The Her Campus at uOttawa chapter is filled with avid readers, so we decided to give you our best tips to read while having little to no free time (as Pitbull would say: been there, done that). Since most of us are full-time students and work full-time jobs during the summer, we compiled our best tips for you!
Set a scheduled time
Since our bodies are so used to working around a schedule, it is best to set a time where you can read. Most of us like to read before bed, as it allows us to disconnect from technology. I tend to find myself drifting off while reading, but still fighting to finish my chapter, which allows me to read more than I probably would regularly.
Drop any book you don’t like
You might want to keep on reading every book you pick up in order to reach your goal, but reading a book you don’t enjoy might cause more issues than you think. A book that doesn’t fit your taste might take longer to read, therefore you won’t reach your goal as fast as you wish you would. Or, it might simply put you in a reading slump!
Find your genre
As much as I love reading, it can be hard for me to devour a book when it’s not a genre I’m into. A tip I was given that I’ve been living by ever since is “for every book you’re forced to read, read one of your favourite genres”. I used to apply it only to school books, but I’ve also tried using it for books that aren’t my usual genre. This might need some trial and error, but you’ll end up finding what makes you read a book in one sitting and you’ll know what to stick to going forward!
Buddy read
Getting someone to read with you is always motivating. You might want to read the same book as your buddy and turn it into a race, but what I personally like to do is to share my book collection with my cousin. This allows us both to have access to a larger library and we motivate each other by writing reviews for the books we haven’t read yet.
goodreads
This app is great for people trying to read more as it has multiple tracking systems. You can track your pages in a book or the number of books you want to read during the year. It also lets you create lists. I like my “to buy” list because it helps my friends know which books I want. I also like to add friends so I know what they’re up to and if they’re reaching their yearly reading goal.
Overall, there are multiple ways for you to increase the time you spend reading, but the main takeaway of this article is to put effort into reading. We’re so used to mindlessly scrolling on our various technological devices that you need to be strict with yourself if you’re truly trying to read more books!