My first sentence as a baby to my mum was ‘read it, please?’ and my obsession with books has carried through my life. But inevitably, as I hit important years at school and had to focus more on GCSE’s and A-Levels, my reading habit really took a backseat. Then came the pandemic, my A-levels were cancelled, and I was left sitting in my bedroom trying to come up with ways I could fill those months stuck inside. Staring at my full bookshelves, barely touched in years, lockdown made me fall in love with reading all over again and as I discovered new books and authors, I vowed that I would continue to make reading a priority.

Then I started university and I stopped reading much as I wanted again because, as a humanities student, I spend the majority of my day during term time reading academic articles. The last thing I want to do after a day of reading, is read more to try and relax. However, every holiday I remember how much I love reading and in 2022 I’m going to make a real effort to make reading a consistent and enjoyable habit and make it part of my routine until I don’t to have to use extra energy remembering to do it. Here are five tips that I hope will help you (and me) read more this year.

Five Top Tips to Read More in 2022:

1. Set a realistic goal – do not try and be really over-ambitious. If you’re used to reading three books a year, you’re probably not going to suddenly read 50. My 2022 reading goal is 22, I’m aiming to read at least one book a month and I know I’ll read more over the summer when I’m not at University. This will give you the motivation to keep reading, especially if you are a competitive person because you’ll want to hit your goal.

2. Don’t read books you don’t enjoy! Reading is meant to be relaxing and enjoyable so there is no point trying to force yourself to finish a book that you find boring.

3. Build reading into your routine – personally, I want to try and find time every day to read, even just 10 pages, until it becomes a natural part of my routine. However, this might not be realistic for everyone, so instead set aside deliberate time at the weekend, or during holidays to dedicate to reading and make time when you have time.

4. Follow book accounts on Instagram and Tiktok – this is such a good way to find book recommendations and new books to read. There are so many amazing accounts that share new releases and reviews that will give you so many ideas for new books to read. You can also find friends through this and share your reading opinions with others in the community. Be warned though, your bank account may take a hit after this!

5. Use an app to keep track of your reading and TBR (to be read) list. Personally, I use the app Storygraph to keep track of my reading, you can track how far through the book you are and keep a list of books you want to read in the future. It also gives you statistics on the books you’ve read, which I love looking at.

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