I felt the urge to track my reading time last week. This is the fourth time I’ve done this exercise (I’ve done it in 2014, 2018, and 2021), and it’s super interesting to read through my old posts and recognize how much has changed in my reading life!
Monday, August 17
- 10:10am-10:12am: tidying apartment (audiobook)
- 10:40am-10:50am: puttering around (audiobook)
- 1:16pm-1:23pm: playing Happy Color on my phone (audiobook)
- 1:52pm-2:01pm: chores/puttering (audiobook)
- 2:43pm-2:59pm: working (audiobook)
- 3:13pm-3:31pm: more chores/playing Happy Color (audiobook)
- 6:50pm-7:00pm: playing Happy Color while waiting for food to cook (audiobook)
Total: 1 hour, 12 minutes of audiobook
Notes: As you can clearly see here, I go in fits and starts when it comes to audiobook listening time. My longest stretch was 18 minutes, and my shortest was 2 minutes. And, on Monday, I didn’t pick up either of the print books I’m reading! It was one of those busy evenings when I chose an early bedtime over reading time.
Tuesday, August 18
- 6:17am-6:24am, 6:30am-6:42am: Enormous Wings (30 pages)
- 6:21pm-6:33pm: Wild Side (19 pages)
- 9:02pm-9:20pm: Wild Side (33 pages)
Total: 49 minutes of reading and 82 pages
Notes: Everything flip-flopped on Tuesday! I didn’t listen to my audiobook at all, but instead was able to sneak in some reading time throughout the day! I started my day with reading on the couch with coffee (with a break to play my NYT games!), and then read a little while waiting for dinner to cook and before starting my evening routine.
Wednesday, August 19
- 9:02am-9:24am, 9:26am-9:38am: morning routine (audiobook)
- 10:34am-10:39am: playing Happy Color on my phone (audiobook)
- 12:17pm-12:29pm: making lunch (audiobook)
- 3:02pm-3:05pm: puttering (audiobook)
- 3:12pm-3:32pm: working (audiobook)
Total: 1 hour, 14 minutes of audiobook
Notes: It’s super interesting to me that during the work week, I’m getting my reading time either via audiobook or physical book, but not both (at least through Wednesday). These days are pretty busy for me, so I try to get my reading in as best I can. If I can listen to my audiobook, I might be less mindful of reading my physical book. If I don’t have time for my audiobook, I’ll try to sneak in some physical reading time during the day.
Thursday, August 20
- 8:55am-9:07am: puttering around (audiobook)
- 9:39am-9:55am: morning routine (audiobook)
- 10:08am-10:18am: doing my hair and makeup (audiobook)
- 11:52am-12:00pm: waiting for a meeting to start (audiobook)
- 3:07pm-3:16pm: chores (audiobook)
- 4:47pm-5:00pm: tidying/working (audiobook)
- 7:48pm-7:58pm: Enormous Wings (12 pages)
- 9:44-9:55pm, 10:06pm-10:18pm, 10:26pm-10:34pm: Enormous Wings (39 pages)
Total: 1 hour, 59 minutes of reading time and 51 pages read with my eyes
Notes: There were a few interesting things about today! I broke up my morning routine and did it between work breaks, and then I also had a weird pocket of time when I finished one work task and had a meeting starting in a few minutes, so I used that time to play Happy Color and listen to my audiobook! Then I had less than 40 pages left in Enormous Wings, so I decided to read a few chapters at a time, then get up to clean the apartment/do my evening routine. I often break up my reading time like this, as I’m an easily distracted reader, and this way, I can get some reading and productive time in one fell swoop.
Friday, August 21
- 6:48am-7:01am: Wild Side (22 pages)
- 4:44pm-4:52pm: Wild Side (20 pages)
- 5:04pm-5:41pm: Wild Side (39 pages)
Total: 58 minutes of reading time and 51 pages read
Notes: Not a super busy reading day, especially for a Friday. I did a little bit of reading in the morning (with coffee!) and then read in the late afternoon while I was making cookies for book club. I got home from book club a little after 10 p.m., talked with my mom on FaceTime, and then went to bed shortly after. And no audiobook today! A part of the reason for less audiobook listening is that a) it was a little annoying to track all my start and stop times, so I opted for more podcasts this week, and b) I’m listening to volume 8 of Emma M. Lion, and once I finish this volume, I won’t have any more new Emma books until volume 9 releases!
