<p>With the many book threads popping up around CC, I see many busy students and parents read read read! I love reading, but I feel so exhausted after school and work that I just don’t have the time. I read a book for leisure during lunch but with a 20 minute lunch, I’m lucky to get through 20-30 pages at a time.</p>
<p>When do you parents find the time to read? Any creative techniques? Advice? Tips?</p>
<p>(Will create this thread in HSL to get the students’ perspective as I am a student)</p>
<p>I always have plenty of time for reading. I never seem to find any time to do housework, though. It’s all about priorities. Make sure you are reading books that really interest you.</p>
<p>Before bed, mostly. Also when I’m waiting for or riding the train and bus. Weekend afternoons are also a nice time to relax and curl up with a book if I have the luxury of time. It’s something you have to make time for, like any other hobby, but I find it easier to squeeze in since books are so very portable :)</p>
<p>Before bed. Always before bed. In fact, now I can’t go to sleep unless I’ve read for 20 to 30 minutes. </p>
<p>Then, of course, you have to figure out what time to “go to bed” so you have those 20 to 30 minutes. </p>
<p>Actually, to fit it in, I’ve “given up” watching a prime time show from 9:00 to 10:00. Books are better.</p>
<p>I before bed person here too. Also, sometimes at my desk at work when I’m eating lunch. Last summer, I bought a sweet wrought iron chaise lounge with a cushy cushion - my kids and I fought for it many summer nights after dinner. Perfect relaxing moments. I also try to carry a book or magazine with me when I’m going to my kids games too - they often have to be there 30-45 minutes early - I sit in the stands or in the car and read. </p>
<p>By the way, as a program director for a literacy program for children, it’s great to see that even as adults, you keep up your bedtime routine - a book. :)</p>
<p>I wake up an hour early to read in bed, it is a great way to start the day and a luxury that I will not give up. I don’t wear makeup, I don’t fuss with my clothes, some days I don’t eat breakfast, but I read a lot of books and I love it. Also before bed, with lunch, in the bathroom (I can read while I brush my teeth!), while waiting for whatever…</p>
<p>I do almost all of my book reading by listening to books (on tape, CD, downloads). I listen in the car, doing housework or cooking, exercising, before going to sleep. Like VeryHappy, I prefer listening to books to watching TV. I don’t know if any of this would have worked for me while I was in HS, though.</p>
<p>Another before bed. I rarely watch more than half an hour of TV/DVD a day. My kids often read before they start homework and while eating breakfast and snacks. Dh reads in the bathroom first thing in the morning.</p>
<p>I also must read for at least 30 minutes before I turn the lights out for the night. Of course, 30 minutes turns into 60 when I get involved and say I will read just a few more pages. All of a sudden it is now 1:00 AM and I am still reading!!</p>
<p>All of us in our house- parents and kids- before bed. Also on weekend mornings if we can. At our cabin on the weekends we go there (year round). Or waiting for buses or ferries or in line ups. And we always eat dinner together, about six nights out of seven, so usually some can read in that time just before (sort of you get home, but dinners not quite ready and/or you are too hungry to finish homework etc.). We don’t watch TV which helps perhaps.</p>
<p>There are times in our lives when it seems there is no room to breathe. It’s inevitable. But I think i’ts always an important sign for us to respond to and fix when we find ourselves going into long periods without time to read, or walk the dogs, or spend time talking to each other.</p>
<p>Before bed means in bed right? Problem I have is that I fall asleep. When I am stuck on the same page for 20 minutes I know it’s time to turn out the light! Or else I will be lying there “reading”… and crash! book falls on the floor.</p>
<p>On airplanes on business trips.</p>
<p>On the treadmill- with a book I can’t walk quite as fast as I would like to, but it helps get a little more of each in. Also before bed- but I seem to fall asleep a lot sooner than when I was younger!</p>
<p>On the bus…</p>
<p>If you are student don’t feel bad. You have enough reading required for classes. You ARE reading. DD reads her pleasure books on breaks and on airplanes. An avid reader she has recognized that it is not possible during the semester.</p>
<p>Usually in the car-- I keep a book with me – anytime/anywhere I’m waiting for the kids, at pickup from sports or clubs. Short snippets here and there are better than none at all.</p>
<p>The magazines – my New Yorkers and publications from The Nature Conservancy and other groups, continue to pile up on the kitchen table :(</p>
<p>I am recently retired so I have lots of gaps in my schedule to read!!!</p>
<p>Before bed and on planes. I don’t care if I’m travelling to a meeting (I only go to 2 a year)- I consider the time on the plane “my” time. No phones, no internet, just a book.</p>
<p>i always have a book tucked away in my purse or in my bag (the sony e-reader is slim enough to fit into almost any bag) and then i read anytime i find myself waiting. before dr. appts, lunch, long lines at bank or drive through, before bed, early morning, just whenever i have a moment. the key is to always have a book on hand–it makes waiting much more enjoyable.</p>
<p>i used to stockpile books to read during my breaks from school–it’s really difficult for students to find time for leisure reading! My youngest won’t even look at anything fun during a term–but he busts loose when he’s off!</p>
<p>As a student, I used to always have something to read with me, because I invariably ended up waiting in line, or waiting for a bus, or waiting for the start of class, and I’d get bored. 5 minutes here, 10 minutes there, it all ends up adding up to hours. As a parent, I do the same thing, because I’m waiting in the car when picking up a kid, or waiting in the dentist’s office. At home we have reading material in every room. And yes, I mean EVERY room. 
Reading can be multitasked with, say, keeping an eye on dinner on the stove, or while waiting until the spouse finds the car keys. </p>
<p>The big thing is that reading is my main home entertainment choice. I love movies and I can get obsessive about watching a tv show on DVD, but all in all, I’d most like to read. Research has shown that reading before bed truly does a better job of winding down your brain and giving you the best shot at a restful night’s sleep; tv tends to be more disruptive.</p>