6 Tech Habits I Use to Read More Books Every Year

I read more than 50 books each year. Over the years, I’ve incorporated some tech (and non-tech) habits into my reading routine to help meet my reading goals, even during a slump.

1 Reading Tracker

First, I use Fable to track books I want to read, am reading, read, and didn’t finish. I also sort my to-read list by genre, so I can click on my fantasy list when I want some epic world-building or my mystery list when I want a good locked-room murder mystery. I also go into Fable every day to read community posts, keep track of my reading streak, and update the virtual book clubs I’ve joined.

My favorite feature is the personalized reading summary that gets updated each time I finish a book. Currently, my reading style is Gothic Dreamer. Additionally, if I’m unsure what I want to read next, I can press Scout, which will automatically pick a book at random off my shelf. All these mean Fable is a great alternative to Goodreads, at least for me.

2 Time Managing Apps

If I have a good bit of time to myself, instead of going on my phone, I try to read. However, I easily become distracted when I get a notification on my phone. It’s hard to get back into the groove of reading if I only make it a page or two before I get a notification, so I use the time managing app Forest. This app costs $1.99, and while I never pay for apps, this one was worth the investment. Forest allows users to plant trees based on the amount of time focused. If I navigate out of the app to answer a text or check Instagram, the tree dies, leaving a dead tree in my forest.

For instance, I frequently set 25-minute timers where I focus solely on reading. Even if I just have 25 minutes a day to sit down and read, it’s still better than no reading! Forest has lots of different tree options available with coins you can earn through completing focus sessions. Forest also offers some free tree and bush types, as well as sounds like rain and thunder. You can even use in-app coins to plant real trees!

The Forest app also provides a good way to measure your productivity. Although Forest is my favorite, there are tons of other unique productivity apps that can help you read more or build other habits.

3 Reading Ambiance

Recently, my favorite reading tech habit is putting on ambiance to listen to while I read. YouTube has endless reading ambiance options, including high fantasy castles, dark academia libraries, and beaches. I typically choose ambiance videos that have a mix of rain and thunder with instrumental music.

I also use an app called Noizio, which allows me to mix my own perfect set of audio ambiance with options from white noise to whale sounds to a café in Paris. My favorite mix at the moment includes rain, thunder, and riding on a train.

4 Books in Different Formats

The biggest help in keeping my reading streak going is having books in multiple formats across physical, audio, and digital. I use my local library a lot, so I typically request the physical, ebook, and audiobook all at once. This means I can continue to listen to the book while I’m doing chores and switch to reading on my Kindle Paperwhite at night in bed.

Sometimes the library doesn’t have an audiobook available immediately, so I’ll start an audiobook from a different genre on top of whatever physical book I’m reading. For instance, I love to physically read mysteries, but I prefer to listen to fantasy audiobooks because they don’t take as much brain power.

5 Mood Reading

I’ve fully embraced the reality that I am a mood reader. It doesn’t matter how good a book is–if I’m not in the mood for a murder mystery, I’m not going to be able to focus and read it. Thus, I’ve gotten into the habit of setting aside books and picking up another one that’s in the genre I’m craving. I can go weeks only reading fantasy books, then suddenly have the flame die out and switch over to a bunch of cozy mysteries.

Reading apps like Fable or Goodreads make it really easy to find books in the genre I want. There’s really no rhyme or reason to my reading mood shifts, but I find that if I honor those shifts, I’m able to keep reading.

6 Not Finishing Books

I used to be the person who would push through and finish a book no matter what. This created a lot of reading slumps, or periods where I couldn’t bring myself to read. Life is too short to read a book you’re not enjoying, so I’ve been working on not finishing books I know I’m not into once I get to page 50 or 100. If it’s a book I’m still on the fence about, I’ll put it to the side and finish it at a later date. This works great for me because I’ve gone back to finish books I put to the side years ago and ended up loving them.

I love reading, but some days it’s harder to find the time. Incorporating reading ambiance, focusing timers, audiobooks, and other habits has greatly increased the number of books I’m able to read each year!