The World's Common Tater

As I was contemplating if I had anything worth writing today, the Today Show did a segment with Jenna Bush Hager about how to keep your resolution to read more. Here are her tips and my thoughts on them.

Always Keep a Book On You

This is a rule I have generally followed most of my life. I got away from it when I left libraries and I need to go back to it. You never know when you might be stuck in a line or something that gives you unexpected time. If you have a book you can use that time to read. It’s much easier now that you can have a book on your phone.

Create “Do Not Disturb” Reading Time

In this tip, she talked about keeping your phone physically away from you. I need to do this. I always say I can’t have my phone away from me in case one of my kids calls with an emergency, but I can have it close enough I could hear it, but far enough away that I won’t pick it up constantly. I also need to sit in a room away from the TV.

Find the Right Book Format For You

I still do better when reading a physical book, but some people might be more likely to read a book if it is on a tablet or phone. Audio is best for some people. There is no reason to limit your reading to a paper version of a book. There’s also no reason to switch to an e-book if you like physical books. There is no wrong way to read,

Redistribute Your Time

This goes back to my post about not having time to read. It’s not that you don’t have time to read It is that you are filling that time with something else. That’s fine, but if you want to read more look at how you spend your time and choose the time spent on something else to change to reading time. For me, it would be random screen time.

Join a Book Club

This does help most people. Some join a book club and never read the book, but for most people, it is a way to get them to pick up a book and read it. It also helps you read books you might not have otherwise.

I thought they were some very good tips and some I can use myself.