I promised myself to never leave reading again.
If you read a little about Just Everyday Reads in the previous post, you probably know how I haven’t been one of those few who read through their childhoods into their now.
I am though the person who did start reading very early in life but couldn’t stick to it as my responsibilities grew.
Especially when I decided to start my company (which I’ll probably tell you about some other day, because we’re here on this blog for the books only).
But as an entrepreneur who networks frequently, I have been asked how I ‘went back to reading’ far too many times.
Sometimes it’s a casual remark. But at other times, people are actually amazed I could pick up the books again and read as much as I do.
It might not be as impressive a number as the bookstagrammers, but I do read an average of 35-40 books an year while building my company. And in this post, I just want to share how I made time for reading without having to break the flow of my hustle.
The struggles of finding time – What took me away from reading
Before I talk about how I made time for reading, I have to share what took me away from the books in the first place:
- Long hours building my company – All my energy was far too focused in, on and around my business. I was spending a majority of my hours working on the business, networking and planning for the future.
- Managing competing priorities – Whenever I did find the time, my need to ‘plan ahead’ would always push me to set priorities around the team, my clients and even my personal life. When you’re a startup founder, you know what wins.
- Guilt around non-work activities – When you read so much about ‘working hard’ and those success stories, it becomes tougher to detach yourself from the idea of ‘working on your baby’. Anything that wasn’t work would make me feel so guilty.
I’ve been working for 12 years and running the business for 10. I wish I could tell you that it was easy getting back to books – but no. It took a mindset shift that came with the years.
Mindset shifts that helped me get back to books
This might vary based on who you are, where you come from, what you’re doing at this point in life, but here’s a glimpse into the mindset that helped me come back to reading:
- Viewing reading as an investment in myself, not a luxury.
- Choosing quality over quantity – even 10 minutes or 10 pages of a book every day count.
- Accepting that consistency matters more than speed.
Practical tips that helped me get back to reading
Here’s how I put that mindset into action:
- Setting a goal – I didn’t start by chasing lofty goals. Just as I did for my business, I set a realistic reading goal and it was to read at least one book per month.
- Creating a dedicated reading routine – My schedules are fairly adhoc when it comes to work so I decided to set specific times aside. For me, this was reading 10 pages in the morning just as I woke up without touching my phone. Gradually, I started to read 10 more pages before I slept instead of doomscrolling on social media.
- Starting with short and engaging books – This might sound silly or even kiddish; but I actually picked up books based on the formatting of the text, the theme and how the narration style. I purposely opted for books that would let me get into a flow faster. Sometimes, this included books with just a paragraph or two on one page!
- Carrying a book everywhere – I can’t do much of work at noisy places like cafes or during transit. So I made it a point to carry one book with me always. So whatever little downtime I’d get between work or in meetings, I started using it for reading.
- Reading different genres – I never restricted myself to reading a specific genre, type or author. There have been times when I’m reading a fast-paced thriller and a business book side by side, and it’s the best thing I could do for myself!
- Investing in a kindle – With my ADHD, I always pick up multiple books at the same time – and you never know which I’d want to read when. Now carrying multiple books felt far too tough; so I actually bought a kindle and my life has changed! (I still own far too many paperbacks though)
- Accountability partner – I made friends that read. So whenever I slacked off reading, they’d drop me a message and ask, or even send me a book and well, I don’t like wasting a gift!
- Tracking reading progress – I made an Instagram page to simply record my books so I’d not forget the titles I have read. But it soon turned into a progress tracker and that introduced me to the world of book blogging and Goodreads challenges. That kept me on track!
- Reading nook – I’m a big fan of interiors and home decor. So I tied my reading to gorgeous interiors. I built out a comfortable reading nook and a gorgeous bookshelf that became my mission to fill.
But more importantly, I never made myself feel ‘guilty’ for not being able to read. If I could not find the time to read on a certain day, I’d let it go and come back to it again the next!
From 2021 to 2025 now, believe me, it’s working well.
If I can, you can. Don’t let all those amazing books slide by!
