When do you read?

[Rumata]

I used to be an avid reader 10-15 years ago. But now with family, dogs, job, responsibilities, I don't have enough chances to read and I suffer because of that badly. When do you read? How do you find time? Do you read in longer or shorter blocks? How do you deal with family? All hints and ideas are welcome.

PS first post here, don't bite me too hard

[JackieLikesVariety]

early AM - after making coffee and letting the dogs out for potty. late in the day I fall asleep if I try to read.

[L.mo5rg]

If I really want to finish a book quickly I'll read at night, but I can survive a few nights without sleep, not everyone can do it.

Otherwise I have mostof my books on my phone, and just take it out whenever I have a few minutes, if I'm having lunch alone, waiting for the bus or on the bus etc.

[Lanzy]

In the bathroom, before sleeping, during lunch, waiting for a movie to start, during a TV show my wife likes and I don't, and sometimes in the middle of the day I go sit outside and just read.

[pbbth]

I take public transportation so I often read when I am on the train or bus. I also have a 7 month old so I read to her, often just a couple of pages of whatever it is I'm reading at the time. I also make sure to get about 15 minutes of reading in at night before going to sleep.

[FloatyGimpy]

Lunch break at work and sometimes in bed before I turn the lights out.

[MeanOldLady]

On public trans, during lunch breaks, if I'm at home and have spare time.

[Pai325]

All the time when I watch TV. Most TV shows can e followed by ear. If something exciting happens, I just rewind. In the bathroom, and especially while brushing my teeth. I don't want to look at myself in the mirror; I already know what I look like. At night before I go to sleep, and often during eals if my husband has the newspaper out.

[Khadaji]

Evenings mostly.

[InternetLegend]

I read in bed in the mornings before I have to get up and at night before I go to sleep. I read a lot on weekends. I find myself going to bed early when I'm in the middle of an absorbing book. I'll also read at lunchtime (I live close enough to work that I can go home for lunch), and in the evenings while the rest of the family is watching TV I'm not interested in. As I get older, it's harder for me to concentrate while other stuff is going on while I read, so I can't really read heavier stuff while the TV is on, though. I get a couple of months off in the summer, so now I'm pretty much reading when I'm not wasting time online.

As you can probably guess, my house is a filthy wreck and my yard is the disgrace of the neighborhood.

[twickster]

Welcome to the SDMB, Rumata! This will go better in our IMHO forum, home of polls, anecdotal data, opinions, and advice, so I'll move it there (from MPSIMS).

(This is not a big deal! Even people who have been around for a while get their threads moved from time to time. )

twickster, moderator (who reads for half an hour or so before going to sleep, plus on public transportation, and keeps several magazines in the bathroom)

[gwendee]

Originally Posted by Pai325

All the time when I watch TV. Most TV shows can e followed by ear. If something exciting happens, I just rewind. In the bathroom, and especially while brushing my teeth. I don't want to look at myself in the mirror; I already know what I look like. At night before I go to sleep, and often during eals if my husband has the newspaper out.

I watch TV shows at work without looking at the screen so I understand that, but I can't imagine maintaining any level of reading comprehension while also listening.

I don't read at the table when there is someone else there, but I'm on my own for the summer while my son is with his father so that's added to my reading time considerably.

For a while now I've been waking up for an hour or two in the middle of the night. I read then, in addition to trying for 30 to 60 minutes before officially going to sleep most nights.

[CookingWithGas]

About 1/2 hour last thing before I go to sleep. I am married with two teenage children, volatile responsibilities at work (manager at a small federal IT contracting firm so lots of deadlines and proposals), and try to get some guitar playing in when possible.

How do I find time to read? I know a lot of people who complain about not having time but they burn a lot of time watching TV. I don't watch much TV except I like to catch one or two Nats games each week during baseball season. I watched a lot of TV when I was young and started to realize that I could sit in front of the TV for 3 hours a day and when I got up I was no more enriched in any way than when I sat down. Sometimes I couldn't even remember what I watched. So I generally do things where I am doing something rather than having something done to me, among which I count reading (the "theater of the mind" and all that).

