Hello and good morning!  I wanted to share today how I fit my impossible TBR’s into my busy life.  Reading is such a big part of who I am, that it’s just something I need to do to keep sane.

Like any mom/step-mom/normal human being, there is always something that needs done.  Something that requires my undivided attention.  That could be anything from school work, to house chores, to errands, and finally my full-time job.  It almost seems impossible to find time to take a breath let alone read.

The thing is, I have to make time to read.  Not every day, mind you.  On days I don’t have work, I wake up before the rest of the house, mozy downstairs in just my robe, where I make a nice cup of coffee and some breakfast.  I then take my breakfast and coffee to my office, where I proceed to crack the blinds just enough to let some soft morning light in, prop my feet up, and dive in to whatever book I’m currently reading.  My favorite time to binge read is in the morning as the rest of the house is still asleep.  That means no video games, no pattering of feet, and no dogs barking.

But on most of my days off (mornings excluded), I end up literally scheduling time to read.  Often I will sit up the night before and make a list of things I need to do for the following day.  My to-do list gets split up into two different categories: Chores and Reading.  For every chore I cross off, there needs to be a chapter being crossed off as well.  For one, this helps me to actually stay motivated enough to get things done around the house.  It also is ensuring that I’m still saving time to read.

Work days are a bit harder as I work 12 hour shifts, and quite often I take overtime for some extra cash when I need it.  I usually try to relax with a few pages on my breaks, or even while waiting to punch in and out.  Depending on the day, I often don’t get to read.  Either my breaks are interrupted with phone calls or it’s such a monotonous day that, when I get home, I don’t want to read.

I know it sounds weird that I prioritize my reading in that way, but for me this works.  Reading is such a huge part of my life and if I don’t make time for it, I become miserable and let myself get swept up into the stress of real life.  Treating reading like it’s something I have to do also keeps reading slumps at bay.

That is it for me today.  Let me know in the comments how you schedule reading in to your day.  Until next time………………….