How to find time to read books and do courses as a busy mom

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Inside: How do you read a book when busy? This post is about how busy people (including moms!) can find time to catch up on their reading or complete courses that they are struggling to finish.

A friend recently asked me how I find time to read books or do courses in my already busy schedule with three kids and a work at home life. 

You may have read this post where I talk about the importance of prioritizing things in life but… today I want to share with you a tip that I was taught at University by one of my teachers.

A books is divided into chapters and lessons for a reason. 

The only purpose of that index is not to just have things clear and upfront about the contents of the book, but also how one knowledge is related to the other. At school, college or in class, generally teachers follow a sequence on how things are taught. What if we used that same idea to learn anything new that requires studying?

How to find time to read books and do courses

I aim to read 50 books every year either in just book form or as courses. The goal is to keep learning. As an intentional mom, I know that we cannot know everything, but we can learn things or borrow ideas from others to enrich our life.

Life is never perfect. The perfection you see in people is them trying harder every day to make their dreams come true. If we want a perfect life, we have to work for it.

But you don’t have to overwhelm yourself. A little strategic planning and goal setting can make things easier. Let me show you how.

How busy moms read 50 books in a year

Would you stay up all night or sit for hours at a stretch to finish a textbook? 

Not me. Not even if I had to study for an exam! (I may have done it in school days though but I am an adult now!)  

The sensible thing to do would be to set aside a time to do it every day. Bite off little chunks of the material than just put my face right into the cake, you know..? 🍰not 🎂

Exactly this way, if you want to make a habit of reading every day or you have a course to finish: 

1. Set a time of day to do it. Give it an appointment. When can you set aside 20-45 minutes to work on it undistracted? Is it in the morning, afternoon, evening?
2. Decide how much material you will cover. Just finding time to read alone is not enough. You should also decide how much you can ENJOY to have retention. What use is reading a few chapters of a book or blankly listening up to 45 minutes of an audio, when all you remembered was the first 10 minutes? Break down your material into lessons (it may already be provided) or pages or minutes. Remember that you may need time to take notes (mental or written) so set aside time for that too.
3. Then set a goal. Stay consistent. Show up and read two lines of that book or 10 minutes of the course at least. I find it is helpful to have bookmarks or a diary to make a mention of what I did that day. I also have clear rules on how many days a week I will work on that course/book. 3-5 days per week at 15-25 minutes is my goal. 

How to find time to read through the day

The easiest way to find time to read is pick a time when you can. I like to read at bedtime. I have a sticky notepad and a pencil . I stick one notepad sheet on the last page and that works for me to take notes. 

Some people like to read in the morning or in the afternoon as quiet time. The important thing is to find a time that suits you. May be you are tired at bedtime so that won’t work. May be late afternoons is good.

It is also important that you choose convenience over creativity. Some people find ebooks convenient while others, they like a good physical book to hold and smell the pages. What works for you works for you.

You can also experiment with different forms of books. There are

• Digital Books – ebooks, PDFs and Kindle version 
• Audio Books – these are great for listening as you work or commute.
• Physical books – the old method is still the most popular. It feels like real reading.

Using Kindle and Digital books

I am loving Kindle books a lot more these days because my expat life means we don’t have much space to hoard books in our rented home. Already, we have exhausted all book cases and shelves with my children’s books!

I find digital books to be convenient for me. They are also accessible through my phone and tablet and I only have to highlight, copy and paste to take notes. ::lazy like that::

Also, I can leave a page bookmarked on my phone and pick it right up from my tablet. Also, I can read in the dark! 

Please note: Some of the links below are affiliate links. I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you, when you purchase through my link.

What I like about Kindle Books is that there are :

• Unlimited books to choose from (over 1 million ebooks that are free with a membership). From self help books to cook books to children’s books!
• You can also listen to thousands of audiobooks too.
• Read on any device – you can download their android or iOS app or buy their own Kindle device. I use the app.
• Membership plans are also giftable. Easily send someone a membership and get them hooked to reading!

Learn more about the Kindle Unlimited Membership Plans

Using Audible or audio books

I also listen to the courses or audio books while doing household chores (unless I am working with the kids). I am sure there are others who will relate with me when I say ‘the dishes seem so do-able when you have someone talking BIG DREAMS in my ear’! 😉

Sometimes it is more uplifting and motivational to listen to a book than read it. This holds to true for books or courses that are impactful. I find it useful to use audio books when I am trying to get myself into a mood. It also helps to borrow some motivation to get things done! 😉

Try Audible and Get Two Free Audiobooks

I hope these tips help you in understanding how to find time to read books and also do courses faster.

If you hadn’t read the How to Find Time for Everything post, here it is.

To recap: Busy people can find time to catch up on their reading or complete courses that they are struggling to finish. All that is required is you :

1. Fix a time,
2. Choose your reading material and…
3. Show up to read/listen to it.

I’d love to hear how you are working on this. Did these tips work for you? Do you have your own tips to add? Share it with me in the comments.

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