Too Many Books, Too Little Time!
What Does One Do?
Ah the age old dilemma - there are too many books we aspire to read, and yet too little time to get to them all! I don’t know about you, but I feel like I’m always wrestling with this problem. Today I want to share 3 tips I’ve learned that may help combat this frustrating dilemma, though we cannot lengthen our days and can only read so fast.
1. Prioritize
I think the most important tip is to prioritize your book choices. This will look differently for different readers, but the principle is still the same. Make a list of the books you’re hoping to read in the near future. Just do a brain-dump of all the books you can think of you’re hoping to get to within the next year or 6 months, for example (or whatever time frame makes sense to you).
Next you’re going to organize your list. If there’s any books you must read for school or work, those should come first or go in a different category. Then, in terms of personal reading, we must look at the books on our hope-to-read-list and determine which is our priority? Which book(s) on our list are most relevant to us right now or most intriguing? The results will depend on what your priorities in life and reasons for reading are, too. Are you hoping to learn about a topic and does the related book take priority over a fiction read? Or are you in a place where you want to prioritize reading for comfort or entertainment? Maybe you have children and want to prioritize reading books to or with your children.
2. No fruit? Stop and drop it.
My second tip is to set aside a book you aren’t finding good fruit in. Just because a book isn’t ‘fun’ is not necessarily a reason to set it aside, as there may be other value to be found in it (informative or otherwise). However if you’re finding no enjoyment or any other value in a book, I recommend setting it aside. Perhaps it’s one you’ll never want to read, but maybe you’ll come back to it later in a different headspace.
I’ve had this happen: I started The Hobbit in 7th grade, but did not enjoy it at all and was able to get out of reading the rest of it. However, interests change, and while I’m still not incredibly interested in the fantasy genre, I recently picked up The Hobbit once again and this time I enjoyed it so much it’s now a favorite. I’m so glad I didn’t read the whole book in 7th grade, when I didn’t enjoy it because I’m sure I would have no interest to read it now, when I enjoy it, and therefore wouldn’t have discovered a new favorite! So don’t force pieces (books) that aren’t working in the puzzle (that puzzle is your brain and interests)!
3. Audio helps!
Lastly, there’s no shame in using audiobooks. Yes, reading by sight is a wonderful use of time and good for our brains, and we can get additional value from reading physical books. That said, audiobooks absolutely serve a purpose, especially when your schedule is full but you still want to enjoy a wonderful story or learn something! I love audiobooks for on the go, or when I’m cooking or cleaning. I recognize they can’t take the place of sitting down with a good paper book, but they can be a lovely supplement.
Do you have any tips or strategies you’ve learned for making the most of your time and list of books to-be-read? I’d love to know! Share them with me via the Contact option on my site.