Lists

Reading When You Don’t Have The Time

Katherine Marciniak

Staff Writer

Katherine is an over-caffeinated avid reader, writer and college student. She was featured in the anthology Once Upon an Apocalypse, and loves to beta read and edit when she has the opportunity. She’ll do more impressive things after she’s finished her tea…and this next chapter.

School’s been in session for a little while now, which means that all the fresh school year newness has worn off and homework is in full swing. What that means for me is that I have no time to read anymore (or that’s how it feels sometimes). I managed to locate the fiction section in my school’s library, but I can’t fly through books like I used to when I was on break (I had work then too, but it was different). Instead, I slog through even the best of works. I simply don’t have the time.

Or that’s what I thought.

Really, it’s all about incredible time management, and here’s how you do it:

Read during meals

Only inconvenient if your book doesn’t stay flat. If you’re eating something with your hands, pick something with small print so that you don’t have to turn the pages as often. If you’re eating with other people—bring them books too! I’m sure they’ll love it.

Read at the gym

People really prioritize exercising, but that can get boring. There’s a couple different ways of going about this: you can listen to audiobooks (pro tip: anything by Walt Whitman is probably not the most exhilarating thing you can listen to while on the treadmill). You can also bring a physical book with you—I’ve seen people do that. There aren’t any cons to this, just make sure you don’t hurt yourself on the exercise equipment

Read while walking to class or work

Pros: Makes boring walks more exciting!

Cons: You walk into everyone.

Read before bed

I’ve had people criticize me for this, but I love reading before bed. And sometimes, if homework keeps me up until the wee hours of the morning, I can’t comprehend very much. (It works the other way too—Tender Buttons makes way more sense at 2am than during the daytime hours.) But at the same time, it’s a great way to unwind and to reward yourself after a hard day’s work.