2019: Read More!
Its January, which means its New Years Resolution time!! Now, I am not a fan of resolutions per se, but I do want to convince everyone to make a new years promise: Read More! Here are 5 reasons you should resolve to read more in 2019:
Reading has been shown in studies to reduce stress. If one of your goals in 2019 is to manage stress, read more!
Reading and recalling information about the setting, characters, plot, etc of a book helps your brain get a workout. This helps improve your memory. As you get older, keeping your brain sharp is important! One study indicated that people who engage in mentally challenging activities like reading or chess were 2.5 times less like to develop dementia.
Reading is entertaining! Don’t force yourself to read books you aren’t really interested in because they are classics or NYT best sellers. You should read books you find entertaining! Reading is fun!
Reading makes you more intelligent and more empathetic! Who doesn’t want to be smarter and kinder?
Reading increases your problem solving and critical thinking skills. These are important skills to live and could even make you better at your job!!
So, what is your reading goal this year? Even if you just want to read 1 book a month, thats a goal! Just make sure you read what you like! If you like erotica, read that! If you like true crime, read that! If you like mystery, you guessed it: read that! Its not about WHAT you read, its about reading. Now, here are some tips to set aside or find reading time:
- Try audiobooks! These make commutes so much easier. If you tried them in the past and weren’t a fan, maybe give them a second shot. Try a different genre or narrator. I would love to give you recs if you want to try something. I may read 99% romance, but I listen to books in just about every genre! Another good time to listen to audiobooks? During workouts (which might be another resolution you have!)
- Read 10-15 minutes a night before you go to sleep. It helps you ‘wind down’ for bed and instead of just laying there waiting to fall asleep, you can use the time to read yourself into relaxation!
- Read during your lunch break! Take time to yourself during your work day and enjoy the quiet with a book!
- Read while you wait. With apps on my phone, I am never without a book. While you wait at the doctors office, your child’s practice, or at the DMV, you can be reading. If you use an app on your phone, you are never without a book. Also, you don’t have to try to hide your book cover if you are reading something racy (not that I think you should have to, but lets be honest-there are some judgmental assholes out there)! Or, maybe consider an e-reader like Kindle (I love mine)!
I don’t do resolutions but I have a 10 book goal for the year. I mean, obviously I’ll be reading more than 10 (I already read 6 books so far ?) but I want to read stress free and just relax!
I also swear by audiobooks. I suggest others who have a hard time trying audiobooks to train their brain by lsitening to podcasts first. My first attempt at audiobooking was a dud (maybe also the books I picked were crap) and I had stopped listening to audiobooks for a year and restarted after listening to podcasts in that year. I honestly wouldn’t have read some of the books if I didn’t listen to them on audio!
I love this, Samantha! I don’t necessarily do resolutions either but I do set goals every year. This year I want to read books that have been sitting on my shelves for a looong time. 😉 I have to admit that I’m addicted to reading. If I don’t get at least a little reading time in each day, I’m crabby. So I make sure to fit it in my schedule. Thanks for sharing tips on how to fit more reading in. The only thing I can think that I do to get more reading in with audiobooks is I listen while cooking and cleaning. 🙂
Seems like all of us in the comments (so far) are resolution-free. 🙂
As always, my goal is to read from my own shelves. I’ve cut down on arcs to almost nil and I like it that way. Audiobooks are such an awesome resource and I listen to and from the office every day as well as when I’m getting ready in the morning.