5 Ways to Find Time to Read

Fatuma Hydara
Who struggles with finding time to read? 🙋🏾‍♀️

There can be many reasons why you "don't" read. Work, family, health (physical and/or mental), etc.

For me, my biggest barrier is mostly work. Teaching consumes not only time, but physical and emotional energy. I wake up at 5:30 in the morning and return home 12 hours later...to do some biz stuff, help figure out dinner, shower, and fall into bed. That was my routine for a long time. And I was stressed out and not happy.

A few weeks ago, I placed a hard 9pm stop on myself. At that time, I shower and pick up a book. Sometimes I'm able to read for 15 min; other times, my eyes close on me and I'm sleepily ushered to bed. Then, I got caught up in state test prep and finalizing grade for quarter 3 and my shoulders were back up tightly against my ears and it HIT me. I NEED to read. It's not just a hobby. It's self-care. It's necessary for my mental health. It forces me to stop and be still for usually the first time all day. To relax and get lost in someone else's story in a way that's incredibly fulfilling to me.

That helped me recommit and prioritize reading. And it's been amazing for my mental health.

📝 Here are my tips:

1. Choose a specific time. PRIORITIZE it. So that means, SET an ALARM or put "Reading Time" in your CALENDAR.

2. SHUT it DOWN! Meaning turn everything that's a distraction OFF.

3. Treat it like a DATE. Specify time just for YOU. Shower/bath, comfy clothes, candle, warm blanket, whatever you like.

4. Make Others Respect it! Communicate with the people you live with. They should know not to speak to you unless something or someone is burning or dying. 😂

5. AUDIOBOOKS (a new discovery for me) allow you to become the majestic multi-task reader! For those of us who REALLY can't find extra time, you can read during your commute to work or while you're preparing dinner or washing dishes or showering or working out!

💥I hope these tips help! Do you have others that work for you? Please share them in the comments below. ⤵️

Thanks for reading! Now go off and make sure to squeeze in some book time today! 😉

Best,
Tuma 🙆🏾‍♀️
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