We often hear people say they wish they could find more time to read. The problem is we’ll never really find more time to do anything – we have to make the time. Unfortunately, this usually means giving up (or at least cutting into) the time we devote to other things. Whether it’s cutting out an extra hour of sleeping or television viewing, the time will appear, as if by magic, if you make it appear.
The time may actually be…. oh I don’t know… an arm’s length away. As in right there in our hands!
One of my favorite ways to “sneak in” extra reading time is about as simple as it gets – I keep whatever book I’m currently reading within reach at all times. If I’m meeting my husband and/or daughters for lunch, I carry it in my purse. This way, if I beat them there, I can read a little while waiting.
During an especially fascinating Golden Age of Hollywood biography or Agatha Christie mystery, I’ll actually leave early to make sure I have 15-20 minutes of reading time in the parking lot. Hercule Poirot and I have solved many a crime in the Olive Garden parking lot.
Another simple way to find more time is to cut into the time you spend sleeping – whether that means setting the alarm for 30 minutes earlier or turning in 30 minutes earlier, that 30 extra minutes can be invested in a great book. If you were to do both, you’d suddenly have a whole hour each day to devote to reading.
Of course, you’d have to make sure you actually spent your new-found time IN a book and not ON your phone. In fact, a shocking study by musicMagpie.co.uk has revealed the number of books people could read if they simply reduced their digital intake over a month.
In the 23 hours we spend on our phone social networking, we could of read one of the following 5 books:
- The Handmaid’s Tale
- To Kill a Mockingbird
- Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
- Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
- Jane Eyre
With today’s generation now being more digital than ever, is it time to take a short break a few hours a day? My answer is a resounding YES!
Again, just be sure to make sure you pick a book up when you put the iPhone down. It’s easier once you’re in the middle of a great book… when that happens, it’s harder to pick the phone up than it is to put it down.
The infographic below will blow your mind – it makes you realize just how much time we spend plugged into our phones.
Enjoy the infographic (click for the larger version) – I’m off to another adventure courtesy of Agatha Christie. – Joi
Infographic Credit: musicMagpie.co.uk