Q&A: Finding Time to Read - Part 1
How do you manage to read so much every week? I'm amazed by the number of books you review each week. -a blog readerWell, my simple answer is: I like to read and I'm in an easy season of life right now--we're not in the middle of any crisis, I don't have a newborn, I'm not pregnant, and the girls are at relatively easy stages. I also only have two little children which means I have a lot more time on my hands than someone who has, say, six or seven children.
That said, I've always been a fairly voracious reader and usually have at least two to five books going at any given time. Doug Phillips, a man who has had a great impact on my life has well said, "You'll be the same person you were last year except for the books you read and the people you meet and the way that God uses them in your life." Disciplining myself to read widely, read regularly, and read books that challenge my thinking and intellect has been one of the best exercises for both personal and spiritual growth in my life.
I well recall reading a biography of Teddy Roosevelt--another man who has greatly influenced me--and being amazed that he often read three books per week when he was President. It pained him greatly to only be able to read that few with his full schedule because before he was president, he often read two to three books per day! I figure that if he could read so avidly while holding the office of President of the United States, surely in most seasons of my life I could find at least a little time to read!
There are seasons of life when I read very little--such as part of last year when I was in the middle of morning sickness or right after Kaitlynn was born. During those simple seasons, I stuck to the basics and just tried to get 5-15 minutes of prayer and Bible reading in at least every day. I think maybe I read all of two books over the stretch of like 4 months last year. I had more important things to do--like sleeping, changing diapers, running laundry, or trying to make supper in the midst of nausea.
In this particular juncture of my life, though, we have a good schedule going and as long as I stick to it, I'm able to carve out lots of little moments for reading. And I also fit in a few longer stretches here and there, too. I'll share some ideas and tips I've found for finding time to read tomorrow.
I'd love to hear from you on this, too! Do you struggle with finding time to read? If so, any thoughts or tips which have helped you?
Labels: Finding Time, Reading
posted by Crystal Paine at 7:31 PM
37 Comments:
I adore reading. I tend to be a quick reader, which I'm very thankful for, so I can get through a novel in about a week or two with just reading a few minutes a day. I do tend to get so engrossed in books that I stay up into the wee hours of the morning ready them...and then I pay the next day (I have a 19 month old, LOL). But, I find that I'm more centered, more creative and happier when I'm immersed in literature. Right now I'm reading through "the classics". It's something that I always wanted to do, so I'm expanding on the reading that I did in college and loving it!
I always enjoy your book recommendations, Crystal, so keep 'em coming!
I absolutely second the importance of turning off the TV. I waste so much time watching programs I am not even interested in, when even my light reading is more fulfilling.
As a life-long voracious reader I don't think there will ever be a season of my life where I won't read. I'm like a reading addict that has trouble putting a book down to eat. I also am guilty of staying up until 2 a.m. to finish a good book now and then. I admit reading is less of a priority when there are challenging life circumstances, but I still find that reading before bed is the best way to relax. All through my pre-teen and teen years I read about a book a day and I continue to read anywhere from 2-5 books a week as a pregnant mama of 2 toddlers. How do I find the time? We don't have TV and so most evenings after the kids are in bed I'm reading! My life motto is: So many books, so little time!
I love to read but don't have a whole lot of time to just sit and relax with a book. Some of the ways that I find time to read is to keep a book on the bathroom counter so that I can , uh, multi task, LOL. Also, I take books with me when I'm going to drive someplace to pick up one of my children or expect to have to wait, like at the dentist's office.
I, too, am an avid reader. I read at least one book a week. Most people prefer television but I would much rather read than watch t.v. I'm currently reading, "Lies Women Believe" by Nancy Leigh Demoss and highly recommend it. Excellent book.
I love your Blog, Crystal!
I've always been a bookworm...but after having children, I'd forgotten (literally) how precious reading used to be to me. I recently re-discovered it, though...both my children are old enough to play without me holding onto them anymore, so I can sit and read beside them while they play indoors or out. I also find that buying two copies of books is helpful; I keep one copy upstairs and one downstairs. It's always close by...and when I'm finished, I can pass one along to a dear friend.
I get the majority of my reading done while I am on the treadmill or elliptical machine at the YMCA. I am usually there for a good 45 minutes - 1 hour and it is more or less uninterrupted. My son is content in the ChildWatch program and I can zoom through my book while I burn all those calories. I think it is a win-win situation.
