digest
Short Summary
Main recommendation: Make reading a New Year's resolution and fit it into daily life by swapping phone time for books, including audiobooks, which count as reading. Ally Welch, a New Jersey mom and full-time teacher, says she read over 200 books in one year this way, splitting her reading roughly 50/50 between audiobooks and print.
Key Points
- The segment frames reading as a strong resolution, citing a recent survey that found 40% of Americans did not read a single book last year.
- Ally Welch began her reading habit to have her children see her less on her phone, replacing phone use with picking up a book.
- Audiobooks count toward the total, and Welch tracked her monthly mix of audiobooks and print books.
- Tracking what you read, through a journal, phone note, or an app like Goodreads, helps sustain momentum and reveals enjoyable genres.
- Reading can start small, with just 10 minutes a night.
- Free access options include public libraries, Little Free Libraries, and the Libby and Hoopla apps for e-books.
Details Worth Noting
- Concrete instructions:
- Try audiobooks, playing them on earphones while doing other activities; the segment notes children can listen while coloring or playing with Legos.
- If fiction is hard to follow on audio, try memoirs, which are easier to follow and less affected by distraction.
- Track your reading by writing titles in a journal, making a note on your phone, or using Goodreads to rate and review books.
- Follow friends on reading apps to see what they are reading.
- Carve out 10 minutes to read, such as winding down at night with a book.
- Borrow books from a library, a Little Free Library, or download e-books for free through Libby or Hoopla, which sync with your library card.
- The speaker's son Jack became fixated on dinosaurs and enjoyed listening to Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park on audio.
- Welch noted that people might discount audiobooks, but the segment states clearly that they count.
Bottom Line
Reading more is achievable within a busy schedule by combining audiobooks, print books, free library resources, and short nightly reading sessions.
