Reading more, faster

This was a post from last year, but since, like most readers, we’ve probably all made reading resolutions (I’m really stretching myself this year. I’m nervously excited!) Hopefully you can grab some great tips on reading more, faster with these tips!

I read a lot of books, but I’m not what you would call a fast reader. In the past couple of weeks, I’ve gotten quiet a few “How do you read so fast? And with little ones, work, writing, etc. . .” that I thought I’d make a post out of it. Some might find my ways cheating, but here’s my big secret. It’s really simple.

I call it the trifecta.

Hardcopy. Audiobook. Ebook.

Seriously. That’s it.

I can read a book so much faster if I have the hardcopy, audiobook, and ebook. Here’s why.

I love reading the hardcopy. Holding it in my hands. Flipping through the pages. It’s bliss. However, I’m also a mom of three. Which means lots of laundry, lots of dishes/housework/etc. and you can’t exactly hold a book while you’re driving (while I have read and driven at the same time (#finalweek) I don’t recommend it), but you can listen to an audiobook. When I’m doing all those never-ending tasks listed above, or if there is a rare moment that I’m running errands/grocery shopping by my lonesome, I listen to an audiobook (I also listen to audiobooks on the treadmill. Somedays you just have to have a sick beat, but for the most part I’ve trained myself to get lost in the words).

Why the ebook? Because there are those nights (if you’re a mom you know what I’m talking about) where someone can’t sleep and if they can’t sleep, momma can’t sleep. Ebooks are nice for the dark when they’ve finally drifted off to sleep and you need something to read to fall back to sleep yourself (because do not turn on that reading light or .  . . well, you know). And of course there’s the whole spouse thing — they can sleep, but it’s a full moon and you’re wide awake, but don’t want to keep them awake thing. Yeah ebooks you can read in the dark. So there’s that.

Anyways. There’s no great big science behind getting words read, you just do what works for you (and learn to love audiobooks).