how to get creative in squeezing leisure reading into your schedule

i once read that bill gates reads 50 books a year. fifty. as in, almost one book a week. and here i am, struggling to finish a novel i started three months ago because life keeps getting in the way. but the thing is, life will always get in the way. schedules will tighten. notifications will pile up. work will stretch longer than expected. and yet, there are people who still manage to read consistently. so what’s their secret? the truth is, making time for leisure reading isn’t about having more hours in a day—it’s about hacking the time you already have. and no, it doesn’t require waking up at 5 am or cutting off social media entirely (because let’s be real, that’s not happening). it’s about getting creative. making reading fit into your life, rather than trying to force your life around it.

i am going to be sharing how i get more reading done without sacrificing everything else:

1. the stolen moments method

waiting in line at a coffee shop? stuck in a boring meeting where your presence is purely decorative? standing in the kitchen while your pasta water boils? read. most people think reading requires a big, uninterrupted chunk of time. it doesn’t. you can read two pages while waiting for an uber, a chapter while your hair mask sets, a whole short story while your flight is delayed. small moments add up.

2. the audiobook hustle

before you say, “audiobooks aren’t real reading,” let me stop you. they absolutely count. in fact, if you think about it, storytelling started as an oral tradition. every time you listen to an audiobook, you’re basically experiencing literature the way ancient civilizations did—just with airpods instead of a campfire. so, make your commute, workout, or grocery run double as a reading session.

3. the 10-minute rule

tell yourself, “i’ll just read for 10 minutes.” that’s it. just 10 minutes. no pressure. no commitment to finish a chapter. but here’s what happens: once you start, you usually keep going. it’s the same psychology that makes you say you’ll watch “just one more episode” and suddenly it’s 2 am. trick your brain. works every time.

4. make it digital, make it instant

keep an e-book on your phone at all times. i know physical books are romantic, but carrying a 400-page hardcover everywhere isn’t exactly practical. with an e-book, you can literally turn every dead minute into a reading session—waiting rooms, traffic jams, awkward family gatherings where you need an escape.

5. book club… but for one

have you ever noticed that the moment you tell someone you’re watching a show, you suddenly feel obligated to finish it? apply the same trick to reading. tell someone—your best friend, your instagram story, your cat—that you’re reading a certain book. suddenly, there’s a tiny bit of social pressure to actually finish it.

6. ruthless dnf-ing

(dnf = did not finish)

one of the biggest reading killers? forcing yourself through books you’re not enjoying. no one is grading you. there is no punishment for quitting. if it’s not gripping you, move on. the faster you let go of bad books, the more time you have for good ones.

7. make reading the default

let’s be honest: half the time we reach for our phones, it’s out of habit, not necessity. what if instead of scrolling, you opened a book? what if you left books in every possible place—your nightstand, your car, your bathroom (yes, really)? the easier you make it to just pick up a book instead of your phone, the more you’ll read.

romanticize the act

reading isn’t just about consuming words—it’s about the experience. make it a ritual. dim the lights, light a candle, make tea, put on soft jazz, wrap yourself in a blanket like a victorian poet in crisis. the more enjoyable you make it, the more you’ll want to do it.

9. read what excites you, not what you “should” read

stop picking up books because they’re “important” or “critically acclaimed” if you’re not genuinely interested. reading isn’t homework. you don’t get extra points for suffering through a book that bores you to death. read what actually makes you want to turn the page.

the thing about reading is that it’s never really about time—it’s about desire. we find time for the things we truly want to do, even if it means stealing minutes in the checkout line or reading half a chapter while waiting for the pasta to boil. books don’t demand grand gestures; they just ask that we show up, even in the smallest ways. and maybe that’s the trick—letting go of the idea that reading has to be a whole thing and just making it something you do, like checking your phone or making coffee. because the more you sneak it in, the more it becomes second nature. and before you know it, you’re the person who always has time to read.