I agree with Kelly - I do tend to pay for it when I over-read one night. ;-) I also don't watch much TV so that leaves me the time to read once the kids are in bed. We do have Blockbuster Online so on the weekends my husband and I will sometimes watch a movie or two together, but if it's something that is more for him and I'm not interested, I'll just sit nearby and read a magazine or book.
Silly as it sounds, I've been wading through my magazines by keeping them in the bathroom. That old joke about "bathroom reading" with Readers Digest and all those things from my grandma's era - well, now I understand why she (with two kids and ultimately multiple grandkids) kept a basket of magazines on the bathroom counter. *chuckle* If nothing else, when my hubby gets home if I need quiet time I can sit quietly in the bathroom for a few minutes and read an article, and my daughter thinks I'm "busy" so she doesn't come busting through the door. LOL
My best advice is to find habits that you can get rid of and replace with reading. I used to do SUDOKU puzzles every time I sat down to nurse my baby. She was very efficient, so it was only 20 minutes or so, but that time adds up. When I realized how much "progress" I had made on my puzzle book, the thought entered my mind that I could be spending that time doing something that would benefit me more directly (not just my brain, but my heart). As a result, I read 6 books, one of them was around 700 pages, and I was really proud of my accomplishment, as well as blessed by what I was reading.
We also weaned ourselves from watching so much TV. We banished the TV from the bedroom to the dark, cold basement, and haven't really missed it.
For Bible reading, I've been doing what I'll refer to as the John MacArthur method, which is to read a passage of the Bible (5-7) chapters every day for 30 days. This takes me between 15 minutes to half an hour when I'm not interrupted, usually before the kiddos get up. On those days when I can't read, I try to listen to that passage on audio cassette or through the computer. Because I've been reading it over and over, it is actually easier for me to follow along with what I am hearing, and I can do it while cooking or doing dishes.
My problem is spending too much time reading BLOGS! LOL!
I have always liked to read, one thing I did even when at home as there were many children and I was the oldest was snatch little paragraphs here and there throughout the day. I read entire books this way.
When everyone settles down for the night and you are in the training stages of needing to be neat then when you put them to bed, take a book and sit in the hallway with it.
Take a book with you in your diaper bag, purse etc. When you have to wait in the drive through of the bank, the doctors, the dentist office etc. read a bit. There is usually not a good magazine there anyhow!
-The more you read the faster you will get- I tend to speed read which gets me through books faster. I can easily read a book a day if I take one with me. I was at my boys soccer practice and read a book while sitting there, and I did not just sit with my nose in the book the whole time.
- Nursing was a great time to catch up on reading. At first they kicked the book away, but I taught them not to! My son still loves to snuggle on my lap while i am reading and it teaches themt o love reading.
-check if they have books on audio tape and listen to them while you are in the car traveling etc.
- I feel better, more stimulated by reading then many things. It activates your mind and relaxes you at the same time.
The best advice I got was from one of John Piper's books (I think it was 'Brothers We Are Not Professionals') which said that we could read so much more if we just read for 20 minutes in the morning, 20 minutes at lunch and 20 minutes in the evening. I homeschool my 6 children ages 9 and under. I try to read my Bible in the morning and after lunch all the kids have 30 minutes quiet reading time - so I join them. I have to admit I don't often get time to read in the evening. But, I have found that I do get a lot read this way and I don't feel guilty because it doesn't take time away from the children.
Erica, I had to LOL at your comment about multi-tasking in the bathroom, you are a kindred spirit ;) If I'm working on a "heavier" read, that is better digested in short chunks and meditated on, I always make it a bathroom read...
We also have 1 hour of quiet time every day after lunch where everyone lays down and reads or looks at books in their beds(youngest naps). I usually only get half hour of reading in here, and half hour of actual shut eye resting.
I usually give myself half hour to 45 min's to read in bed each night before I go to sleep.
We also don't watch much TV (although I admit to being a die hard LOST fan) so if I wasn't so into blogging and scrapbooking I *would* be free to read in the evenings, but alas, there are only so many hours in a day.
I think that people who wonder how someone can read so much, aren't really "readers" themselves.
I can't not read!
Even when I've been so busy I can't breathe, I still manage to read.
I too always have several books going and several more in the "to read" pile.
One thing I've taken away from Charlotte Mason, is that reading books is the best way to "get inside" of some of the world's great minds.
Lizzie
2 or 3 nights a week, after the kiddies are tucked in, I get in a nice hot bath, and read for an hour. I don't really have reading time during the day anymore.