[LVBoPeep]

I read at lunch time (if I'm not interrupted) and before bed. I also try to go outside and read at night after dinner when it's warm. Right now, it's hot weather but our air conditioner runs ice cold so by 7 pm, I'm ready to spend an hour on the porch with a good book. I also bbq more than the normal girl because I like to read while the coals are getting ready and when I'm cooking. And yes, I tend to pick thick cuts or bone-in so it takes a while .

[Pai325]

Originally Posted by gwendee

I watch TV shows at work without looking at the screen so I understand that, but I can't imagine maintaining any level of reading comprehension while also listening.

I watch a lot of NCIS, even the reruns. Abby is going to drink Kaf-Pow, jet hero is going to hit Tony on the head, McGee is going to work on the computer, and Ziva will manhandle some suspect.

There are shows that need some concentration, and I won't always try to read while watching them.

[jabiru]

I read before going to sleep. I've been known to read all day on my day off. Like another poster, I also have books on my phone, which I read if I'm waiting in line for something or am having a coffee break at work.

[computergeek]

I read magazines whenever I get around to it, usually at night after work or during the weekend. Nowadays, I seem to manage to read books (on my Kindle) only during vacations, particularly in the summer and at Christmas.

[Moonlitherial]

Waiting in line, on public transit, during my lunch break and before bed are the primary times but really anytime I have a minute or two.

The iPad has really made this easier because now instead of needing to have 2 books in my purse at all times and swapping them out as I finished them I just drop my iPad in every time I leave the house.

[Sattua]

I feel the OP's problem. I probably didn't read a single book in the first year after my daughter was born.

Now, I read during her nap, late at night after my husband goes to bed, and on weekends when he is taking care of her. I find I lean more toward nonfiction these days, and it can be hard for me to remember to "count" a book as a book when it's not a novel... know what I mean?

[Pasta]

On airplanes some, but I've gotten pretty adept at working while in the air (wifi is more common, and I finally got a DC power adapter so I can use my computer for entire flights), so I rarely even read at 35,000 feet anymore.

(So, yeah, no solution here for the OP...)

[Max the Immortal]

After I go to bed, I usually read until I'm sleepy. Sometimes it's for less than an hour, sometimes it's for several hours. I seem to fall asleep sooner this way than when I don't read at all.

[Dung Beetle]

Like Rumata, I find that work, family, and pets were squeezing all the spare time out of my life. I came to the realization that I would have to make time for reading and guard it jealously. So now I get up half an hour earlier in the morning and get to work as fast as I can. I have an alarm set on my phone, so I just stay in my car and read until it’s time for work.

I also find some time at the gym. My husband and I work out together, then he goes to shower, steam, swim, whatever and I dash to the waiting room with my book. Sometimes it’s the only motivation getting me to go to the gym at all.

I may pick up a book at any time, but usually there is so much noise and interruption at home I can’t concentrate.

Forgot to mention: I also take a day off work every time a new Stephen King book comes out.

[Sigmagirl]

While walking, at stop lights, at work, while eating, while watching TV, in bed, while cooking, in the bathroom, in the tub, while putting on my makeup, while ironing.

When awake.

[Sehmket]

Lunch break at work. I supervise a team of 15, and there's about 100 in my department, so that's 100 people who can bug me - and will - if I'm doing things like listening to music, and sometimes even if I'm making a phone call (I usually have to hide in a training room if I'm making a call I need to pay attention to). About the only thing they don't interrupt me on is reading, so if I'm trying to eat in the break room it's about the only way I can get a quiet hour. (if the weather is nice, I'll usually go outside, and I've also been known to spend my lunch break in my car in the parking lot. I've only once had someone ask me something there.)

[MeanOldLady]

Originally Posted by Sigmagirl

While walking, at stop lights, at work, while eating, while watching TV, in bed, while cooking, in the bathroom, in the tub, while putting on my makeup, while ironing.

When awake.

This is ridiculous, and I hope that this is a joke that I'm too stupid to get. You're mincing garlic with one hand, with a book in the other? While applying concealer, you're reading a book? While ironing? Doesn't that make for the world's least efficient ironing? At stop lights? Oh, please tell me not while driving. Please don't tell me there's a book on your dash that gets re-opened at every red light? Why not just put the book down and pay attention?

