How to Read More Books When Life Gets Busy (Improved)

As I minister to people the question comes up from time to time of how to read more when life gets busy.  I use to share my post How I Read 80 Books In 43 Weeks that directed people to a guest post I wrote for another blog.  Unfortunately that blog has ceased to exist and I thought it was regrettable since the website owner did a good job editing the grammar for my essay (I am notorious with bad grammar).  Fortunately I found a web archive online that saved the page so I was able to reproduce the improved  written version.  I also got to expand the article to include two more points!  So below are ten things that helps one read more when life gets busy.

For Christians it’s important to read.  It’s important to read the Bible, books on the Bible, books about Christian living, and books to know more about God. But sometimes one’s life gets very busy. How can the busy Christian find time to read? This post is meant to be a pastoral, practical and encouraging answer to that question. 

First, pray to God about it.  Seek Him for help.  Don’t feel like reading, but you know you should?  Pray to God to move your heart so that you want to read His Word and want to study things related to His Word.  Don’t forget to ask with faith.  If James 1:5 tells us to pray asking for wisdom, I think a corollary to that would be pray for God to give you the heart to seek wisdom from His Word and books based upon His Words to get wisdom!

Second, just pick something to read.  If you haven’t read a spiritual book or the Bible in a while, just pick something to read!  Picking isn’t everything, but don’t downplay the fact that it is something. You have to start somewhere.  But don’t spend too long thinking about what to pick if you haven’t read something in a while.  Some people can spend too long wondering what they should read; just pick something to start. That doesn’t mean your first few books are the only ones you will ever read for life!  You can pick something you like, or something you have recently bought, or you can pick something that perks your spiritual interests.  Finish it so you can move on to read other things you have in mind.  Again don’t think too hard about what you will read or you may end up never reading anything.

Third, it’s okay to read a little bit over the long haul.  Be the turtle in the race, not the rabbit who burns out.  Don’t set false expectations upon yourself if you haven’t read in a while.  You say you’re busy and don’t have two hours to read.  Fine, read for 5-10 minutes when you can as a starting point.  You would be surprised to see how after reading a little bit every day for a few months you will be flying through books.  Have you always wanted to complete that systematic theology?  You may not be there yet, but for once you’re halfway through it and you didn’t think you’d ever get to that point.

Fourth, always have something to read with you.  I go everywhere with my Kindle.  It’s what I use to take notes.  It’s what I use as an organizer.  This is intentional.  Why?  Because I often have down time. And this down time is often best spent not just on Facebook…it’s time to read something edifying!  I meet with people as part of my role in the ministry.  People are always late.  Redeem that time.  Read while you wait.  You’ll be much more sanctified than annoyed.  You’ll be surprised at how much time is wasted with just waiting (e.g., waiting in a restaurant, waiting in line at the store, waiting inside the car pumping gas, etc.).  In a year you’ll finish many books from those times you are waiting.

Fifth, have multiple reading plans.  Read like you are going to war…spiritual war.  This is very important for those who are busy or whose life is unpredictable.  I mean unpredictable in the sense that there are things in your life that are contingent upon factors beyond your control (I’m not thinking about life being unpredictable because of lack of self-discipline).  If your plan is just one, then already you have none.  If your plan has a backup or two, then hopefully one of them will do.  Again, I try to redeem the time when I wait by bringing along my Kindle.  To ensure this happens I even have a charger in my car for my Kindle just in case my power runs out over a long stretch of the day.  Sometimes I meet with someone then someone afterwards wants to meet in an hour.  I’m ready. I’m waiting and reading.  Just in case Murphy’s Law kicks in and my battery dies and my charger doesn’t work, or I don’t want to look at a screen anymore, there is always a physical book in my car as a backup.

Sixth, read when others are asleep.  If you are really busy, you also don’t want to neglect your family.  So read when they are asleep.  Do you know if you are an owl or a early bird?  That is, are you wired to stay up or wake up early?  If you’re an owl, stay up a little later after your loved ones are asleep to enjoy your devotional time.  If you are a morning person, be up before others to enjoy time with God’s Word.  Of course if you’re an owl and an early bird then praise the Lord!  But what if you are neither a morning person or a late night guy?  Read during work breaks.  Work breaks not long enough?  Again, read a little bit at a time.  It goes a long way over time.

Seventh, read with variety.  Here I want to be cautious.  Some people never finish anything they read because they go on to something else.  That’s not something we want to cultivate.  At the same time, learning by reading is like exercising the muscles.  We all know the proverbial gym rat who skips leg days.  So whatever you are inclined to read, make sure that’s not your only staple.  Make sure to have variety so you will continue reading even when you’re busy.  If you’re a one-subject reader and life gets busy, you have less reasons to keep on reading.  Say you only read apologetics books.  Well what happens when life gets busy?  You think you know it all already in the areas of apologetics so you stop reading altogether because you don’t see the need for reading in other areas of theology or life.  Or if you read doctrinal and theological works only for head knowledge, then soon it is not practical given the daily grind of a busy life–you drop your readings.  So read practical books.  Read books on Christian theology or sanctification at the work place.  Don’t forget practical doesn’t mean shallow in content.  I like to dip into biblical counseling booklets and books at times because it is very practical and beautiful in showing how the Gospel and theology matters!

Eighth, read with accountability.  In the Christian life some believers fight sin by using accountability partner.  Use the same thing when it comes to reading!  I also believe that as Christians grow more mature accountability with other believers isn’t just merely a time of confessing one’s shortcoming (though there’s a place for that).  Think about how discouraging that is to the other believer.  Rather true growth in accountability is that you do grow in what you struggle with; but you also go further, and eventually you also want to be able to share things to bless others.  So your goal with accountability partner is ultimately to share with how your spiritual reading has blessed you in order to bless them as well.  But what if you can’t find an accountability partner?  I believe the best form of accountability is still yourself before God.  I keep a devotional journal.  I write down something each day what stood out of all my readings that was spiritually informative and edifying.  I also often write down the applications from these truths I wrote down on my journal since its important for Christians to read to apply to life (as opposed to just reading for reading sake or merely for the intellect).  Having this devotional journal is also a helpful tool for self evaluation of whether or not you are reading and also reading to be spiritual and grow in loving God!  What further helped me to motivate me with this journal is also the fact that I write things down from my reading that I find will be useful sometime in the future.  Now there’s another initiative to read and have a journal of accountability of my devotional; it proves to be useful for myself and others later!

Ninth, read with others.  Sometimes if an accountability partner system where you report your reading or lack of reading to a brother or sister in Christ doesn’t work in that you have failed to read for weeks it might be good to revisit your strategy.  But sometimes it might also be wise to use that actual time when you are going to meet up with someone to talk about your reading to actually read instead of just talk about reading.  For some of our church guys I’ve offered to meet with them for the purpose of individual private reading.  Sounds like an oxymoron?  It is not.  We meet at a library, coffee or tea shop, even a garden and I tell the brother I’m not going to be talking to them as I will be busy with my own work and reading and they should be doing the same thing too.  Sometimes the shackles of social media and smart phone needs to be broken by actually scheduling time to meet with someone to actually do quiet spiritual reading together.  Do it.  Taste the goodness of God’s Word or good spiritual reading for at least an hour.  Do that more and if you are truly Born Again your spiritual taste buds will hunger more of His truth whether in the Scriptures or books based upon the Scriptures!

Lastly, read to enjoy the Lord.  All the advice above would be nothing if one doesn’t read to enjoy the Lord.  If you read without love for God and a growing love for others, it means nothing and you gain nothing.  If you read to enjoy the Lord you’ll find it’s less about method (though it has its place) and more about where your heart is.