
Ask HN: Do you make time to read? - bradhe
I have a big stack of books I'm hoping to read but between my 9-5 and my side projects (plug: http://hoptopus.com) I can't seem to come up with time to read. When I was young I would read before bed (go to bed, read for a while, sleep) but I find that I don't retain any info when I do that.<p>Interestingly, I can find plenty of time to keep up with Reddit and HN -- probably because it's so convenient given my work. Does anyone have a "system" for this, or some suggestions?
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heckandpunt
I used to read a lot, but have seen that rate declining steeply over the
years. I spend a lot of time commuting to and from work, anything between 2-3
hours. This year i made a decision to make use of that time for reading. As of
yet i've finished 24 books. Hoping to keep up for the rest of the year.

I suppose i can be more effective with reading different books with tailored
strategies but haven't been able to find out anything substantial about that
yet. Have ordered "How to Read a Book" by Mortimer Adler to see if it can
help.

Also, at the beginning of the year, i just jumped in, without much of a
definite idea on what to read. The priority for me then, was just to get
started. It served the purpose. But right now, i would probably need to
revisit that.

I've been doing most of my reading on a Pocketbook 360 and long hours with
that, despite the e-Ink screen, feels more fatiguing as opposed to a paper
book. I'm looking to alternate more between paper and ebooks.

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jacobwyke
\- Always carry something to read with you - so if you have 5 mins downtime
you can dip into it quickly and easily.

\- Try audiobooks - if you drive 30mins to work each way thats 5 hours of
listening to audiobooks a week!

\- Since you find time to read reddit and such, try something like
dailylit.com where they email you a small section of a book each day.

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ayers
I had the same issue as you. I had a stack of books that I wanted to get
through but always found it hard to force myself to make the time in the day
to read them. I started taking books to work and reading in my lunch breaks.
This worked quite well and also provided a good break from work which left me
ready to get stuck into work for the afternoon.

I have recently moved over to London(UK) and now I catch the train to
work(25min train time each way). I now use this time to read and I love it. I
am actually getting through the books on my list.

The commute to work is obviously not for everyone but I would recommend giving
the lunch time reading a go.

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eswat
I was already reading my Kindle books on on the bus. But when I realized I had
a lot of technical books I bought last year but haven’t read yet—and are
pretty unwieldy to read on the bus—I just made the time to read them; I
Instapapered less pages to read, went on a video game abstinence and other
small, temporary changes. Suddenly I had large chunks of time in the evening
and on weekends to catch up on my backlog.

So, what can _you_ give up to make the time? Could you try dropping Reddit or
something else for a bit and see if that time is better spent on reading?

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ulisesroche
I just made reading one of my hobbies and I read the really good ones twice,
keeping notes as if I was engaging in conversation with the piece the second
time around.

You'll have to make some sacrifices. Reading is a large time/energy
investment, no matter how you cut it, but it has by far the greatest returns.

I kept a reading list for a bit, but never really used it. I usually just pick
out books as I see them.

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gbeeson
I try and compliment my online reading with the physical as much as possible.
I like to keep three different types of books nearby per week; one career
related, one non-fiction that is not career related and one fiction. This is
my baseline and I add to it on a weekly basis as I see fit - no fewer than
three books a week though.

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whichdan
Programming and reading tend to take up the same mind-space for me; after
working all day, the thought of reading a book just doesn't seem relaxing.

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duiker101
when i have a nice book i usually stop almost everything that is not
essential(work) to read it. It's like the coffee break but longer, it's a way
to refresh my mind. But i think your situation is a bit different.

I also travel a lot, so i read in airports etc...

