How Can A Busy Mom Find Time To Read More Books?

If you’re a busy mom who wants to find time to read more books then you’ve come to the right place. Over the past year I’ve fallen in love with reading. And while I wish I could tell you that I sit and read books for hours at a time, that’s definitely not the case.

And while it may not sound like a large number to you, last year I read 28 books. Not only is that number impressive considering I have a preschooler running around but also because the year before I only read 6 or 7 books.

It is possible to find time to read more books when you’re a busy mom and I want to show you how!

How did you find time to read more books?

Do you want to know my secret to reading 28 books last year? I’ll go ahead and let the cat out of the bag and admit that I didn’t actually read the books but listened to them as audiobooks.

And here’s another secret! I read all of my audiobooks for FREE through Overdrive.com (insert my happy dance). How? It’s as easy as going to Overdrive.com and signing up using your library card. Once you’re signed up, download the Overdrive or Libby app to your phone or streaming device, pick a book and start listening.

(If you don’t have a library card simply swing by your library and get one. You won’t have to visit the library again, unless you want to, and you’ll be able to get your books through the app.)

When did you have time to listen to audiobooks?

If you’re thinking I’d sit and listen to audiobooks for hours on end I hate to break it to you because that’s not at all how it happened. (Although I wouldn’t have been opposed to it.) Much like you I’m a busy wife, mom and businesswoman. The reality is that most of my book reading was in little snippets of time. I knew that if I wanted to read more books I had to be intentional and squeeze them in where I could.

Here’s when I found time to listen to audiobooks.

Morning walks
Showering (did you know they have bluetooth shower speakers)
Fixing/straightening my hair
Cleaning the kitchen after dinner
Folding laundry
While Dalton played outside
Cleaning the house
Food prepping
Watching shows with Dalton (Occasionally he asks me to watch shows with him. He’s little so it’s easy to “pay attention” to the shows he’s watching while still listening to my book.)
In the car
At night before bed

The key to finding time to read is to get creative. Squeeze a chapter in here and there and you’ll have your book finished in no time.

There have been a few times when I was so enthralled with a book that I stayed up way past my bedtime listening to it because I just had to find out what happened. (You’ve been warned friend…because it’s highly likely it’ll happen to you too. HA!)

Yet another tip to reading more books!

Did you know you can change the speed of an audiobook to speed it up or slow it down? Yes, you sure can!

Most narrators read fairly slowly and I’ve found that I can consume it just as well listening to it at 1.25 speed. Of course that means I can read the book faster!

Now there have been a few times when 1.25 speed was too fast and I had to read it at regular speed but 95% of books can be read at 1.25 speed. Try it and see what you think!

What should books should I read?

Ready to dive in and start reading more books? You can always find out what I’m reading in my monthly family updates, my I Love It. You Will Too. section or my list of Must-Read Christian Fiction Book Series. (A lot of the books I read this year are on that list so make sure you go check it out!)

Below are a few of my favorite reads from this past year!