When do busy moms have time to read books? Well, I recently found out that I actually have much more time to read than I thought. A break from social media over the last 6 weeks instantly gave me plenty of time to read as many books as I wanted! It felt so productive and enriching to crack out my Kindle and read. But the best part about it was that I was refreshed with so many new ideas to think about from the books. So, I’m here to tell you, “It can be done!” and here are three ways to do it:
Utilize a Kindle.
The way that I was really able to start reading again was by resurrecting my Kindle. If you don’t have one for yourself, now’s the time to add it to your Mother’s Day or birthday present list! Having the Kindle makes it easy, you can simply hold it while nursing or taking a break. And it’s a great replacement for usually scrolling through your phone. If you do need to read on your phone though, you can sync the Kindle app and continue reading anything you started. And the paper white Kindle also checks all my crunchy mom boxes: it doesn’t emit blue light and you can put it in airplane mode for no EMF or other signals while holding it. Just be sure to download your book first!
Have books available.
When I lived in Oxford, I had the chance to visit C.S. Lewis’ house… it was amazing! He lived as a bachelor most of his life and I learned many details about his housekeeping that I would not recommend copying. However, there is one thing that I have tried my best to emulate in my own home: leaving books everywhere. Lewis was known to have stacks of books all over his house (even lining the staircase!). Now, that sounds a bit too messy for me, personally. So, instead, I set small stacks of books on almost every side table and coffee table that I can. No surface is truly decorated if it doesn’t have a book. My daughter even enjoys keeping our coffee table books (which are not just ones you flip through) curated and updated every week.
Now, how does having all these books around make it easier to read? Well, wherever you sit down there will be a book available to you! You can pick one up for a glance or for a chapter read and easily put it back where it was, no fuss. And, if you’re like me, once you sit down with a baby who wants to nurse, I am much more likely to reach over for a book than to get all the way up again for one.
Implement Quiet Time
Another way I get some reading done is to have quiet time in our home. Every day while the youngest is napping, we have 1 hour of quiet time. My daughter (7) can play quietly or read books or even nap herself during this time. And while she does those things, I can read a book. This one may be the hardest to implement for yourself. I am always tempted to just keep going with my busy tasks for the day (washing up, laundry, etc.). But when I do take that quiet time to read, I find that it recharges my day and I can keep going until bed time.
If your children are not napping anymore, I would still recommend a quiet time in the afternoon. Everyone needs a break and this is a great time to do it!
So, that’s how I am fitting in some reading time in my own life. Maybe you’re a step ahead of me and have the time but don’t know what to read. Check out this post with all my recent reads!
