Ever been in one of those awkward situations where a friend has got a problem, and you\u2019ve got the solution, but it\u2019s just a little too embarrassing to say out loud? Yeah, I\u2019ve been there, too. And the crazy part is, it was all about how to make time for reading.<\/p>\n

Reading\u2019s not embarrassing.<\/p>\n

Really, it\u2019s not. It wasn\u2019t the reading itself that was embarrassing. It was actually the where and how.<\/p>\n

Life is Just Full!<\/strong><\/h5>\n

That\u2019s how the conversation started. It was a group conversation. One of those multi-window Zoom conversations we were all trying to like a couple of years back.<\/p>\n

And the gist of the conversation was this: you love books. You\u2019d love to read. BUT YOU JUST CAN\u2019T IMAGINE FINDING THE TIME!<\/p>\n

Life is full. Whether we like it or not, whether we fight it or not, whether we thrive on it or barely endure it. Life. Is. Full.<\/p>\n

And It Always Will Be!<\/strong><\/h5>\n

Back when we last read the first chapter of a chemistry book, (whether as a student or a teacher!) we were reminded that gases have a unique property that separates them from liquids and solids. Probably more than one property, actually. But the one I\u2019m thinking of is this:<\/p>\n

\u201cGases expand to fill an available space.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the way life is, too.<\/p>\n

No matter how much you do\u2014no matter how little you attempt\u2014life will always stay full. Which creates a bit of a problem when you start trying to make time for something new.<\/p>\n

Brutally Honest: How Do I Make Time for Reading?<\/strong><\/h5>\n

My friend asked the question with a certain level of admiration in her voice.<\/p>\n

She definitely thought it was a really good thing that I made time to read.<\/p>\n

The truth of the matter is, I am just a tad addicted to reading. I\u2019m not sure whether it\u2019s a merit or a weakness.<\/p>\n

Still, that wasn\u2019t the part that made answering awkward. The part that made it awkward is that I am a Canadian. Canadians have the reputation of being very, very polite. Too polite, sometimes.<\/p>\n

I was probably being too polite, if I couldn\u2019t come up with a way to say this without being rude.<\/p>\n

Scrap Reading in the Bath: Read in the Sink!<\/strong><\/h5>\n

Yep, that is, actually, my answer.<\/p>\n

Read in the bathroom. Even when you haven\u2019t got time to take a bath.<\/p>\n

(Do NOT read in the shower. Even if you\u2019ve got a water-resistant Kindle, that one\u2019s going to end badly!)<\/p>\n

But DO read during all the rest of the time you spend in your soap-scented, toothbrush-scattered room.<\/p>\n

Because \u201cread in the washroom\u201d is really just another way of saying \u201cmultitask.\u201d We all have some minutes when our minds are empty, even though our time is filled. I, personally, read while I\u2019m brushing my hair. I read while I\u2019m brushing my teeth. I even read\u2014occasionally\u2014while I\u2019m walking up and down stairs. An e-reader is definitely a blessing here, but I\u2019m not by any means saying you couldn\u2019t do it with a paperback, too.<\/p>\n

Does it mean I read more than a paragraph or two unbroken? No. But it does mean I get to jam in some precious minutes I wouldn\u2019t have otherwise had with books.<\/p>\n

Make Them Listen: Read Out Loud<\/strong><\/h5>\n

My second answer to the make time for reading question has to do with reading out loud.<\/p>\n

I say that, realizing it\u2019s a bit of a sensitive one, because I do know that not everyone can necessarily find regular access to a group of reading partners.<\/p>\n

But if you are finding yourself torn between reading time and family time, then do take a moment to consider whether the two could be combined.<\/p>\n

Most children absolutely love to listen to reading. Especially if they\u2019re allowed to do something with their hands at the same time. And there are actually a surprising number of books that will feed both their minds and yours!<\/p>\n

Somebody Else\u2019s Advice: Go for Audio Books<\/strong><\/h5>\n

Okay, I say this is somebody else\u2019s advice, because, while I love listening to family members read aloud, for some reason I am less passionate about listening to recordings do it.<\/p>\n

This could be because I\u2019m hearing impaired, and recorded voices are just that little bit more of a strain.<\/p>\n

Or it could be because I am not really an auditory learner.<\/p>\n

However, my own preferences aside, I know from a ton of other people that audio books work fantastically for a huge sector of the population. And they\u2019ve got this advantage over print books: you 100% CAN listen to them in the shower!<\/p>\n

You Can Do It!<\/strong><\/h5>\n

It doesn\u2019t take a big time commitment to reap the benefits of books. (We talked about that in a little more detail in a previous post<\/a>.) In fact, the secret of how to make time to read isn\u2019t about clearing space in your schedule. It\u2019s about re-discovering the potential of the time you already have.<\/p>\n

Even when that time is nothing but the washroom!<\/p>\n

And believe it or not, I am still confident that my washroom trick is NOT the weirdest how-to-read advice you can find out there. Share your own wackiest tip for making time to read in the comment\u2019s section below. I\u2019d love to hear from all of you!<\/p>\n

Eager to read, but not sure which book to start? Take a look at our previous post:<\/p>\n

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