Reading books for personal and professional development is a great way to learn new skills and gain valuable knowledge, but it can be difficult to find the time to do so consistently. 

Many working professionals are busy with their jobs, families, and other responsibilities, and it can be challenging to carve out additional time in their schedule for reading. 

I’m guessing you can relate.

That said, there are several methods you can implement to make it easier to carve out time for reading. 

But before I share them with you, let me address what, for some, might be the “elephant in the room.” 

The guilt associated with “just” reading

I loved to read as a kid. I mean LOVED. 

From the Hardy Boys and Encylopedia Brown to The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, I was reading anytime I could, even when I was supposed to be doing something else…like sleeping (sorry mom!).

As I grew older though, reading seemed to be something fewer and fewer of my friends and colleagues were engaged in. Reading had always been fun, but now social activities and adult responsibilities were beginning to take precedence.

In fact, as an adult, I think I almost conditioned myself to feel guilty if I were reading. To sit and read meant I wasn’t being active, I wasn’t being productive, and I wasn’t actually doing anything “useful.” 

Put another way, I became convinced there were far more important things I could do with my time other than reading.

No one else was sending out these messages to me but, somehow, long before I would pick up my first nonfiction book, I managed to convince myself that reading was a pastime relegated to those who had little to no real responsibilities. 

In my mind at least, reading was a luxury I couldn’t afford.

No! Today was all about working toward earning a living, building relationships, and becoming successful. When I reached the top of the success mountain, well, then I might have time for enjoying a book or two. 

If this resonates with you on some level, let me set the record straight.

Carving out time to read a good book is not goofing off, it’s not wasting time, and it’s not something just for kids or those who have nothing else to worry about in life. 

Reading daily is a habit that some of the world’s most successful people not only practice themselves but have publically advocated for.

Warren Buffet, Oprah Winfrey, Bill Gates. 

And research suggests there are dozens of benefits to reading. Benefits that apply to fiction as well as nonfiction. 

In fact, it wasn’t until I installed a reading habit in the early 2000s that my career began to truly take off.

In a relatively short period of time, as lessons learned were implemented and evaluated, I began to get noticed by my peers and leaders within the organization.

I soon found myself presenting to various groups inside our company. Leaders from other offices wanted their staff to learn what I knew.

I credit as many as six promotions over a dozen or so years to one major shift in my professional development: going from non-reader to reader.

Okay so, hopefully, I convinced you there need be no guilt associated with the act of enjoying a good book. 

Here, then, are just a few ideas for finding ways to make reading a more consistent habit:

Schedule reading time into your day 

One of the most effective ways to make time for reading is to actually schedule it into your day. This means exactly what you think it means: setting aside a specific time each day to read.  

It doesn’t have to be the same time every day, of course, but to make it a habit, your reading time needs to have this level of commitment. Otherwise, it’s not likely to become a habit at all.

You might schedule time to read during your morning or evening commute, during lunch, or before bed. Or, you could wake up 30 minutes earlier each day to read before starting your workday.

The key is to actually schedule it in your calendar just like you would any other appointment or meeting. In this case, it’s simply a meeting with yourself. 

When it’s on your calendar, rather than just something you’ve only thought about doing with that particular time, it will become easier to “protect” your reading time. 

Audiobooks aren’t just for fiction anymore

If you have difficulty finding time to sit down and read, listening to audiobooks can be a great alternative. You can, of course, listen to audiobooks while you’re doing other activities, such as working out, driving, or doing household chores.

While audiobooks are ultimately better suited for enjoying fiction in my opinion, there are frankly some books I might never have made it through were it not for my Audible account.

It’s true that it’s often tougher to implement—heck, remember—what you hear while listening to a nonfiction book, especially if the book you’re listening to is filled with action steps. But with a little discipline, it’s possible. 

For example, make it a point after your flight, or run, or chores, or whatever it is, to go back through the spots you bookmarked and take written or typed notes.

For me, one of the best times to enjoy an audiobook is during a flight. I have the feeling of being productive in the sense I’m getting where I need to go (flying), but I’m also in a position where I can listen and take notes if I like. 

Read shorter books 

Nowhere is it written that for your reading to “count,” it has to be some epic tome, say, Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson for example (at nearly 700 pages, it’s a tome of total titanic proportions). 

If you have limited time, reading shorter books can be a great way to feel like you’re making headway with the little time you do have. 

My friend and author, Jon Acuff, usually has a goal of reading a certain number of books each year, and even sometimes includes comic books on his goal list.

To the critics, he says, “Hey, it’s my goal. I can include whatever kind of books I want.” 

Be like Jon. Don’t let anyone else tell you what books can and can’t be on your reading list goal. 

Make reading social

Reading can be a lot more fun when you share it with others. I believe this greatly increases your odds of making reading a habit. 

If like my story above, you’ve managed to find yourself surrounded by other people who don’t spend much or any time reading, it’s no wonder you’ve struggled to do it consistently yourself. 

And that is one of the many reasons why I decided to offer weekly book summaries for free inside the Read to Lead Community (something that was initially going to be offered as part of a paid subscription). 

We will indeed be building out the components of a Read to Lead+ section, parts of which will require a small subscription to access. This might include things like a book club that meets on a regular basis, private sessions with authors, and more. 

However, I decided to separate out the summaries, as well as the ability to talk about the summaries and books among your peers, from that subscription section. 

Hopefully, this eliminates any remaining excuses you might have to read with more consistency. 🙂 

Who do you want to be? 

Building a consistent reading habit does take time and effort.

Think of it this way: Who do you want to be? 

In Atomic Habits by James Clear, he says that every habit you successfully install is essentially casting a vote for who you want to be. Over time, your votes add up.

You don’t have to be perfect. You don’t have to get “all the votes.” You just need the majority of the votes. 

Today, and every day, start casting your votes for the person you want to become. 

My hope is that this community will aid you in getting there.