1 00:00:03,440 --> 00:00:06,720 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:09,480 --> 00:00:14,080 Speaker 1: Good Morning, This is Laura. Today's tip is about how 3 00:00:14,080 --> 00:00:17,800 Speaker 1: to make more time to read. When I asked people 4 00:00:17,800 --> 00:00:21,480 Speaker 1: what they want to spend more time doing, exercise always 5 00:00:21,480 --> 00:00:24,119 Speaker 1: comes up first, and don't worry, we're gonna talk a 6 00:00:24,160 --> 00:00:27,600 Speaker 1: lot about that in future episodes. But reading is a 7 00:00:27,600 --> 00:00:31,040 Speaker 1: close second. Indeed, if you'd asked me a few years 8 00:00:31,080 --> 00:00:33,519 Speaker 1: ago what I wanted to spend more time doing, I 9 00:00:33,520 --> 00:00:36,519 Speaker 1: would have said reading books. I would have told you 10 00:00:36,560 --> 00:00:39,520 Speaker 1: I was busy and I had very limited time to read. 11 00:00:40,760 --> 00:00:44,720 Speaker 1: Then I tracked my time for a year, a year incidentally, 12 00:00:44,760 --> 00:00:46,600 Speaker 1: when I had four children under the age of eight, 13 00:00:46,640 --> 00:00:49,440 Speaker 1: including an infant, which I thought was a pretty good excuse. 14 00:00:50,440 --> 00:00:53,920 Speaker 1: My timelogs were clear. My problem was not a lack 15 00:00:54,000 --> 00:00:57,760 Speaker 1: of time to read. I had spent three seven hours 16 00:00:57,800 --> 00:01:01,400 Speaker 1: reading that first year, which is almost an hour a day. 17 00:01:01,680 --> 00:01:04,320 Speaker 1: But I couldn't remember many good books I had read. 18 00:01:04,959 --> 00:01:07,520 Speaker 1: The truth as I had spent the vast majority of 19 00:01:07,520 --> 00:01:11,520 Speaker 1: those three twenty seven hours reading online news stories and 20 00:01:11,600 --> 00:01:16,360 Speaker 1: gossip magazines. Why well, that's what was easy and available 21 00:01:16,400 --> 00:01:19,119 Speaker 1: when I had open time, So that is what I read. 22 00:01:19,920 --> 00:01:22,680 Speaker 1: It makes sense, but It's also kind of sad, as 23 00:01:22,680 --> 00:01:25,200 Speaker 1: three twenty seven hours is enough time to have read 24 00:01:25,200 --> 00:01:28,720 Speaker 1: more than fifteen thousand pages of real stuff. I could 25 00:01:28,760 --> 00:01:32,840 Speaker 1: have read War in Peace ten times. Let's just say 26 00:01:32,920 --> 00:01:36,000 Speaker 1: that did not happen. So I resolved to do better, 27 00:01:36,400 --> 00:01:38,520 Speaker 1: and over the next two years, I didn't spend much 28 00:01:38,560 --> 00:01:42,000 Speaker 1: more time reading, but the quality of my reading material 29 00:01:42,160 --> 00:01:45,959 Speaker 1: massively improved. I actually did read War in Peace. I 30 00:01:46,000 --> 00:01:49,320 Speaker 1: read Moby Dick, I read Middle March, Infinite Jest, Kristin 31 00:01:49,400 --> 00:01:53,520 Speaker 1: LaVerne's Datter one Q eighty four, Ulysses, a number of 32 00:01:53,520 --> 00:01:57,560 Speaker 1: other amazing books on my reading bucket list. I did 33 00:01:57,600 --> 00:02:01,760 Speaker 1: not magically find more time. Laura who had no time 34 00:02:01,760 --> 00:02:05,160 Speaker 1: to read and Laura who read War and Peace were 35 00:02:05,200 --> 00:02:08,720 Speaker 1: the exact same person, living in the exact same universe. 36 00:02:09,280 --> 00:02:11,720 Speaker 1: It was just about being more strategic with the time 37 00:02:11,760 --> 00:02:14,640 Speaker 1: I had. So if you'd like to be a better reader, 38 00:02:15,080 --> 00:02:18,359 Speaker 1: you might try to do what I did. First, make 39 00:02:18,400 --> 00:02:21,920 Speaker 1: sure you have really good books to read readily available. 