The Working Life Edit

How to Read More When You Have a Busy Working Life

Paper books, familiar favourites and permission to have a reading life that comes and goes.

6 min read

An open paperback held beside the water, with bare trees along the opposite bank.

A paper book and a little space to read.

If you want to read more when you’re busy, start with a book you genuinely want to pick up and a small opening in the day you already have. Keep it within reach, try reading when you would otherwise scroll, and leave room for weeks when it simply doesn’t happen.

I love reading, but I can go several weeks without opening a book. Work gets busy. Other things take up the time. Then a story catches me and I find myself reading much more, quite naturally, because I want to know what happens next.

That is the kind of reading life I recognise. It has enthusiastic stretches and quiet gaps.

Follow the books you actually enjoy

My reading tastes move around. I love the nostalgia of Harry Potter, and I’m drawn to classics such as Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights. Then I might want something like The Pumpkin Spice Café by Laurie Gilmore.

I don’t need all those books to have something in common. They appeal to different moods.

If you’re trying to find your way back into reading, think about the last story you wanted to stay inside. Was it the setting, the characters, the familiarity or the feeling it left you with? That can be a more useful place to begin than a list of books you feel you ought to have read.

Choose one that makes you curious. Let the next choice wait.

Use the moment before bed, if it suits you

I prefer reading before I go to sleep. It gives me something to pick up instead of scrolling. I’ve noticed that scrolling at that time doesn’t suit me and makes it harder for me to fall asleep.

That is my experience, rather than a promise about what reading will do for anyone else’s sleep.

For your own evening, you could put a book where you tend to reach for your phone. Open it when you feel like reading and stop when you’ve had enough. There doesn’t need to be a chapter target.

If you’re exhausted at bedtime, try another moment: a quiet part of the weekend, a lunch break or a journey where you’re a passenger. The best opening is one you can actually use. And if your head is too full to read at all, finding your own way to switch off may need to come first.

Paper is still my favourite

I use proper paper books. I like having a book to hold, and I usually take a few away with me on holiday, when I read a great deal more.

There is no reason you have to prefer the same format. An e-reader may be easier to carry, and an audiobook may fit the time you have available. For me, listening has a very particular place: Harry Potter, read by Stephen Fry, when I’m settling down.

I’m a poor sleeper, and those familiar recordings help me personally. I don’t use audiobooks as a way to race through a reading list. I return to the same world because I enjoy being there.

If that sounds appealing, look for the Stephen Fry-narrated edition available in your region and listen to a sample. The voice is a large part of the experience.

Let holidays be a different kind of reading time

On holiday, I often have far more room for books. I take a few with me and enjoy the chance to disappear into them.

I don’t expect an ordinary working week to look like that. There are different demands on my attention, and much less open time.

If you read most on holiday, you can still enjoy a reading life in between. You might keep one book nearby and return to it occasionally. You might read very little for a while. The books you enjoy don’t stop belonging to you because your pace changes.

Make returning easy

When reading has slipped out of your week, a modest starting point can feel more inviting than a new annual target.

Try this:

Choose a book you want to read now, rather than one you’ve been feeling guilty about.
Put it somewhere convenient, with a bookmark.
Use the next small opening that appeals to you.
Stop whenever you want to stop.

If you’ve lost the thread of a story, reread a few pages. If you’d rather choose something else, you can. These are options to make reading easier to return to, not a set of rules I follow every night.

The part I care about is enjoying the book. When that happens, I rarely need to persuade myself to keep going.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I find time to read when I work full-time?

Look for one small opening in your existing day, such as before bed or during a quiet break. Keep the book nearby and choose something you’re interested in. You don’t need a long session to begin.

Do I need to read every day?

No. I sometimes go weeks without reading and then read a lot when a book draws me in. A daily habit can be enjoyable if it suits you, but it isn’t the only way to have books in your life.

Should I set a reading goal for the year?

Only if you find it enjoyable. I prefer not to give myself too many rules. You could choose a few books you’re curious about without attaching a deadline or a number to them.

Can I return to books I already know?

Of course. Familiarity is part of why I enjoy Harry Potter, especially the audiobooks narrated by Stephen Fry. You can choose a story for the pleasure of returning to it.

Are audiobooks a good option if I don’t have time to sit and read?

They can offer another way to enjoy a story. Choose a format and narrator you like. My own audiobook listening is mainly familiar Harry Potter recordings; paper remains my preference for other books.

Let the story do some of the work

If “read more” is on your list for the year, you could begin by asking what you’d love to read next. Something atmospheric, something familiar, something you’ve been curious about for ages.

Then put it within reach. Some evenings you may open it; others you may not. I find that a book I love has a way of inviting me back.

When you have a little longer, make room for a cosy reading afternoon at home.

Written by Esther, founder of Essy’s Essentials, from her own reading habits and preferences.