How to Train Yourself to Read a Book a Month

Step 1: Watch 3 Fewer Hours of TV per Week
We hate to be blunt, but reading more books often comes down to watching less Netflix. Three hours might seem like a lot, but skipping a couple GoTs could enable you to bang out 150 pages of that awesome new memoir you’ve been meaning to get into.

Step 2: Carry a Book (or Kindle) Everywhere You Go
While reading in a cozy spot in your living room is delightful, you shouldn’t need to be home to pick up a book. Read everywhere, any time you have a few free moments. That could mean whipping out a novel while waiting for a friend to show up to a restaurant or getting in a few pages before the movie begins.

Step 3: Don’t Be Afraid to Abandon a Book
If you’re 30 pages into something and it’s really bumming you out, don’t hesitate to give up on it. Soldiering on begrudgingly is a waste of time and takes the fun out of what should be an enjoyable activity. Ditching titles that you don’t like makes room for ones you’ll actually fly through.

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Step 4: Put Time on Your Calendar
Whether it’s 30 minutes during breakfast, 45 minutes while your kid is napping or an hour before you fall asleep, put designated reading time on your calendar (paper or digital). You keep all of your other appointments, so why make reading any different?

Step 5: Set Goals
Let’s say the next book you want to read is 400 pages long. That means you have to read 20 pages per day to finish in a month. Simple. Setting smaller, tangible to-dos makes the ultimate goal much more manageable.

Step 6: Start a Book Club
Or join one, if that’s more your speed. Book clubs are terrific for accountability, so if you commit to discussing one book per month, chances are you'll actually read it. (Want a digital option? Might we suggest joining PureWow’s own book club?)

Step 7: Keep Track
Of what you’ve read. Keep a running list of books completed to help motivate you moving forward. Now look at you, Ms. 12 books in one year!