40 00:02:22,760 --> 00:02:24,760 Speaker 1: Now you might think this sounds backwards. I can just 41 00:02:24,800 --> 00:02:27,600 Speaker 1: hear people yelling at this podcast, Laura, there are all 42 00:02:27,639 --> 00:02:30,040 Speaker 1: these wonderful books that I have no time to read. 43 00:02:30,080 --> 00:02:32,960 Speaker 1: This is not my problem. Let me ask you this, 44 00:02:33,680 --> 00:02:36,480 Speaker 1: If you were to turn off this podcast, could you 45 00:02:36,520 --> 00:02:38,760 Speaker 1: be engaged with a book you really wanted to read 46 00:02:38,840 --> 00:02:41,919 Speaker 1: in the next thirty seconds, because I know you could 47 00:02:41,919 --> 00:02:44,800 Speaker 1: be on Instagram in the next thirty seconds. If you 48 00:02:44,800 --> 00:02:47,600 Speaker 1: don't have that same ability to dive into a book, 49 00:02:48,320 --> 00:02:50,880 Speaker 1: then this is gonna limit your ability to seise time 50 00:02:50,880 --> 00:02:53,800 Speaker 1: to read. So make a list of the books you'd 51 00:02:53,919 --> 00:02:56,919 Speaker 1: really like to read, not what you think you should read. 52 00:02:57,320 --> 00:03:00,720 Speaker 1: You're not in high school English class anymore. You don't 53 00:03:00,720 --> 00:03:03,360 Speaker 1: have to read what you don't want to read, even 54 00:03:03,400 --> 00:03:06,400 Speaker 1: if that cuts out some good books. I'll put this 55 00:03:06,440 --> 00:03:10,040 Speaker 1: out here. I don't like false accusation stories, and I 56 00:03:10,080 --> 00:03:15,080 Speaker 1: don't like the sort of awkwardness that's endemic to romantic comedies. Also, 57 00:03:15,200 --> 00:03:17,720 Speaker 1: I feel like there's enough violence and cruelty in the 58 00:03:17,760 --> 00:03:19,760 Speaker 1: real world that I just can't stomach too much of 59 00:03:19,760 --> 00:03:22,400 Speaker 1: it in my fiction. Even though I know this puts 60 00:03:22,400 --> 00:03:25,239 Speaker 1: some really good books off my list, I do me, 61 00:03:26,120 --> 00:03:28,760 Speaker 1: you do you? So figure out what you'd like to read, 62 00:03:28,880 --> 00:03:30,760 Speaker 1: build in, you know, twenty minutes a week or so. 63 00:03:30,880 --> 00:03:33,760 Speaker 1: To find book recommendations, I like to check out the 64 00:03:33,760 --> 00:03:37,160 Speaker 1: Modern Mrs Darcy blog and her podcast What should I 65 00:03:37,200 --> 00:03:39,840 Speaker 1: read next? I look at the Wall Street Journals review 66 00:03:39,880 --> 00:03:44,320 Speaker 1: section and Oh Magazine for ideas. I welcome your suggestions too, 67 00:03:45,160 --> 00:03:49,160 Speaker 1: Then get your hands on the first handful. Physical books 68 00:03:49,160 --> 00:03:52,360 Speaker 1: are great. But here was the real breakthrough for me. 69 00:03:53,360 --> 00:03:57,120 Speaker 1: I put the Kindle app on my phone. This is 70 00:03:57,200 --> 00:04:01,520 Speaker 1: Amazon's e reader app. And guess what, I always have 71 00:04:01,680 --> 00:04:04,720 Speaker 1: my phone with me. Since you're listening to a podcast, 72 00:04:04,840 --> 00:04:07,960 Speaker 1: I'm guessing this is the case for you to putting 73 00:04:08,000 --> 00:04:10,480 Speaker 1: the Kindle app on my phone meant that I could 74 00:04:10,480 --> 00:04:13,880 Speaker 1: immediately buy any e book I saw recommended, and I 75 00:04:13,880 --> 00:04:17,400 Speaker 1: could turn my headline and social media scrolling time into 76 00:04:17,480 --> 00:04:21,440 Speaker 1: reading time. People turn out to have a lot of 77 00:04:21,480 --> 00:04:24,360 Speaker 1: this time. You probably pick up your phone at least 78 00:04:24,440 --> 00:04:26,680 Speaker 1: fifty times a day. If you want to check the 79 00:04:26,720 --> 00:04:29,240 Speaker 1: exact number, just look at the screen time function if 80 00:04:29,279 --> 00:04:31,839 Speaker 1: you have an iPhone, so you pick up your phone, 81 00:04:31,960 --> 00:04:35,400 Speaker 1: you delete junk email, and then what you probably look 82 00:04:35,440 --> 00:04:38,600 Speaker 1: at social media or at headlines. But if you spend 83 00:04:38,760 --> 00:04:42,800 Speaker 1: six of those five minutes spurts reading, that's half an 84 00:04:42,800 --> 00:04:46,160 Speaker 1: hour a day of reading right there. And then the 85 00:04:46,200 --> 00:04:49,920 Speaker 1: funniest thing happens when you're really into a book. You 86 00:04:49,960 --> 00:04:53,919 Speaker 1: start magically finding more time to read instead of spending 