How do you find time to read?

[Phoebe]

I love reading. I am jealous of your reading lists and book clubs. I really don't have time to read. In the evenings I might read a couple pages and fall asleep. How do you make time?


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[Thirteen]

How do you find time to read?

I'm in a slump, but it's due to prioritizing other things over reading (exercise, the occasional TV show, quiet time/sleep/sex, etc.)

Also, I prefer paper between my fingers and our local library system is abysmal. (I rarely purchase)

I used to wake very early, put on the coffee, and open my book for an hour-ish, but small children make that initial wake time far earlier than I'm comfortable with at the moment.
DS2 is currently waking around 3:45-4:30...


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[niener]

*following this thread to discover the secrets too*

[MrsK]

I read when I'm nursing the baby and I bring my kindle along everywhere. I can usually fit in a few pages here and there when I'm waiting in lines, during the kids' lessons, when I'm waiting in the car for them to get out of school. .....

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[MrsK]

Also, I don't watch TV. I get bored with it quickly.

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[MrsC]

I read on my kindle. I usually read for about 30 minutes to an hour before I fall asleep. If it's a really good book I'll read in the evening after dinner while DH is spending time with DS.

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[MrsK]

Also in the morning if I wake early and can't get back to sleep. Inevitably, one of the kids will climb into bed and ask me to read out loud. This is how K1's fascination with Zelda Fitzgerald began.

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[spotty_dog]

For me it goes in phases or seasons. In some times of my life I read a lot, and in others almost not at all. I remember when my kids were small I was so envious and almost bitter at mothers who found time to read! I'm in a stage where I can find quite a bit of time these days. Either while my kids are also reading, or while I'm waiting for their activities, or after they go to bed, or if my book is really good I'll even give myself a half hour or so in the middle of the day while they're at school. DH and I usually wind down by reading in bed for at least a half hour every night. We don't have cable or anything, so our family evenings are usually some combination of books and DVDs -- and if it's a kid movie, DH and I just read right through it. It adds up. But I do sometimes spend a few months a year trading my reading time for other hobby time, like if I'm on a knitting spree I will do that to wind down for bed and hardly ever read at all. Still looking for balance there. And I am so picky about fiction, because using precious time on a book, only to find that it's trite or carelessly written, is like a slap in the face. >.<

[TulipsAndSunscreen]

I read before bed to wind down and lately in the middle of the night when D wakes up and I can't go back to sleep.

I use my kindle and the kindle app on my phone so if I left the house (which I don't much), it's possible for me to read on my phone even if I don't have my kindle with me.

[MAPPLEBUM]

I pretty much only read in the summer. It usually bleeds into the semester until I'm too brain dead to keep it up. Just about all of my teaching is extemporaneous so I do some research to keep lessons fresh, new ideas coming in, etc.

[MDPhDWife]

For me it goes in phases or seasons. In some times of my life I read a lot, and in others almost not at all. I remember when my kids were small I was so envious and almost bitter at mothers who found time to read! I'm in a stage where I can find quite a bit of time these days. Either while my kids are also reading, or while I'm waiting for their activities, or after they go to bed, or if my book is really good I'll even give myself a half hour or so in the middle of the day while they're at school. DH and I usually wind down by reading in bed for at least a half hour every night. We don't have cable or anything, so our family evenings are usually some combination of books and DVDs -- and if it's a kid movie, DH and I just read right through it. It adds up. But I do sometimes spend a few months a year trading my reading time for other hobby time, like if I'm on a knitting spree I will do that to wind down for bed and hardly ever read at all. Still looking for balance there. And I am so picky about fiction, because using precious time on a book, only to find that it's trite or carelessly written, is like a slap in the face. >.<

I also tend to read in phases. I will go months and months spending the majority of my free time with my face buried in a book and other months I don't read anything except magazines and the news. While I don't struggle to find books that I want to read (I keep a list), I do struggle to start a book. Once I get started though and if I'm enjoying it I have a REALLY hard time putting it down. So much so that I will stay up all night or blow off housework to keep reading.

I also prefer an actual book as opposed to reading via kindle, so I depend a lot on the local library. Our library here isn't as great as the one in our last city so that's been a little bit of a detractor lately for me. I never travel without at least one book in my bag. It helps me look forward to the journey instead of just the destination.

[Flynn]

Reading to me is like water -- I need it and feel off when I don't get enough.

I read:

...before bedtime every night. Sometimes I go to bed a little early after the kids are down so I can read for at least 30 minutes.
...when I'm in my car picking or dropping off kids to afternoon/evening activities. I bring my kindle everywhere.
...when I dry my hair. I have long curly hair that needs to be diffused with the hair dryer. It takes a while. I sit down and read while I dry my hair.
...at a slow weekend breakfast I tend to be the first one up. I read over my breakfast with coffee.
...in waiting rooms.
...at the bus stop before drop off.

[JustRightKelly]

I used to feel like a failure for not finishing a book. I'd push and push through a bad book and refuse to start another. This lead to longer and longer times between when I choose to read. Now, I've decided there are too many good books in the world to waste my time on a bad one. So, if after a few chapters I'm not enthralled I move on. I also read a few books and genres at a time to stay interested and have variety. Also, like sex, the more you read the more you want to read. A lovely cycle.


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[Thirteen]

Adding: I renewed my phi kappa phi membership to active status yesterday, and thought about how quickly I devoured books, BC. (Before Children) Ah, grad school!
I loved school, and reading. I need to make the time again, somewhere. Maybe once DS2 stops waking up so early (4:08am was my "alarm" today)


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[oceanchild]

I read the most when I'm traveling. So, on planes (while my 2-year-old is plugged into an iPad). Also on my lunch breaks at work, in waiting rooms, and sometimes in the evening instead of watching TV.