Want to learn how to read more? It’s one of those things that most of us love doing, but few find the time to actually sit and get some done!
Today I’m going to share with you a new and very simple way that I’ve found that I can fit in loads of reading in my life that I probably wouldn’t have been able to do without using it .
It’s been truly life changing for me and I think it may well be for you as well..
First though – let me ask you a question…
Do You Feel Guilty About Taking Time To Read?
I am a HUGE fan of making the most of my time.
I am also a HUGE fan of reading.
It’s amazing to find yourself transported into lives and situations as a result of words on a page – and it’s so easy to get lost in books. You can also learn so much from books if you are wanting to find a new hobby or skill.
Trouble is, reading and making the most of my time are often things that fight with each other in my mind because I feel guilty for sitting down to read when there’s so much other stuff that I ‘should’ be getting on with.
I’ve also got less time at this stage in my life to read with a family to look after, a home to upkeep, and a business to run.
Reading just seems like a luxury…
So – is it even possible to read more without feeling guilty? – that’s the question that I can hopefully answer for you today if you struggle with this as well.
I did some thinking, I did some research, and I’ve found a way that I CAN enjoy reading without having to find specific time to sit down and immerse myself in the book.
I’d love to share it with you as it has truly changed so much for me and I really think it will for you too.
The answer is simply to….
Listen To the Books Rather Than Look At Them
It’s so simple it’s almost crazy really, but if you can listen to books rather than have to sit and look at them to read them, then you can find the time to read so much more easily.
I’ve been listening to podcasts for a while now, especially on all things related to owning a blog – they are so interesting for me and a great way to get more knowledge while I am driving or on a run or at the gym etc….
And I started to think – why couldn’t I do exactly the same for books?
Enter the solution – Audible.
Audible is an online store which is part of Amazon, and it provides a huge(over 200,000!) variety of audible books that you can simply download and start to listen to.
Ah.MAy.ZING!
Now – very little comes for free of course, and there is a cost for this service – BUT you can give it a try for FREE with a 30 day trial – this gives you the chance to download a book and see how you like it (and I am sure you will!).
(I wanted to talk about audio books right now because it’s summer – this is the month that you may well be going on holiday, you may have extra time in the lighter evenings to go for a walk/run – and this is the perfect opportunity to try it out. If you get a month for free what have you got to lose!)
Reason To Love Audible
I have been a member of Audible for a few months now and am loving it! – I only ever review products on this site that I truly believe in and that I feel will genuinely be of benefit – and Audible is one of my all time favourites!
Here are the main reasons why: –
Reason #1 – Free Trial
I had the free 30 day trial and so I got 1 book for free (I chose the “Power of Habit” by Charles Duhigg** which I totally recommend if you want to change habits for life).
Reason #2 – There’s An App (& You Can Use It On More Than One Device)
You can download the Audible app onto your phone so you can listen anywhere, and you can download the books on up to 4 devices at the same time including your phone, laptop, kindle etc….
The best thing about this feature is that it will know where you have got to in reading a book, so you could start listening on your phone when you are out walking, and then pick it up again on your laptop when you’re at home later.
Genius!
Reason #3 – You Can Speed Things Up
You have the ability on the app to speed up the reading slightly which I loved.
Sometimes it’s better to listen to a slower reader when they are sped up slightly, and you can get through books much more quickly as a result – another time saver!
Reason #4 – You Can Multi Task
You can get other things done in the time you are reading. This is the main reason that I love to listen to books instead of reading them the traditional way. Things that I do while reading, for inspiration, are: –
- Cleaning / Ironing
- Walking / Running
- At the Gym
- When driving
- Waiting in queues / shopping / errands
Because I always have my phone on me I can listen wherever I am, and so I am reading so much more than usual and it’s amazing!
Reason #5 – You Can Get Great Deals
Now – I mentioned that the normal price of the first audiobook I chose was nearly £20 – so what happens when your trial has finished? Surely it gets expensive very quickly?
Audiobooks ARE more expensive on average than a hard copy book – but you are getting many many hours of audio for this price, so I can see where the extra value lies, but I am also not keen on such a high expense.
Well – the good news is that you have the option to join on a monthly membership or an annual membership which make things much more cost effective, which I’d like to explain in a bit more detail to help: –
MONTHLY MEMBERSHIP
Monthly membership costs £7.99 and this gives you 1 credit each month which is enough for 1 book of your choice.
As most books are between £10 and £20 this is a great deal!
You can also get access to daily offers and other offers as a member which helps you to bring the costs down if you want more than 1 book a month.
I ended up paying for an annual membership as this was an even better saving…
ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP
I paid £69.99 up front for the annual membership, which means that I get 12 credits immediately and I can spend them straight away or spread them throughout the year.
For me this was the best as I could download 12 eBooks ready to listen to whenever I wanted, without having to wait for the following month.
It also means that each month (and therefore each credit) costs just £5.83 instead of the £7.99 for the monthly membership – an even bigger saving on each book, and the same as a couple of nice coffees a month which seemed really reasonable to me.
EXTRA CREDITS / BONUSES
You can also buy extra credits if you like, as there are offers for these, and you can purchase eBooks for a slightly discounted price as a member. They have deals of the day so you can grab a bargain if you keep an eye on things!
Reason #6 – You Can Create A Wish List
When you are browsing the massive amount of books available, you can keep track of any you may fancy reading at some point
TIP – I decided to work out what books I really wanted to listen to and added them all to my wish list. I then used my credits to download the most expensive ones in my wish list so I got the best value for money for my membership. When you purchase it gives you the option of whether you want to pay cash or use a credit – another feature I love because they don’t make you purchase everything with your credits first.
{ Worth a Read: Audiobooks You’ll Want To Listen To This Year… }
Reason #7 – No Quibble Swapping
One thing that you could find (and something I worried about), is that you may not actually like what you have downloaded.
It may not be what you expected, you may find the reader hard to listen to (they do offer clips of the book before you buy so you can hear the reader first which is great), or you may just have changed your mind.
Audible offers a no quibble swap – so as long as you don’t abuse this service it’s a great way to feel more reassured with what you decide to buy.
Do you fancy giving audio books a try – for free?
Why not give their 30 day free trial a go? – you really can’t go wrong. Hopefully this audible review has helped give a good overview of what’s available.
The worst that would happen is you get to have one book read to you and you can listen while you are doing something else over the next week or so, and then you can stop!
The best? – you find that you can learn how to read more, save time, and become more productive as a result.
I certainly haven’t regretted the fact that I am able to read much more now.
Although I do still love the odd “proper” book, and I read on my Kindle as well – there is absolutely a time and place for audiobooks in life as well. It makes sense if you are a keen reader to get started on using them because you can read so so much more without having to sit and find time, which is so hard.
I hope this has helped, and I’d love to know what you think of the idea of audio books so please leave a comment below, and don’t forget to sign up for your free trial right HERE