87 00:04:54,040 --> 00:04:56,600 Speaker 1: ten minutes puttering around with the mail pile looking at 88 00:04:56,600 --> 00:05:02,120 Speaker 1: catalogs you read instead of channel surface you read. You 89 00:05:02,160 --> 00:05:06,200 Speaker 1: are the exact same person, but time starts to open up. 90 00:05:07,320 --> 00:05:09,320 Speaker 1: Of course, there are ways to build more reading time 91 00:05:09,320 --> 00:05:12,360 Speaker 1: into your life structurally too. If you've got a long commute, 92 00:05:12,640 --> 00:05:15,800 Speaker 1: definitely put audiobooks into the mix. Maybe you listen to 93 00:05:15,839 --> 00:05:17,960 Speaker 1: this podcast for a bit and then listen to a 94 00:05:18,000 --> 00:05:19,919 Speaker 1: chapter in a book. You know, if you've got a 95 00:05:19,920 --> 00:05:22,680 Speaker 1: forty five minute commute, you're going to spend seven and 96 00:05:22,720 --> 00:05:24,960 Speaker 1: a half hours in the car this week. You're gonna 97 00:05:24,960 --> 00:05:27,320 Speaker 1: spend forty five hours in the car over the next 98 00:05:27,360 --> 00:05:29,680 Speaker 1: six weeks anyway, so you might as well listen to 99 00:05:29,720 --> 00:05:32,680 Speaker 1: Doris Karen's Goodwin's Team of Rivals, which clocks in at 100 00:05:32,680 --> 00:05:35,840 Speaker 1: just under forty two hours. Reading is also a great 101 00:05:35,839 --> 00:05:38,160 Speaker 1: way to wind down at night. I try to get 102 00:05:38,200 --> 00:05:40,520 Speaker 1: ready for bed at least twenty to thirty minutes before 103 00:05:40,600 --> 00:05:42,760 Speaker 1: lights out time a few days per week. Then I 104 00:05:42,760 --> 00:05:46,200 Speaker 1: can use that time to read. Finally, one of the 105 00:05:46,240 --> 00:05:49,640 Speaker 1: most motivating things I did was to start keeping track 106 00:05:49,680 --> 00:05:53,200 Speaker 1: of what books I've read. There are fancy book journals 107 00:05:53,200 --> 00:05:55,479 Speaker 1: out there, but you don't really need anything like that. 108 00:05:55,720 --> 00:05:58,080 Speaker 1: Just a notebook or a file on your computer or 109 00:05:58,080 --> 00:06:00,600 Speaker 1: your phone is going to do just fine. You can 110 00:06:00,640 --> 00:06:03,440 Speaker 1: also start sharing your lists of books read with friends. 111 00:06:04,320 --> 00:06:07,080 Speaker 1: Not only will people see what you like and start 112 00:06:07,120 --> 00:06:10,720 Speaker 1: recommending titles. It's a great way to hold yourself accountable, 113 00:06:12,960 --> 00:06:16,119 Speaker 1: because while I really did enjoy reading War in Peace, 114 00:06:16,800 --> 00:06:18,919 Speaker 1: I also get a kick out of telling people I 115 00:06:18,960 --> 00:06:22,440 Speaker 1: read War in Peace. I'm guessing you will too. This 116 00:06:22,520 --> 00:06:25,760 Speaker 1: is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making the 117 00:06:25,800 --> 00:06:34,800 Speaker 1: most of our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to hear 118 00:06:34,800 --> 00:06:37,599 Speaker 1: from you. You can send me your tips, your questions, 119 00:06:37,680 --> 00:06:41,440 Speaker 1: or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook, 120 00:06:41,560 --> 00:06:47,040 Speaker 1: and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod that's b the number four, 121 00:06:47,600 --> 00:06:51,080 Speaker 1: then Breakfast p o D. You can also shoot me 122 00:06:51,120 --> 00:06:55,000 Speaker 1: an email at Before Breakfast podcast at iHeart media dot 123 00:06:55,080 --> 00:06:58,000 Speaker 1: com that Before Breakfast is spelled out with all the letters. 124 00:06:58,600 --> 00:07:00,680 Speaker 1: Thanks so much, should I look forward to staying in touch. 125 00:07:06,520 --> 00:07:09,600 Speaker 1: Before Breakfast is a production of I Heart Radio. For 126 00:07:09,720 --> 00:07:12,760 Speaker 1: more podcasts from I heart Radio, visit the i heart 127 00:07:12,840 --> 00:07:16,200 Speaker 1: Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your 128 00:07:16,240 --> 00:07:16,920 Speaker 1: favorite shows.