How to read more books in 2022

As always, January is the month for New Year’s resolutions. Chances are that on your list for 2022 you might have written down the goal of making more time in your life for reading. But how does one do that exactly when life these days is busy, hectic and full of errands? Here are six tips that might help you become the bookworm that you’ve always longed to be.

Make reading a priority

The first step to meeting any type of objective you set for yourself is taking it seriously. So, if you want to get more books under your belt, the only way to do it is by making reading a priority.

Instead of putting the usual TV show or movie on as soon as you’re done with work or studying, take that novel that’s been sitting on your nightstand for a while and give it a go. It’s easy to put it off and jump straight into old routines, but once you get going and consciously start changing your habits, you’ll soon find yourself sucked into the pages of a great read.

Don’t try to force it

While it might seem completely contrary to the first tip on this list, not making yourself read when you aren’t in the mood is the best advice you can take any time reading feels more like a chore rather than a fun hobby it’s actually supposed to be. If we force ourselves to do something we just don’t want to be doing at the moment, we can easily get to a point of burn out or just generally lose the spark that made us want to do it in the first place.

Literature isn’t supposed to feel daunting and it shouldn’t feel like a task. Instead of forcing yourself to read something when you know you’d rather be, for example, spending time with friends and family, or just relaxing and taking a nap, put the book down and enjoy yourself. Good books will be waiting for you to come back when you’re in the mood for them.

Turn your phone off

Sometimes you start a book and you feel like you’ve been reading for ages, yet you only got through a couple of chapters. Maybe this is because you haven’t actually been devoting your full attention to your reading material.

If you’re surrounded by distractions, with your phone constantly buzzing with notifications and social media being just a click away, it’s easy to lose your focus and accidentally start scrolling for hours on end. In order to take reading more seriously, the best way to do so is to turn off all the other things that can steal your attention.

Don’t read when you’re tired

A lot of people will tell you that the best time for reading is right before bed. After all, it’s only logical that the most free time you have is at the end of the day once you’re done with all your other obligations. However, if you’re feeling sleepy, it’s much harder to focus on words and you’ll soon be finding yourself ready to doze off.

Instead of pushing off reading till nighttime, try jumping into a new book when you’re feeling fresh and energized. This way, you’ll find yourself engaging much more with the text and you won’t have to pause in the middle of a sentence because your eyes are closing all by themselves. Reading in the morning or in the afternoon might be better for your concentration.

Read something that excites you

One of the reasons people find it hard to read is because sometimes books don’t grab their attention. However, if you want to be a consistent reader, the best way to do so is by finding titles that genuinely engage you.

Sure, there’s a myriad of lists of the ‘best books of all time’ or ‘classics all of us should read at one point or another’, but they might not be titles that truly interest you. Spend an afternoon or two researching some newer or older releases that intrigue you. Find works on topics that you can’t wait to dive into. Whether it’s sci-fi, epic fantasy, romance or non-fiction, as soon as you stumble onto books that tickle your fancy, reading them will be the only thing you’ll want to do for a while.

Try out audio-books

Audio books are a great way to read more. Not only are they always accessible and handily portable, using little to no space on your smart devices, but they also make reading much quicker and easier. If you have a hard time focusing on physical books or if you feel like it takes you a lot of time to get through a title, maybe listening to it will do the trick.

A narrator will only stop when you press the pause button and, soon enough, you’ll find yourself already halfway through a book while waiting at the register of a supermarket with your headphones in or blasting an audio book from a speaker when you’re doing the dishes. Your options are endless.

Picture: Shutterstock

Progressive Reads: These Books Will Provoke You To Think More Openly

Progressive Reads: These Books Will Provoke You To Think More Openly

Support us!

All your donations will be used to pay the magazine’s journalists and to support the ongoing costs of maintaining the site.