I'm a working mom, and I've lived in a world of books for as long as I can remember. Books have always been my form of entertainment and it's my form of self-care. When I know I'm reading and I'm finishing books at a pace that I'm comfortable with, I know I'm taking time for myself. If I look back at my yearly reading totals, I can tell you why my reading slowed down in certain years, it usually coincides with a huge life event. When I was newly grieving the loss of my mother, books helped to pull me out of the depths of grief and give me something else to think about. Books are comforting to me. If you're already a reader; these tips might be an added addition to your routine. If you're looking to find a new hobby, these might help to set you up for success.

Always Have A Book With You

I'm a digital reader and I always have a library of books within reach. If not, I can always go to the app on my phone and download a book. This has come in handy many times. I always say if I ever get stuck in the elevator at work, I better have a book with me. If you read physical books, try to throw it in your bag when you leave. There are always snippets of time that you can find to read (standing in line, waiting for someone, kids activities.)

Build Reading Into Your Daily Routine

I always read on my commute to work, on my breaks, and lunches. This sets me up for a minimum amount of time and usually, I add in more reading time in the evening after my son has gone to bed. Your reading routine creates habits and you get used to picking up your book at specific times of the day.

Focus Reading

One of the things that can distract me from reading are the conversations around me. I started listening to ambient sounds on my phone and this helps me out a lot. I have fireplace sounds, bird,s and running water and it helps me to block out what's around me, while not getting distracted by music. I also use the app Forest. Forest allows me to set a time, and within that timeframe, a tree will begin to grow. Over time, you'll have a forest. I can turn on the deep focus setting, and it will not allow me to go out of the app. If I do, my tree will die. It's an added incentive to keep reading. I also like that the app syncs to my Apple watch and I can quickly check the time I have left. This is great on my lunch break too, I don't have to keep checking the time. I will get a notification once my tree has grown, and this allows me to not be tempted to pick up the phone. The app also has some of those ambient sounds I was talking about. Youtube has these amazing ASMR rooms that have ambient sounds and gorgeous backgrounds. You can also find Harry Potter-inspired backgrounds, I recommend the ASMR Rooms and  New Bliss channels.

Don't Be Afraid To Put A Book Down

If you're not feeling a book, put it down and find something else that grabs your attention. It's very easy to get into a reading slump when you're dreading picking up a book. I'm a mood reader and if something isn't working for me it's okay. Another tip would be to switch up genres or go back to the authors you love. Rereading a book that you enjoyed in the past is another way to help with a reading slump.

Track Your Reading/ Set Goals

I use Goodreads to track my reading, but I also like to write down in a notebook what I read each month. When you see it written down it's encouraging to see what you've accomplished. Setting a yearly goal can also be a great motivator. Goodreads has a yearly challenge.

Have an 'On Deck' Selection Of Books

If you have many, many unread books that you want to get to and it seems to overwhelm you, create an 'on deck' selection of books. It can be a variety of books and backlist titles that you want to read soon and it will help you when choosing your next read.

Get Excited About Books

I like to read blogs, watch Booktubers and browse the new releases and emails from publishers. All of these avenues help me to stay excited about books. If you're excited to finish one book and jump into the next, it helps to keep the reading motivation up. If you're not sure what to read next and you're hemming and hawing, it's hard to move into the next read.