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As students aiming to make a mark in the world, we are always trying to read more- Books. Newspapers. Journals. Because, well, “There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them.” But we never seem to get enough time for reading. For most of us, there isn’t much incentive to divert our social media time to reading, many others are perennially in the guilt of not being able to read more than what they do now.
Lectures, internships, extra-curricular activities, society work take most of our time. Amidst all this, there is hardly any time left to read. Or so it may seem.

Here are a few ways that’ll help you sneak in extra reading time from the hectic schedule of college life.

1. Use your commute time

Majority of us use the publish transport aka Delhi metro to commute to our colleges, and the commute time is more often than not, at least half an hour. This time can be effectively put to use by reading. All you need to do is carry a book or the days newspapers before you leave from your home. Reading would be far more productive and fruitful than the elusive hunt for a seat in the metro.

2. Try audiobooks

The bad news is that even in metro, reading a book might seem like a struggle at times when you don’t have enough space even to stand on two feet. Good news is that there has been technological progress and guidebooks are your savior. An added advantage is on days when you are too tired to hold a Boolean or flip through the pages. If the book is good, this might make the commute less of an ordeal.

3. Join a reading challenge. Join a Book club

Joining a book club will help you keep a track of your reading progress. The virtual world is yet again at your rescue, what with sites like Goodreads helping you set a challenge for yourself. Decide the number of books you want to read in a year and get going. When it’ll rub in your face how you are ahead of your target or falling behind it, let your guilt do the work.

4. Read before going to bed.

If we ask you about the one thing you do before bedtime, the answer for most would be browsing/chatting/posting through smartphones. Unless you are reading an e-book, we suggest you turn it off at least an hour before sleeping. (We’d prefer a couple of hours, but an hour seems more doable, right?) Now when you realize that you have plenty of time to do something other than burning the battery of your tab/smartphone and strangling your WiFi network, go and grab a book. Reading just before sleeping, is also known to be therapeutic and a good tranquilizer.

5. Carry some reading material everywhere.

Mark these words. Have at least some reading with you at all times. When in college, we don’t realize but we waste a lot of time. These interstices can be filled by reading. In between two lectures, or if a professor dismisses the class early, you can conveniently read snippets from the reading material that you are carrying.

Who said reading can only be done on the bean bag with a cup of coffee? Nothing beats that, but we don’t need no couch when the mystery book keeps us hooked!

Image Credits- goodreader.com

Kritika Narula

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