How to Get In More Reading When You Are Short On Time

Most of us have very busy lives. School, work, family, social activities, domestic chores…there are things to do and places to be. By the time night rolls around we fall into bed exhausted, only to have it all start over the next day. So hobbies we enjoy have a tendency to fall to the wayside, becoming an occasional treat we cannot indulge in all the time.

For me, the hobby I miss the most when I am busy is reading. I have always been a bookworm, and I used to read every night for at least an hour before bed. Something that was much easier to do when my kids were in their infant/toddler stages and so didn’t have things like school the next day. Not to mention my work schedule was less hectic, and my social calender was not so full.

Now I am lucky if I can spend an evening a week curled up with a book. Or, at least that is how it was before I found some cool tools that helped me get in more reading during those unexpected down times we all have during the day.

Reading boosts our  memory, reduces stress, helps self esteem and, according to DirJournal, builds our vocabulary.

Whether you are catching a chapter while commuting on the subway, or reading while on your lunch break, here are some great apps to help you out.

Goodreads

One of the easiest ways to read more is to force yourself to find some time. You are more likely to do that if you are especially excited about a book and the chance to read it. With Goodreads, you are able to browse books based on your criteria for what you like, check out new categories you have never heard of, find out what friends have read and more. It is all about discovering new books in your free time.

Notes For Later

I tend to read a lot of article online, as well as blog posts and ebooks. But I don’t always have time right at that moment, and a mental note is quickly forgotten. Even writing it down on a note is probably going to be ignored. This is a cool little tool that lets you save pages to read later. It is all on a single click program, and they even have a PDF option that converts the page to read on devices with an ereader app.

Pocket

This is another page saving app, and it used to be called Read It Later. Now, it is called pocket due to its ability to be read on any device and shared through your PC, phone, tablet and even web capable media devices. So you can literally carry all of your reading material off of the web in your pocket. It is fantastic for syncing all reading material together to check out anywhere, like when you are waiting for a doctor’s appointment or in line at the bank.

Morning Coffee

A quick bit of reading first thing in the morning will inform you for the rest of the day, help to wake up your mind and keep you up to date. Not to mention, it is just an enjoyable way to wake up. This extension works on Firefox by opening up your daily routine sites all at once in separate tabs, the second you open your browser. News sites, blogs, comics…anything you usually check out on a daily basis will be included.

Sage

This is a quick, lightweight extension that works as an RSS and content curator and Atom feed aggregator. It puts all of your subscriptions in one place, letting you quickly skim titles from the side bar so you can read what you want without having to search site after site. So you can get in more reading with less sifting.

Ultimately, I think the most important thing you can do to read more is just to find a little time to do it. Think about it, and you can probably find some time to get in a chapter or two on a daily basis. Maybe you just cut out one rerun of Pawn Stars, or take a bit of a break during your day when you need it. Chances are, it will help your day feel a lot less stressful.

Do you know of any good tools for sneaking reading into your schedule? Let us know in the comments!