If you wish you could read more, you’re not alone. I frequently have that “so many books, so little time” feeling, especially when I’m browsing at my favorite bookstore or on NetGalley looking for Advance Review Copies to request. No matter how much we read, there will be wonderful books that we don’t get to. It’s just a fact of life.

But, we can find ways to read more and experience more wonderful worlds and characters! These are the steps I take to read over one hundred books in a year and rock my Goodreads challenge.

We have a lot of dead time in our days where we’re doing a mindless task that needs to be done, but doesn’t fully engage us. Whether it’s a daily commute to work, cleaning the house, doing the dishes or waiting for a grocery pickup order, we can use this time to listen to audiobooks.

I prefer to listen at normal speed, but I have friends who speed it up to listen to it even faster! You might experiment and see what speed is right for you.

My favorite source for audiobooks is Audible, but you can also get them for free through your local library’s apps like Libby’s Overdrive or Hoopla. Check out their website for their offerings.

Part of reading success is finding your best method for consuming books. I find I can read written text much faster than I can listen to audiobooks. I’ve always known I was a fast reader. When I tested, I read 670 words a minute, far above the adult average of 200 words a minute. I both comprehend and write text better than speech, which requires a lot more focus for me. If you’re curious about your own reading speeds, you can complete a simple test here. So for me, if I have spare minutes in my day where I can read rather than listen, that’s a much better use of my time.

We all have more spare minutes than we realize. I read on my lunchbreaks in the work break room, in waiting rooms for doctor appointments or sometimes even in drive-through lines. Using that time helps me finish books faster.

Also, I have the Kindle app on my phone, so I always have access to unlimited books. This works better for me than carrying a Kindle around. One quick note about this: Kindle currently does not allow you to buy books from the app. But if you want to purchase on the go, you can open a web browser on your phone, log into your Amazon account and purchase that way. It will automatically appear in your Kindle account on your phone then.

This is my absolute favorite time of day to read. For me, it helps me to unwind from the stress of the day by losing myself in someone’s world. This is also the only time I have to read my favorite form of books: physical copies. I love my hardcovers!

I find that I can have three books going, one in each format, as long as I make sure they are different genres. That way, I don’t get characters and plot mixed up in my head.

What’s your favorite reading tip? DM me on Instagram to let me know! If you’d like to follow along with my Goodreads reading challenge, add me here. And happy reading!