I too, have always been a voracious reader. It is difficult not having the time to read as much as I'd like, but there will come a time when I can read all I want.
Although, with 10 children, the grandchildren might keep me too busy to read even then!!
I agree that reading can be seasonal in life. I have always loved to read, particularly fiction, but due to various circumstances I went through a period of about two years where I read very few books. I honestly felt the affects of not reading - the relaxation was not there, the imagination wasn't exercised etc. I finally had to set a goal and tell myself I would read one book a month. After starting that first book, I realized I could easily manage to fit in one book a week - I just didn't know the time was there! My goal was to set aside 15 minutes each week night but that always turned into 30+ minutes and about an hour on the weekend! :) Since then, I typically read at least two books a week in addition to all of the reading I do as a freelance editor. I love reading!!!!
I love to read but my problem is my lack of self-control or in other words I Can't Put It Down! which means I get grumpy when interrupted by one of my six children, or I get too tired by staying up late, or I get frustrated with the housework which gets in the way of my reading. Then I go to the other extreme and refuse to even go to the library because it is too much of a temptation, which means the children miss out on borrowing new books too. Self-control. Where can I find some?
Dear Crystal,
I have a set time that I read...just for me. I agree, most can find time if they just turn off the TV!!!
I read some before I sleep each night and the morning (before the children rise) is set apart for Bible study. As soon as the weather breaks, and we put up the porch swing, I'll read outside on nice days. I can usually read a chapter or two in the afternoon. I can't wait!
Ruth, in snowy PA
I don't have any children yet, but I read probably between 1-3 books per week. Just depends on how long the books are and the subject matter. I like to do one non-fiction, a how-to book, and a fiction book at once to keep things varied.
I was absolutely ecstatic when they opened up a new library branch down the street from our house a few years ago. They even have the option of requesting books to be delivered there from other branches. Love it!
Funny thing is, I get so many people asking me "How do you find the time to read so much?" I mean I have a job, but I don't consider my life to be that harried or stressful. My response is "How can I not?"
-Jen K.
My children are older now, but I have less time to read! Older children run faster, and you have to be able to keep up:). I try to divide my free time among sewing projects, reading, and knitting. I'm also an information junkie, which means I do a lot of reading on the internet and don't have much to show for it.
One thing that's really helped me in reading is signing up for the adult reading program at the local library. It runs from November through February, and you have to read 10 books to get the tote bag. I don't really do it for the tote bag, but for the gentle motivation, and it really works. I actually read 12 books this year in that time, and my reading is "jumpstarted" for a few more weeks to read the books I didn't have time for.
I do appreciate the booklists and reviews you blog on, Crystal. It helps me when I'm making informed choices on what to read--time is an extremely precious commodity, and I don't want to waste (too much!) of it!
Krista
Before-bed reading, during lunch-time reading, waiting for water to boil reading, waiting for my turn to use the computer reading, etc. :)
Adds up to at least three books and several lengthy essays a month.
~Anna
I was struggling to find time to read until we started leaving the TV off at night and going to bed earlier to read before sleeping. I also keep a book in the bathroom to read while my daughter takes a bath. She's too little to leave alone, but she loves to play until the water gets cold, so that's been a really easy place to get some extra reading in.
Reading has always been a high priority for me. Perhaps too high. With a toddler to keep me very busy during the day, I find my main time to read is after everyone has gone to bed. This makes for very peaceful reading time for me...I just end up staying up until the early morning hours. Yikes!
I love reading (I was one of the kids with the flashlight under my covers), but in the last few years I haven't read nearly as much as I use to. My goal for this year was to read 30 books. I found the website GoodReads.com where you can track the books you've read, want to read, and post your own reviews.
So far I've read 2 books. Right now, I'm finishing up Marriage to a Difficult Man: The Uncommon Union of Jonathan & Sarah Edwards and Treasuring God in our Traditions by Noelle Piper.
I definitely want to read more, but I always seem to find myself doing something else. That's one thing I want to work on more diligently.
A pastor my husband served under a few years ago told him something that made a big difference in our reading habits. He said he tries to read one chapter of some book every day. (This is apart from the Bible.) Sometimes we think we have to sit down and read a whole chunk of a book at once, but "slow and steady wins the race." :) We now each try to read at least one chapter of a book before bedtime (either separately or together). Even when the rest of our days are crazy, we can eventually make it through a book.
I don't see how you do it! I have a two-year old and she takes up every minute of my time. The only thing I can possible do is listen to books on tape in the car on the way to work!
