How to Read More: 10 Tips That Help Me Read 70+ Books a Year

Do you want to start reading more books? Here are my top tips for how to read more that help me finish 70+ books a year!

Are you looking for tips on how to read more this year? I’ve got you covered! I have always enjoyed reading, but it wasn’t until mid-2020 that I really got back into the hobby of reading and increased the number of books I read.

I went from reading a couple of books per month to reading more than 70 books per year.

How to Read More This Year

So how exactly did I do it? It wasn’t hard, but it did require some adjustments to my habits and routines. If you’re ready to start reading more, this should help you get started.

These are tips and tricks that helped me start reading more and add reading back into my daily routine. If you want to read more books this year, these easy tips should work for you too.

1. Read ebooks

Recently, I started getting ebooks to read on my phone. I’ve always been a big fan of physical books, and I still am, but I must admit that I appreciate the convenience of ebooks. I read almost everything on my phone now, but you can also read ebooks on a Kindle or tablet.

It’s so much more portable than physical books. This was especially useful for me because I spent the entire past year traveling and living out of a suitcase. With ebooks, I was able to read as much as I wanted without having to carry around a bunch of heavy books.

If you want to start reading more ebooks, you can get a free trial of Kindle Unlimited which gives you 30 days of unlimited reading on any device for over two million books.

2. Try audiobooks

I personally don’t listen to audiobooks because I prefer reading to listening, but I know many people who love them! Especially if you already listen to music and podcasts frequently, you may also enjoy listening to audiobooks.

This is great for listening on the go, such as on your daily commute to work or while exercising.

If you want to give audiobooks a try, you can get a free trial of Audible which gives you 30 days of unlimited listening to more than 10,000 audiobooks plus one free premium title.

3. Read wherever you go

Try to always have a book on hand (whether that is a physical book or an e-book on your device) so you can read everywhere you go, whenever you have some spare time. I always pull out my book anytime I’m on public transit or even waiting in line somewhere.

Even if you just have 5 to 10 minutes of downtime (and that’s time you would normally spend scrolling through your phone!), make yourself read instead, and soon it will become a natural habit.

4. Replace other habits with reading

To be honest, a significant part of the reason I was able to start reading so much more is that I eliminated other habits and replaced them with reading. Before I started reading more, I was spending hours a day scrolling through TikTok (a significant time-waster) or watching TV shows.

Now I never do those things, because I’m spending that time reading instead! You have to make a commitment to cut out other habits and replace them with reading, but it is worth it.

5. Track your reading

Last year, I started using Goodreads to track my reading.

Goodreads is a website that allows you to track your reading by creating ‘shelves’ with books you’ve read and books you want to read. You can also rate and review books you’ve read, track your progress towards your reading goal, get book recommendations, and see stats and data about your reading. This website is a great way to get excited about reading again!

I have found Goodreads to be incredibly motivating when it comes to reading more! I love being able to organize and rate all the books I’ve read and see my progress towards my yearly reading goal. Not to mention, it’s been great for finding new books to read.

6. Read before bed

You’ve probably heard that reading before bed is beneficial for you and helps you sleep. Well, it is true! Reading before bed for a little while is a habit anyone can start.

If you’re like most people, you probably spend some time before bed on your phone or laptop. I know I used to spend hours scrolling once I was in bed.

Now, I spend that time reading instead, and it’s when I get most of my reading done (also in the morning right when I wake up.)

7. Set a reading goal

It wasn’t until 2019 when I made the FIRM goal to read 24 books that it actually happened.

I’ve been making annual reading goals ever since then.

Set a concrete goal (not just a vague resolution to read more) and write that somewhere you will see it and can track your progress. For me I wrote it on the first page of my planner.

You can also set your reading goal on Goodreads and track your progress towards it throughout the year.

Whether your goal is to read one book a month or one book a week, get specific with it and write it down (it has been proven that you are more likely to reach it that way!)

8. Read what you enjoy

Don’t worry about reading books you think you ‘should’ read because that will just make reading a chore. I knew for a while there, I was reading books because they were popular or award-winning, and I felt like I should read them. But that didn’t always mean I liked them.

Then I discovered that I LOVE reading fantasy. Once I found a genre I really liked, I started flying through books compared to when I would pick something up only because it was popular.

9. Join a book club or reading challenge

Finally, although I have not tried this myself yet, many people find motivation to read more by joining a book club or participating in a reading challenge with others.

Books clubs are great if you want some peer pressure to read (and to discuss what you are reading with others.) And reading challenges like the PopSugar Reading Challenge make a game out of what you read for the year, with different themed reading prompts to fulfill.

10. Don’t put pressure on yourself

The final tip I have for how to read more is to not put too much pressure on yourself.

Don’t set a goal of reading 100 books in a year if that seems unrealistic because then you’ll start feeling the pressure to read all the time.

It’s better to set a small, easily achievable reading goal to start with, whether that is one book a month or one book a week.

Reading should be fun! It shouldn’t feel like a chore because you feel like you have to finish a certain number of books. So don’t put too much pressure on yourself about how much you read.

How to Read More: Final Thoughts

This is how I started reading more and read over 70 books in a year. If you want to start reading more, I hope these tips will help you prioritize reading and make it part of your daily routine.

It can take a little effort at the beginning, but like setting any habit, once you get into the groove by doing it consistently for a couple of weeks, it will become second nature!