I love to read, but for years I have read very little. Last year, I completed only 2 books (not counting books I read to my children)! “I’m too busy” has been my excuse. I’m a Homeschooling Mom. My days are focused on spending time with them and facilitating their education. And for most of their lives, most days, I have felt like my focus was on just making it through another day. I lived in survival mode, just struggling to get by each day. I didn’t feel like I had time for reading or the energy for working on self improvement or goal setting. Each year when January 1st rolled around, I didn’t want to set resolutions that I would fail to accomplish and would only lead to guilt.
But in January 2017, things were different. I don’t know why exactly, but at the beginning of 2017, I felt different. I felt open, and motivated to improve and progress in my life. I was ready for change! On January 1st, I set New Year’s resolutions for the first time in years. One of my goals was to read 20 or more books (not counting scriptures and the books I read with my kids). Having read only 2 books in 2016, it felt crazy to set this goal. But I was ready.
Now, less than half way through the year, I’ve already finished 15 books, and I’m in the middle of 4 more. Reading so many great books, I feel more alive than I have in a long time. I feel inspired. I feel invigorated. And I also am loving having time alone to read. How do I do it, as a busy Homeschooling Mom? I’ll get to that shortly, but first, I want to address guilt.
Guilt
I used to feel guilty taking time for myself to read instead of doing something with my kids or working on an item from my always lengthy to-do list. But now I recognize it as important time for mental rejuvenation. And often the book I’m reading is an inspirational book that will help me be a better person, Mom, or Wife.
Another important thing to remember if you begin feeling guilty about taking time to read is that, as research has verified again and again, it is great for your kids, academically and otherwise, for them to see you reading. If they love to read, it will greatly enrich and improve their lives, and if they see you reading, it is more likely that they will learn to love reading. As the saying goes, “Children are great imitators, so give them something great to imitate.” More on this here.
So here’s what I started doing this year that took me from only reading 2 books last year to reading 15 books in the first 6 months of this year.
- I get up early, and make reading an important part of starting my day.
- Every morning I read from scripture. Some days I read longer than others, but I read some every day.
- Some mornings, I’ll read a few pages in an inspirational book.
- Every morning I listen to an audiobook. I listen while I exercise, usually with an exercise video on YouTube (with the volume muted). I usually listen to a book while I shower (I put my phone in a ziploc bag, and put it up high where the water doesn’t spray). I listen while I get ready for the day. And if the kids are still asleep, I listen while I get breakfast ready. Audiobooks are readily available through Audible, many library online systems, and for LDS readers, Deseret Bookshelf (I’m so glad I just discovered this app!). I love the feature in reading apps which allows me to increase the reading speed. I usually listen at double speed (I had to work up to this, but it only took 30 minutes to do so). This allows me to read books twice as fast.
- I read when my kids are playing. Many days, reminding myself it is beneficial to my kids, I can find a few minutes to read during their free play. I keep books scattered around the house in good reading places, which helps remind me to take the opportunity when it arises. In the past, I didn’t like to be in the middle of reading more than one book at a time, but now I love it. I have one religious book, one parenting book, one health book, one adoption-related book, one book about China, etc. If I’m not in the mood for one of my books, which is frequently the case, I’m usually in the mood for another one. If you don’t have kids at home, or your kids are in school, you have a bit of flexibility. If you have a baby or toddler, you can carve out a few minutes during nap time to read. If you’re worried about getting carried away with your reading and not getting to the other things you need to do, set a timer for 10 minutes. Reading for 10 minutes a few times during the week will add up over time.
- I carry a book in my purse. If I’m in the waiting room at a doctor’s office or am waiting in a long line, I pull out my book. If I’m on a bus or train or in a taxi, I pull out my book. If I take the kids outside to play, I pull out my book. (Sometimes I play with them first, but sometimes I go straight to reading. Reminding myself of the points covered in the “Guilt” section above). In these situations, it’s tempting to just pull out my phone and check my to do list or check for messages. And often I do. But I limit the time to urgent and necessary tasks, rather than mindlessly looking at Facebook for an hour. Note: you can also carry headphones and listen to an audiobook during all these times, but I personally don’t like to wear headphones when I’m out and about among people or if I’m at home and am not alone--it makes me feel anti-social and unapproachable. It seems someone is more likely to strike up a conversation with me when I’m reading a book than if I am listening to a book with headphones. And I want to be open to those opportunities.
- I keep a book or two next to my bed, so if my husband isn’t ready for bed yet when I am, instead of getting inpatient (what I did before), I take the chance to read a page or two.
If you haven’t been reading much lately, this list could sound overwhelming to you. But I didn’t start doing all of these at once. It all started with setting a goal. Your goal might be completely different than mine. To work toward achieving my goal, I started with just reading a few pages in the morning as part of my morning routine, and it grew from there. As Lao Tzu so wisely said, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” What can you do to take that first step?
Choosing Quality Books
Life is short. How many more years do I have left to live. Even if I read 20 or 30 books every year, how many books is that over my lifetime? I know I will never get to all the books I want to read. So I’m selective. I get recommendations from my husband (who reads--actually, listens to--a lot more books than I do). I get recommendations from trusted friends and bloggers. And I check Goodreads for books my friends have highly rated. If I’m reading a book without a recommendation, I read reviews first.
The books I’ve read so far this year (Click here for a list) have truly enriched my life and made me feel more alive than I have in a long time. As Charlie "Tremendous" Jones said: “You will be the same person in five years as you are today except for the people you meet and the books you read.” The books I have read so far this year have truly left me a better person. Especially the book, The Miracle Morning. More about that book later!
Time to sign off now. There’s a great book calling my name.
How do you find time to read? What works for you? Please share in the comments below.
Comments
Post a Comment