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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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)
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.
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).
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 :).
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.