How are you?
Welcome to the second post in my How to Bookworm series, if you want to read the first post in the series, you can click here. This post is all about time management and I am going to include a quick break down of the three topics I am going to talk about:
- How to fit reading time in
- How to fit writing time in
- How to manage more than one form of social media
So without further ado, let's get in to the post.
How to fit reading time in
So before I start this section, I am going to recommend a very good video I watched which is all about reading with a busy schedule. I am going to use one point from this video and the rest are my own, here is the video. It's from emmmabooks channel.
- Audiobooks will be your best friend- emmmabooks
I couldn't agree with this more, but after watching Emma's video I downloaded an app she recommend. This app is called Overdrive and it allows you to read eBooks and listen to audiobooks that are in your libraries catalog. All you do is download the app and use your library card to sign in. Then you download whatever book you are interested in (I downloaded Shiver by Maggie Stievfater) and then read/listen to your hearts content. With audiobooks, you can borrow them for 30 days and after the 30 days is over, all you have to do is borrow them again.
While this section sounds like an ad for Overdrive (I promise you I'm not being sponsored to say this), Overdrive has really helped me with my reading. I have now started listening to audiobooks on the way to college. My point is that audiobooks allow you to read when you don't have the time to physically pick up a book. I know quite a few people who say that they wouldn't be able to read so much without audiobooks. It wasn't until recently that I decided to pick up audiobooks as I thought it wasn't a proper way to read. So when you don't have time to physically pick up a book, plug yourself into your phone and listen to an audiobook.
- Plan reading time
Again, I believe that this is really important. I know what it's like to have a lot of work to do and have no time for reading. I know what it's like to sit and watch your TBR pile grow bigger. So my tip to you is to plan reading time. Say your at school or work from 9am till 4pm and it takes you an hour to get home. If you have space, take a book or listen to an audiobook. Once your home, maybe you want to do an hours work, so then for the rest of the evening you'll have time to read.
I know it's hard to fit reading time in when you have so much to priorities. I manage my reading time by bullet journaling. If you want a whole separate post on my bullet journal, then let me know. I don't use mine in the conventional way, I don't spend ages making it pretty, I use it as a useful tool that keeps me on task. I split the page into the days of the week and I write down what I am going to do each day. This way I can see what time I have for reading or writing. So most nights, I like to do two hours of work, have tea, watch some tv and then go to bed. My aim is to be in bed between 9 and 10, then I have more time for reading. Some days, I don't have class until the evening so I'll use my frees to do my work and it means I'll have more time to read. It's all about finding a schedule or a method that works for you, but my tip is to plan a head.
How to fit writing time in
I know that this is incredibly similar to the last point but I think these methods can be applied very differently for writing.- Plan writing time, don't force yourself to write
If writing is something you are interested in, then you need to find time to write. But unlike reading, you can't force yourself to write. You need to be inspired to write. So my tip for you is to set one day a week aside for writing. Even if on that day you only manage to write for an hour, that is still an accomplishment. For me, I do a lot of writing because I write this blog and while this isn't the style I want to spend all my time writing, it is writing time I get and it allows me to practice. I would love to be able to spend all day writing fantasy novels or steampunk rebellions, but sadly I don't have the time to. So when I am writing these posts (which I love doing and nothing is going to make me stop writing them), I think about how I can apply this time to my other writing. I have learnt to spread my time equally between my studies (which must always come first), my blog and my "personal" writing.
How to manage more than one form of social media
As you guys know, I have more than one form of social media. I have my blog (obviously), but I also have my bookstagram (shameless self promo, follow me on Instagram @itscarenzab). I love doing both, but with my studies and my personal life, sometimes managing more than one form of social media can be stressful.- Prioritize one social media account on one day, the other another day
I tend to focus on one of my social media accounts on one day and that will be the only one I focus on. So I will write a blog post on one day and then the next day I will take instagram photos. It's very rare that I will do more than one social media based thing in one day. Both of my main social media accounts are very photo based so I tend to take photos on different days. But I am not against using a photo taken for Instagram on here. Why? Because taking multiple photos of the same thing fills up my memory space and I want that space clear for other photos. If I want to talk about a book on Instagram and then talk about it on here, I use the same photo to tie them together.
- You guessed it! More planning!
You probably hate me for the amount of time I have spent talking about planning in this post, but planning is the most important tip I can give you. My point here is that your more likely to spend your time taking good quality instagram photos when there is good lighting than writing a blog post. As it's winter here in the UK, I tend to plan what photos I am going to take in advance so then I can take them on the weekend (because I'm not in college) or when there is good lighting and I have a free moment. When it comes to writing blog posts, I usually write them in the evenings a couple of days before there posted so I am not stressing about getting them ready in time (sometimes this doesn't always happen as life sometimes gets in the way).If you are going to take away one tip from this post, it is that planning is very important!
So that concludes my second post in my How to Bookworm series, I hope you like it. If you have any tips that you think I missed, then please leave a comment.
Love,
Carenza x
