I recently read a statistic that over forty percent of college graduates never read another book after commencement. Whether or not this is true, I know from personal experience that it can be difficult to find time to read in a busy life.
Some people don't want to read more, but everyone has some activity he would like to do more of, from playing with the kids to writing a novel, or just feeling in control of life.
There are two ways to proceed here: finding time and taking time.
Finders Keepers
Try reclaiming some of the time in your life that is already free. You might recognize a moment that is already free by the frustration you feel at wasting time. For me, this kind of time includes:
* Bus riding
* Waiting for a meeting to start
* Standing in line at the store
These moments can be prime times to work on whatever you want to do. The drawback is, you often must be in a certain place or have access to only certain resources during such a time. Driving to work is not typically a time for playing with the kids, and waiting in a doctor's office might not be the most opportune moment to exercise more. What you want to do might not fit into any of these times, and that's okay, but be flexible in thinking about it—I can't encourage reading while driving, but I have friends who have managed to learn an awful lot by listening to audiobooks on their daily commute.
Taking It Back
Your other option is to take time from some other activity. This can be painful, as the activities your already doing are habit, if nothing else. But it can give you a lot more time for reading (or anything else you want to do). I haven't figured out the nuances of how to do this yet, but this is definitely a path to take if you don't have any "down time" during your day. (I seem to have plenty of wasted time lying around as it is.)
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