Cultivating a Reading Lifestyle

Yes, I read a lot.

Yes, I read a lot of books at one time.

Yes, I can keep track of them.

No, it’s not that strange.

I have received so many questions about how I am able to read so much. People are constantly curious so I decided to write a bit about it.

I have always been an avid reader. Reading has always been a part of who I am. As a child, my dad read to me every night. My mom would take us to the library to load up on books. My grandma shared favorite stories with me and taught me to love reading as I saw her reading constantly. As I got older, I swapped books with friends who also were readers. I spent too much at book fairs and bookstores. I devoured books constantly. It was a known fact that I would bring a book with me everywhere so I had something to do, no matter what.

In high school it slowed down because of required reading and homework, and in college I just about completely stopped reading books. Instead, I moved to blogs and news feeds because it adapted better with my required reading in my classes.

When I finished college, I continued reading blogs and news feeds, but rarely picked up a book until after I had my first baby. I had the time when I was nursing her and pumping at work, and I literally felt like my brain was melting from how much TV I was watching.

So now that I have created the habit again, I make time for it. I make time for it because it is a hobby that I enjoy.

But, I also crave more knowledge, and need to have my brain fed on a regular basis, so I choose books that make me think, or challenge me, or teach me something new. I no longer spend much time reading through the news or blogs, mostly because most of it depresses me now.

But books are my go-to.

And I read through them in bite-size bits when necessary.

I rarely sit down and read a book all the way through anymore. As a teenager, I absolutely could do that. But now that I have kids, that is just a luxury I don’t currently have. Now, I have to schedule the time to read.

So I do.

I try to wake up between an hour and an hour and a half before my kids to start my daily quiet time routine which includes reading my Bible, praying, and reading from my theological or apologetics book.

I am usually able to read for anywhere between fifteen and thirty minutes, depending on how late my kids sleep in, and the moods they are in when they wake up–sometimes they will let me keep reading for a little longer while they fully wake up, too.

After I set that aside, I move along with my day. I don’t usually get another chance to read my own books until after lunch. Again, I try to schedule about fifteen minutes to read–my little one goes down for her quiet time, and I remind my older daughter that mommy needs quiet time too. I read for about 15 minutes (or longer depending on the activity T picks while I’m reading), and then I read a chapter book with her.

This is key–I am teaching my kids how important it is to take time to read by reading with them. We read together in the morning for our Morning Basket time, I read with my oldest after lunch, and we read together in the evenings before bed. Sometimes, we will also read in the afternoon. It just all depends on how the day goes.

But they see that I make it a priority to read with them, so when I sit down to read, they tend to let me. Oftentimes, they’ll grab their own books and look at the pictures. Now that my oldest is starting to read, she will sometimes grab a book and read it to her little sister. I can usually get in at least ten minutes of reading when we do this, but oftentimes it is longer.

But this isn’t the only time I read. I try to alway have at least one digital book on my phone or Kindle at all times. That way, if I am waiting in line, or we get somewhere early, or the opportunity presents itself, I alway have a book to read.

I also try to read while I’m cooking dinner. On quick-dinner nights, that may not happen, but if it’s a longer dinner making night, I’ll try and catch a few pages in while waiting for the next step in the culinary process. In my book, every paragraph counts (pun intended!).

After the kids go to bed, I typically pick my book up again. In our day and age, it is easy to pick up our phones and mindlessly scroll through social media while “watching” TV, but I make a conscious effort to not do that.

By no means am I perfect at any of this either.

There are some mornings that I only get a page of my Bible reading done before the girls are up, and then there’s no turning back.

There are some mornings when I don’t even get a minute of my theology book (the whole last week for instance!).

There are some days where we have to finish homeschool lessons after lunch instead of sitting down to read or even reading together.

And some nights, I just need to go to sleep or mindlessly watch something on TV with my husband.

But the habit has been cultivated over time, and the intention to make reading a priority is there. Without that, I would continue buying stacks of books that I want to read someday, and never even pick one up.

But, because I have made this a priority, those stacks are nowhere near as long as they used to be, and they rollercoaster in size instead of continuously growing larger and larger.

Reading this much isn’t strange because it has become part of our family culture. Reading has been made a normal thing in our house, and it is part of our routine. It is something our family enjoys, so it is something we make time for.

Anyone can create the same or a similar habit, if they really want to.

It doesn’t have to look like my reading life.

But if reading is something you want to embrace, you need to make small changes to work it into your day.

Think about it! I know you can do it!