[yellowval]

Originally Posted by Sattua

I feel the OP's problem. I probably didn't read a single book in the first year after my daughter was born.

I had this problem, too. I finally started reading again when my daughter was about 10 months old. It was slow going at first but now I'm back to my regular pace now.

As to the OP's question, my answer is: when I should be doing other things, mostly. I read after my daughter goes to bed almost every night, for up to two hours. I also read on my lunch break and, on the weekends, during my daughter's naps. Sure, I should probably be mopping the floor or something during that time, but whatever. (I mean, we do clean too, obviously. But I'm willing to have a little bit of a messy house sometimes so I can get some reading in.)

[Sleel]

In the bathroom, during lunch, after the kid goes to sleep. Sometimes during breakfast, depending on when the kid gets up. If I have to take public transport somewhere, I read on the train.

The sorta-kinda good thing about it is that it slows me down a bit. Takes me about a week to finish a book now, vs. a couple of days when I could actually sit down and read for a while when I wanted to.

[Sigmagirl]

Originally Posted by MeanOldLady

You're mincing garlic with one hand, with a book in the other?

No. I don't use a sharp knife without paying full attention, but I can read while my onions are sauteeing, or while my rice is cooking.

While applying concealer, you're reading a book? While ironing? Doesn't that make for the world's least efficient ironing?

:: shrug :: I don't have any fancy pleats or ruffles, so doesn't matter. If I'm in a hurry, I devote my full measure of attention to the task at hand, but if I'm not, efficiency is not an issue.

At stop lights? Oh, please tell me not while driving. Please don't tell me there's a book on your dash that gets re-opened at every red light? Why not just put the book down and pay attention?

No, I don't have a book on my dashboard. But I have been known to pick up the newspaper on the way out the door in the morning and check the scores from last night's game when I hit the stoplight at the corner. Lives are not in danger.

[overlyverbose]

The biggest block of time I have for reading is right before sleeping or on the toilet after everyone's left for the day (usually when everyone's still there, I have kids knocking on the locked bathroom door asking questions or wanting to come in - makes it hard to concentrate). Other than that, I typically read when I'm brushing my teeth, taking off my clothes to get into the shower and scrunching my hair while getting ready.

[Fiddle Peghead]

On the commuter train. One hour each way, daily.

[EmAnJ]

Before I go to sleep for 20 to 45 minutes. It's a really important part of my bed time routine.

[LegsAkimbo]

I don't have a lot of the distractions many of you do (no kids, no job, etc.) but I just don't seem to get in as much reading here at home as I would like. Not sure why. My quality reading time is always during solo camping trips or other solo travel, and that's when I dig in and tear through the books. It's typical for me to read three normal-length books over the course of a 3-day camping trip. And I enjoy books so much more when I can read them in 100-page chunks. So I do most of my reading between May and October.

[The wind of my soul]

Rumata, I can't exactly relate to your situation since I don't have a family to take care of. But the best advice I can give you (i.e., what's worked for me that you could probably do too) is to throw a book in my purse wherever I'm going. That way, if you get an unexpected few minutes with nothing to do, you can take full advantage of it by reading a few pages of your book.

[N9IWP]

Mostly before falling asleep. Not every night. I really like doing this when camping or visiting reletives (but not so much motels because I watch cable TV which I don't have at home)

Brian

[Maeglin]

I'm about 2 months away from my comprehensive exams, so now I am reading pretty much all the time.

[Politzania]

The Kindle app for my smartphone has made sneaking in a page or two at odd times much easier; I also have a book (currently Measuring America) in the bathroom for when I'm brushing my teeth and doing other things.

Breakfast is a good reading time for me as well - the TV is on for my husband, but I only look up to catch the local weather & "breaking news" types of stuff. Audiobooks make walking the dog much more productive and entertaining.

[cmyk]

Before the iPad, usually at night, in bed or on the couch.

Now, usually at night, in bed or on the couch.

[flatlined]

No kids here, but I have often complained that work gets in the way of what I really want to be doing.

My e-reader is always with me. Standing in line, yeah, I get to read Feeding the shredder? Left hand holds the book, right hand tosses paper down its maw. I have to set a limit as to how long I read before going to sleep because I could stay up all night if its a good book.