Thanks for this post, Crystal. I'd have to say I'm definitely in a season that doesn't allow for much leisurely reading. I'm reading plenty of books for my grad classes and as part of my editing job, but I look forward to the day when I can read more books just for fun. For now, I'm reading the Mitford series, just a little bit at a time before bed each night.
i too have been through diffrent seasons, some in which I can read 2 hours a day, usually after everyone is in bed, and then other seasons when I scarcely read at all except God's Word. Never miss that one!
blessings, Penny Raine
http://www.pennyraine.com/blog
i just try to get in reading when i have a few minutes here and there, and then sometimes if i am caught up on chores i treat myself to using a half hour or hour of my son's nap for reading. On Sundays I use ALL of his nap for reading! My hubby and i love this quiet restful time.
May i ask a question? Can you or other readers give tips on keeping track of photos/milestones, etc. of your kids? Thanks. Any help would be appreciated.
New Mom
I am by no means a voracious reader, but I would love to be one! However, I do realize that reading is an important discipline and I am trying to read from a book (in addition to Scripture reading) on a daily basis.
I have a one month old daughter, and since she is our first, I have much more time than someone who has 6 or 7 (which I hope I will one day). But if I can not keep up now, how will I if I do have a full house one day?
One of the easiest times for me to read in my present state is while I am nursing. (Once we finally got the hang of things. :))
I just finished "Treasuring God in Our Traditions" by Noel Piper. A super recommendation! :)
I read before bed if I can. I also have a booklight that allows me to read in the middle of the night if I wake up and can't fall asleep (or don't feel like listening to the crazy talk radio shows at 3a).
My all-time favorite place to read is the bathtub. Once or twice a week, I'll lock the doors and camp out in our big tub for a half hour. (I keep a timer so I don't overstay my leisure).
During the day, I tend to do Bible reading and/or nonfiction reading. I find I can pick that up and set it down without losing my place as easily as I can with fiction. For my bathtub time, I'm strictly fiction... preferably pithy mysteries written by women with main characters who are unusual (chefs, innkeepers, antique dealers, blacksmiths)
I love reading a good book, and of course my daily devotions. One of the ways I ensure I get my devotion time in is to wake up early (6:30a) and have my coffee and my time reading His word. It's my time to relax without any kiddos up and I can sense some peace.
When I am reading a good book for book club, I can't put it down. I'll stay up all night to finish it - no matter how long it is.
My best tip for reading is to always have a book on your shelf that you want to get to next. It's such a good incentitive to get on to the current read.
We also have a schedule at our church called the reading roundabout which works exceptionally well.
You can find more information on it at my blog.
I love to read as well, and with only one child (so far!), I am able to find time during her naps or after she goes to bed. I love to read right before I fall asleep...a habit I formed at a really young age.
I find it hard to have very much personal reading time with a 5yo, 4yo, 2yo, 8mo, and now expecting #5. One thing I have found that helps is reading aloud TO my children. This of course can't work for every book, but there are many "grown-up" books that they will enjoy listening to and it really challenged their listening abilities that way too. I just finished reading "Ten P's in a Pod" to them not too long ago and although it's not really a children's book, they loved it.
(I reviewed it on my blog today.)
Also, after they go to bed, reading in the tub or before I turn out the lights works for me, too.
I have always loved reading! I am a fast reader, which helps me get through a book quickly. I usually read during my daughter's naptime, or in the evening once she's in bed. My husband and I don't watch TV; we would much rather spending the evening reading & discussing our books!
Right now I'm reading "Every Woman's Marriage" by Shannon & Greg Ethridge, "Grace in Thine Eyes" by Liz Curtis Higgs, and "Creating an Intimate Marriage" by Jim Burns. I have started a list on my blog of all the books I've read so far this year.
What great ideas! I steal time to read. I read mostly non-fiction and always have a book with me. I have bookmarks in 10 to 20 books at a time. I see authors as friends and often approach a book with the perspective of "Who do I want to talk to right now?" TV is a BIG waste of time.
In the past few weeks I have started reading alot again. Before I met my husband and had 2 kids I always had a book in tow, oftentimes more than one (like most here! LOL). This is the first time in a long time that I have not had an issue finding time to read. My malfunction seems to be picking out good books, that seems to take me a bit for some reason! Any suggestion on that one?
One time I have found to read has been two times during the day when my boys watch TV-one half hour time slot in the morning and one in the afternoon-it's helped me snag a few minutes alone and get through some good books!
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