How I Find Time to Read as a Busy Homemaker

Reading Time: 5 minutes

A lot of bookish mothers struggle to find time to read while keeping up with the children and the house. These three tips can help you find time to read!

I have always loved to read for as long as I can remember. Truly, I am a life-long book worm!

I was the kid who would stay up late into the night with a book. My sister and I always shared a room and I’d actually make her hold the flashlight for me so I could read underneath the covers!

If she wasn’t willing to hold the flashlight, I’d get up and pretend I was going to the bathroom so I could read with the bathroom light! Most of the books I read as a kid were fiction, although as an adult I prefer non-fiction. 

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During the first few years of motherhood I stopped reading as much, but in the last year or so I’ve gotten to read more again.

What changed? 

How in the world am I able to read as a busy homemaker, wife, mom, and work-at-home mom?

I have a few tips for what has helped me to read more again–and even how I’m able to read three books at once (or more)! 

As a disclaimer, I do have mixed feelings about reading more than one book at a time. I’ve found that I’m only able to read certain types of books at the same time. Otherwise I just get confused, and I never can finish the one book because it’s hard to get into another when I’m already reading something else.

Here’s how I manage to read multiple books (and save my sanity!):

1. I use the Overdrive app from my library.

I use the Overdrive app to borrow eBooks from my library to read on my Kindle Paperwhite.

The Overdrive app is free and allows you to download eBooks and audiobooks from your library. It’s great because I don’t have to buy the eBook and it goes straight to my Kindle.

Really, I don’t buy most of the books I read. I borrow most of them from my library via the Overdrive app or via audiobooks.

2. I listen to Audiobooks in the car.

I had never gotten into audiobooks until recently. But I kept hearing people say audiobooks are awesome!

When I couldn’t get a hard copy of Marie Kondo’s The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up because there was a 9-person waiting list at my library, I realized no one was waiting for the audiobook. 

I listened to it in the car, and my girls actually loved listening to that “grownup audiobook” with me! That made me realize that we really needed to see if the library had some good family audiobooks for us all to listen to in the car. Now we listen to stories when I’m taking them to school or when we run errands. I love that this is a simple way to enjoy read-alouds with your kids, no matter how busy your schedule is!

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We started with Little House in the Big Woods and moved on to Little House on the Prairie, and we have loved both books.

My husband even loved the Little House series! I loved the series as a kid, but he had never read the books or watched the shows. One day when we were all in the car, he could tell we had already listened to several chapters without him. He was disappointed he’d missed the story! 

It’s pretty awesome when you can win your husband over by listening to Little House audiobooks together! 😉 Here are some of our other favorite family audiobooks.

I get my grownup audiobook time by listening to a book after school drop-off. I usually put my makeup on in the parking lot, so it gives me more time to listen!

After I get home, I might continue to listen to my own audiobook while doing laundry, cooking, cleaning, or doing other housework. 

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3. I read eBooks on my Kindle Paperwhite.

I read eBooks right before bed as part of my nighttime routine. My husband is okay with the light from my Kindle, but he has a hard time sleeping with the light from my nightstand turned on. 

I have used the Kindle Paperwhite for several months and I absolutely love it because it doesn’t use a blue light. Blue light disrupts your circadian rhythm, so an iPad, iPhone, or Kindle Fire might not be the best choice before bed.

I used to use a Kindle Fire, but I hard time going to sleep and struggled with insomnia throughout the night. When I went through some adrenal fatigue issues, I found out my Kindle Fire was aggravating the issue, whereas the Kindle Paperwhite does not.

I highly recommend the Kindle Paperwhite!

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Why I rarely read physical books.

I’ll be honest: I don’t read many physical books anymore.

It takes me longer to read print books than it does audio or Kindle books. If I want to read print books, I have to set aside time on a Sunday afternoon when I’m trying to rest. I don’t really get to read physical books during the week.

I’ve fallen in love with audiobooks because I can listen while I do something else, and I love Kindle books because I can read in bed without disturbing my husband!

Follow me on Good Reads!

If you want to follow along with what I read, I record everything on the Good Reads website. (I’m Erin Odom on there.) I love Good Reads because when I come across a book that sounds interesting, I can just add it to my list of books I want to read so I don’t forget about it.

I list what I’m currently reading on Good Reads, and occasionally I put up book reviews. Since you can follow other readers, Good Reads is kind of like social media–but a lot less time-consuming! 

Although the types of books I read and the way I read them has changed, I’m just as much a bookworm as ever! I’m so thankful that I’ve found ways to keep books in my life, in spite of a busy schedule. 

Do you struggle to find time to read? Have you found any solutions?