12 Tips to Reading More Books in 2022
Blogmas Day 15
Over the past couple of years, I’ve fallen back in love with reading.
It sounds silly to say, because I loved reading growing up, but in college, the love fizzled out and was replaced with homework, extracurriculars, studying, and such.
It wasn’t until a few years ago that I seriously picked up reading again and slowly made it part of my everyday routine. Last year I challenged myself to read 50 books and ended up reading 65, and this year, I will at least meet my goal of 75, if not exceed it by a book or two.
Sure, there are other readers out there who are crushing it with 100+ books under their belt every year, but I feel like I’ve learned a tip or two on how to read more books. If “reading more” has been/is going to be your New Year’s resolution — or maybe it’s just something you wish you had more time to do — you’re not alone. I hope these 12 tips provide the encouragement and motivation you need to read more books in 2022.
{ONE} Set a goal.
Some bloggers tell you to not set reading goals, but I personally am a goal-oriented person and this has helped me tremendously. Instead of saying you’ll “read more,” choose an exact number of books you want to read in a year and divide that by 12 for a monthly average. By seeing how many books you realistically will have to finish each month, it breaks the goal down into attainable chunks. This has helped me stay motivated instead of getting overwhelmed by a large number.
{TWO} Be realistic.
If you are not much of a reader now, reading 100 books in a year probably isn’t realistic. Instead, be realistic with your time, energy, and aspirations and choose a goal that fits your life. It’s easy to compare your progress with others’ goals, but you do you, friend. You’ve got this.
{THREE} Make reading a part of your routine.
Like any goal or new habit, motivation only takes you so far. Come February, the motivation to read every day is going to get harder and harder to find. Instead, find a natural part of your routine that makes sense to read. For me, I tend to read at night before winding down for bed. It takes the place of scrolling on my phone and naturally fits into my everyday life.
{FOUR} Join a book community.
There are so many book communities out there, and joining one helps you not feel so alone in your quest to read more. Goodreads is a great one to start with. You can follow along with friends’ reading journeys, set yearly reading goals, keep track of the books you want to read, and more. Plus, Goodreads starts to understand your reading preferences and will recommend books that you may enjoy. Self promo disclaimer: You can follow my Goodreads at @KeriPapili.
Bookstagram, the bookish community on Instagram, is another fantastic community to join. To do so, just search “#bookstagram” in Instagram and a lot of the accounts will pop up. I have found the Bookstagram community to be encouraging and full of great recommendations. Self promo disclaimer: You can follow my bookstagram account for recs at @readwithkeri.
{FIVE} Read what you want.
What you read should be up to you. There are so many great books out there, but they will not all be your style or preference. Read what interests you; otherwise, you’ll start to dread reading, and that defeats the purpose. For me, I’ve tried reading fantasy and sci-fi books, but I’ve learned they’re not for me. Instead of forcing myself to read them, I read what interests me.
{SIX} Try audiobooks.
Audiobooks are underrated and a really great asset to any book goal you may set. Some people may think that audiobooks do not count as books, so if that’s you, you’re entitled to your opinion but I personally disagree. Listening to an audiobook is fantastic when doing tedious tasks like completing chores, driving, or taking walks around the neighborhood. I tend to listen to only nonfiction books but find them to be excellent additions to my reading routine.
{SEVEN} Do double duty.
One secret to reading more is doing double duty. For some, this may mean reading a physical book, as well as reading a book on their Kindle or iPad; while for others, this may mean reading a book and listening to an audiobook at the same time. (I don’t mean the exact same time, but that would be pretty impressive.) Personally, I tend to always have a nonfiction audiobook queued up and a fiction book that I’m working through via a physical book.
{EIGHT} Join a library.
Join. A. Library. Books can be expensive, so you may be tempted to read less because you don’t want to purchase books all of the time. Completely fair, and exactly why I joined a library last year. When I realized I was finishing the books on my shelf and running out of excuses to keep buying books, I turned to the library and my eyes were opened to the amazingness that is the local library. A place full of free books at my disposal? Yes please. The library is underrated and is really a great resource to use whenever possible.
{NINE] Embrace your inner quitter.
It sounds ironic to say quit books in order to read more. But seriously, quit books if you want to read more. There’s nothing worse than trudging your way through a book that you dislike. I give you permission to quit the book if it’s not for you. I usually will read 20% of a book before I decide to quit it, just in case it gets better. But if you don’t like a book, it’s okay to not finish it. Read what you want (#5) because ultimately, this will help you keep a love for reading.
{TEN} Swap screen time for book time.
At the end of the day, reading needs to be incorporated into your everyday routine (#3). For me, this meant swapping screen time (e.g., scrolling on my phone, watching TV) for book time. Even if it’s 30 minutes a day, that time adds up, and you’ll never regret spending less time on your phone.
{ELEVEN} Decide once.
It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the millions of books to choose from. Go to any library or bookstore and you know exactly what I mean. So. Many. Options. Instead of weighing the pros and cons to each book and getting lost in the land of book reviews, decide once. Choose a book that looks interesting to you and decide to read it. Choosing a book to read can be frustrating, but in the words of Nike, “Just do it.” If you need a place to start, you can check out my post, 20 Books That Changed My Life. (I’ll also be sharing my favorite books of 2021 later this week.)
{TWELVE} Have fun with it.
At the end of the day, reading more books is like any other habit you want to incorporate: you just have to stick with it, test and learn, and figure it out along the way. As you read, you’ll start to figure out what you do and do not like, which authors you love, and which genres you can’t stand. What’s important is that you have fun with it! As nerdy as it may seem, reading can be really fun if you approach it with the right mindset.
Whether you read one book or 100 books next year, you are capable of reading more in 2022. With these 12 tips, you’ll be on your way to accomplishing your reading goals in no time. You’ve got this!