How Team Bookends find time to read…

As January comes to a close, we’re thinking over all the resolutions we promised we’d stick to this year and how long they lasted… in most cases, not very long. But one thing Team Bookends can always find time for is reading! How do we do it? Here are our best tips…

Rachel

My life hack for finding more time to read . . . working in publishing means I always have far too many books to read. For 2019 I’ve started getting up twenty minutes early and making more of my mornings. I grab a coffee, and climb back into bed to read a few chapters of something entirely non-work related. I still have my commute to read work titles without resenting losing my personal reading time. Plus, waking up to read makes it SO much easier to get up in the mornings. Especially on a drizzly weekday with a packed schedule ahead.

Hannah

Audiobooks are a big new thing in the world of books, and I try to stay ahead of the trend by listening to them whenever my hands aren’t free to read a physical book. My ultimate hack is listening to audiobooks while I cook dinner – maybe it will take me slightly longer to chop veg while I’m concentrating on something else, but it’s a great way to fit reading around a busy schedule. My favourite audiobook so far has to be Still Lives by Maria Hummell – it’s so easy to transport yourself to the scorching sidewalks of LA when you’re listening to the story up close!

Vicky

I am sometimes lucky enough to get home just before my husband – I should probably do something useful like start dinner or fold up my clothes. But I quite often steal 20 mins to put my record player on, curl up on the sofa, light a candle and read my book. Guilty/not so guilty pleasure…

Ellie

It’s hard to fit in a good book into your daily routine when you have home life, work life, and a commute to juggle! I find that I’m always too tired by time I get into bed each evening to properly settle down with a book. Ideally I’ll read on my commute, but having to take the tube during rush hour everyday means that I’m never guaranteed a seat, and therefore I am never guaranteed some quality time to read. So instead, I try and read during my lunch break. I think this is the best time of day to make more time for reading, as I’m not too tired, and it’s a great way to take a well-needed break from looking at a screen all day!