I also listen to books. I have an hour commute, I'll catch the news for 10 minutes, and then turn the book on. When I'm tossing boxes around, I'm listening to a book.

Maybe audio books would be a good option for people with young children? You can play them while doing other things.

The local library has a wonderful collection and I can request more from the other branches. I know, I know...its not the same as cuddling up with a cat and book, but you still get to listen to the stories.

[Loach]

Almost never now.

Unless you count a couple magazines and the web. I need to pick up a novel again soon. Its been too long. I used to read at least 1-2 a week.

[chizzuk]

At night before shower/bed, and while I'm watching sporting events on TV. I have a limited number of actual shows that I follow and when I'm watching those, they get my full attention, but with sports, the announcer will start yelling or getting excited when something's happening, so then I can just look up.

I can read on a plane, but not a train, bus, or car, so public transit is pretty much out.

[GreenElf]

I have a routine of reading multiple books in 30 minute blocks each with the use of a timer (siimilar to studying textbooks in college), usually from 7 to 9, 10 or 11 in the morning and 8 to 10 in the evening, but haven't been reading as much lately due to work.

[Zago]

I read a little every night before I drop off to sleep - also on weekend mornings before I have to get out of bed. Sometimes I carry a book with me for the commuter rail or if I know I'll have to wait somewhere (like the doctor's office).

[Scubaqueen]

Almost always in the tub.

[Suburban Plankton]

I usually read for a bit in bed every night. It could be an hour, or it could be 5 minutes, depending on how tired I am. If I'm particularly engrossed in a book I'll take it to work with me and read during my lunch hour, and if it's really good I basically won't put it down until I'm finished.

[minionkat]

Whenever I get the chance. I always have a book with me.

Every night for about an hour before I go to sleep. Every day on my lunch hour.

Several evenings a week for a few hours. Generally while I wait for laundry, avoid washing dishes or other chores.

Lots on rainy days, when I am sick, when I can't sleep.

I don't allow myself to read in the morning, that makes me late for work. And since I drive the carpool, it makes others late for work too.

[Arabella Flynn]

While I wait for things, mostly. Waiting for my stop on the bus or subway. Waiting for the water to boil for pasta. Waiting for the shower to run hot. Waiting for someone else to get ready to go out. Waiting for a roommate to finish a movie so I can have the TV. Waiting for a phone call. Waiting for my sleeping pills to kick in.

I'm good at putting down books on a moment's notice; I just stick a mental flag in the thought process wherever I was, and when I pick the book back up, the train of thought resumes wherever I left off. I can do it with multiple books, although I try not to juggle more than three. The Kindle goes everywhere I go.

[Savannah]

Originally Posted by InternetLegend

As I get older, it's harder for me to concentrate while other stuff is going on while I read, so I can't really read heavier stuff while the TV is on, though. I get a couple of months off in the summer, so now I'm pretty much reading when I'm not wasting time online.

Yes, I too, can no longer sit on the couch and read fiction while my husband's watching TV. My ears just start following whatever I'm hearing, and I lose the words.

Summertime is good reading time. You'd think the winter, but for me, it's sitting in the back yard, getting up to do a bit of gardening or refresh my drink and so on. I think in the house, there are too many distracting screens--TV, computer, smartphone, and I end up surfing the web too much, and getting my "word consumption fix" that way. I don't find reading a book in bed comfortable any more--my eyesight is so bad I need lots of light, but that isn't restful. I'm kind of interested in checking out how a tablet can work as an e-reader, so I can slouch in bed in dim light and read.

My workplace is reading-friendly at lunch, so it's nice to sit in quiet with others buried in novels too. Or I can hop in the car, and take off to a nice park or beach close by and read and picnic.

[Savannah]

Originally Posted by Sigmagirl

While walking, at stop lights, at work, while eating, while watching TV, in bed, while cooking, in the bathroom, in the tub, while putting on my makeup, while ironing.

When awake.

There is the most wonderful poem by Sue MacLeod, that you (and other readers) remind me of. A link to the text is: http://www.signature-editions.com/in...woman_reading/

(I love this poem so much!)