If you’re like me, you like to read. I mentioned a few days ago that having all day to read would be great. But realistically, most of us very seldom have an entire day to devote to reading.
However, finding ways to increase the time we have each day to read IS possible. Over at Make Use Of, Saikat Basu has offered up “10 Surprisingly Simple Time Hacks For Reading More Every Day” for our perusal.
I already employ many of these “hacks” in my own attempts to maximize my reading time, and you may be doing some as well. But if you see something new it might be helpful to you as you seek to increase your time for reading.
Take A News Break – I believe, judging by the graphic accompanying this point and the Groucho Marx quote, that he is talking specifically about news on TV. I already get most of my news through my RSS reader or breaking news texts, as well as Twitter. I do typically watch an evening news program to be sure I’m up on what is going on in the world and our country, but I find more and more that I already know about the subjects being covered. Where I need to cut back is in actual TV watching. Since I’ve been writing I have eliminated a lot of TV time, but I know that I need to cut back even more.
Have Small Portions – I usually make use of small amounts of time by reading short articles, magazines or instructional books. things that don’t require an investment of time that a fiction book with its plots, characters and storylines will need.
Optimize Your Browser – Haven’t done this one, other than adding the Pocket extension mentioned in a point below.
Reading Comes In All Shapes…And Sounds – I read dead tree books, though with more and more infrequency. I read digital books and magazines on my iPad, mostly, but also sometimes on my iPhone. If you’ve read this post, you already know I haven’t yet tried audio books, though I can definitely see the time-saving aspect of them.
Estimate Reading Times – Digital books that I typically read on my Kindle app almost always have a feature that shows, based on my usual reading speed, how much time a book will take to complete. There are also times when I’ll think to myself “This article will probably take me _____ minutes to read.” So, one way or another, it looks like I employ this tip.
Don’t Forget Your Read It Later List – For me that’s usually my Pocket app. I click on a lot of things online I want to read, but not at that exact moment. Saving them to Pocket to read later allows me to read them at my leisure; usually on my iPhone when I’m waiting in line, eating alone, or taking Bella out to relieve herself.
Speedread To Do More With Less – I’ve never taken a formal speedreading course, but I do know how to skim through books, magazines or articles to get what I need in less time than I would spend reading each.and.every.word.
Take A Reading Challenge – I started that at the beginning of this year using Goodreads and I’m currently 6 books ahead of my goal for this year. Having the goal has been helpful.
Read Reviews Before You Turn A Page – I try to do this as much as possible. I’ve dismissed some books because of the near-unanimous negative reviews. Knowing that many positive reviews are the result of someone trying to build a false basis and make a book seem “hot” when it may not be, my usual practice is to read the negative reviews first. Sometimes, especially if it’s a genre I like, I read the book anyway and most of the time I find I should have paid attention to the reviews and skipped it.
Add Value To Time – Yep, I do that too. It’s better than staring at the wall.
Which of these tips, if any, do you employ to get more reading time in each day? Do you have any other tips that work for you? I’d love to hear them in the comments.
Best-selling author Kurt Vonnegut Jr., born on this day in 1922, would have turned 92 today if he had not passed away on April 11, 2007.
