Do you believe your life would be better if you had more time to read books? And, not to mention, spent less time on social media? Well, you’re here reading this blog so I already know the answer.
Because I’ve been sharing my latest book finds with a lot more regularity these days, people have started to flood my inbox with questions, like:
- “How do you read all of these books?”
- “Did you learn to read faster?”
- “Where do you find these books, anyway?”
Long story short: I have been able to find more time to read books this year because I’ve prioritized reading more books this year.
Tip #1: Listen.
One of the things that has made a HUGE difference for me in the number of books I’m able to get through is the use of Audible. Back in the day — if you bought an Audible nonfiction title — you never knew who might be voicing it. Today, you’re almost always going to get the author reading it and, trust me, it makes a big difference.
Tip #2: Find hidden moments.
Much of your day is spent doing things with your hands that don’t allow you to sit down and read a book. But — if you’re doing things with your hands that don’t necessarily require your concentration or mental attention, you can easily get away with listening to books.
I can’t read a physical book while:
- Driving
- Blow-drying my hair
- Getting dressed
- Walking the dogs
- Making my bed
- Doing the dishes
- Tidying up
All of these tasks obviously require the use of my hands without almost any brain concentration. With EarPods in and volume on high, though, I can do ANY of the above activities while listening (and fully absorbing) audible books.
I’m probably getting through about two hours of book listening a day due to taking advantage of all these hidden moments. And you can, too.
Tip #3: Speed it up.
Audible books allow you to set / change the setting of the playback. Regardless of the speed of the author’s voice, I will almost always speed it up somewhat. My go-to is a 1.5x setting. You literally have the option to speed it up by .1 increments. So, if the author already narrates quickly, I might speed it up a to a 1.2. Get it?
This method allows me to go through books much quicker.
For the next step — which involves how I limit my social media usage — plus, my 12 top book picks this year, check out The Chalene Show episode below:
