are going to read.  I'm a total book nerd, so tell me all about your books!