How I got myself to read for at least 40 minutes a day
One of my favorite ways to practice self care is by reading a good book.
One of my favorite ways to practice self care is by reading a good book. This year, I was looking for a way to be more consistent with my reading habits because I really wanted to prioritize reading at least once every day. If this is something you’d like to implement, keep reading as I share what worked for me.
Alarm clock
I used to wake up at 6:15am every morning, and while that may seem early to some, I found that it wasn’t giving me enough time to get everything done… including my reading. I decided to move my alarm 30 minutes earlier to 5:45am and that made a huge difference!
Structure
I’m all about routines and structure! If you read my blog post about why I make my bed every morning, you’ll understand a little bit about why I prioritize this. My morning routine includes: making my bed, brushing teeth, weighing myself, grabbing a glass of water and then grabbing my book, which is always in the same spot along with my pen and highlighter.
Timer
In order to stay on track, I set my alarm for 40 minutes and then leave my phone far enough away where I can hear the alarm, but not any other notifications. Here’s a tip: if you have an iPhone and want to keep your phone near you, create a “reading” focus and block/allow only certain notifications to come in. This will allow you to still receive emergency notifications and hear your alarm, but nothing else.
The result of this? I was able to build my reading time up from 30 to 40 minutes in just about a month! I encourage you to give these a try and let me know if you see any positive results. If you have any tips for getting in the habit of reading daily, share them below!
Sincerely,
SOS