Saturday, August 22
- 7:16am-7:29am, 7:53am-8:16am: Wild Side (47 pages)
- 2:48pm-3:06pm, 3:24pm-3:40pm, 3:48pm-3:59pm, 4:11pm-4:50pm: Wild Side (142 pages)
- 10:15pm-10:22pm, 10:38pm-10:56pm, 11:28pm-11:47pm: evening routine/chores (audiobook)
Total: 2 hours, 44 minutes of reading time and 189 pages read with my eyes
Notes: Hoo boy! This was a reading goblin type of day. I started with some reading time in the morning (with a break for my morning routine), then had an intense reading session after a nap. I really wanted to finish Wild Side on Saturday, so I stayed in bed and read in a bunch of spurts. During the breaks, I played Happy Color on my phone. I also used one of the breaks to scroll Etsy for cute holiday-themed collars for the cats. And then in the evening, I got back to my beloved Emma M. Lion while doing my evening routine.
Sunday, August 23
- 8:07am-8:32am: phone games (audiobook)
- 10:27am-10:47am: Days at the Morisaki Bookshop (24 pages)
- 4:39pm-4:50pm: Days at the Morisaki Bookshop (15 pages)
- 5:26pm-5:49pm: Days at the Morisaki Bookshop (53 pages)
Total: 1 hour, 19 minutes of reading time and 92 pages read with my eyes
Notes: A fairly normal Sunday of reading. I hoped to read more after watching Sunday night’s episode of Big Brother, but I opted to chat with my mom and go to bed early instead!
Fun stats from this week
- Total reading time: 10 hours, 5 minutes
- Number of reading sessions: 42
- Average reading time per day: 1 hour, 26 minutes
- Format breakdown: 53% print, 47% audiobook
- Reading pace: 92 pages/hour
- Pages read with my eyes: 495 pages
How my reading has changed through the years
- I’m not reading before bed anymore – This used to be a huge part of my reading life, but once I got a CPAP, it really changed this part of my life. I don’t even think it needed to, but it took me a long time to get used to prepping this part of my nighttime routine, and I started waiting until I was ready to go to sleep to get into bed. I’d read on the couch or in my reading chair before going to bed. I think I’m more of a pro at using a CPAP now, so I could probably add reading in bed back into my routine, but I haven’t yet.
- I’m reading more in the morning – This has been a fun change! I love making a cup of coffee, then sitting down with my book and reading until I finish my coffee. It used to happen in my beloved reading chair (RIP), but now it happens on the couch. It’s a great way to start my day and make a little progress in my book! I don’t do it every morning, but it happens most mornings.
- Weekly reading time is down from 2018 and 2021 – I’m still above my weekly reading time from 2014 by 2 hours, but I also wasn’t listening to audiobooks then. In 2018, I read for 11+ hours, and in 2021, it was 13+ hours. I think my lack of nighttime reading really affected my final tally here.
How things have stayed the same
- Audiobook vs physical reading time is nearly identical – In 2021, the split was exactly 50/50, and in 2026, it was slightly more physical reading than audiobooks. But the percentages are very similar, which means I’m still making plenty of time for audiobooks in my reading life!
- I read the most on the weekends – This is not a surprise to any reader with a corporate job, is it? Here’s a great stat: 57% of my physical reading happened on Saturday and Sunday. Wild! Whenever I have a “bad” reading week and don’t read as much as I want during the week, I know I’ll make up for it on the weekend. (Although this weekend was a bit of a misnomer since I didn’t have a ton of plans. I definitely don’t “catch up” as much when I have a busy weekend.)
I’ll see you guys back here in another 4-5 years to see how my reading habits have evolved!
Do you read more before bed or in the morning?
Ooh! I love all discussions about reading! Our reading habits are very different. I never read in the morning (hmm… should I start?) If it’s a day when I’m not working, I’ll try to get a chunk of reading done in the afternoon- like today, I’m planning to read for as long as it takes to get new tires put on my car. Otherwise most of my reading is at night, on the couch after dinner, but mostly in bed before I go to sleep. I LOVE reading in bed. The biggest difference- besides the fact that I don’t listen to audiobooks- is that I like to read for long periods of time if possible. It wouldn’t even occur to me to pick up my book if all I had was 10 minutes to read. But maybe I should re-think that. I would have to set an alarm or something, otherwise I’m afraid I would lose track of time and be late for work or burn my dinner or something.
This was an interesting post!
I love reading about this kind of data! Your comment about growing wearing of tracking your start and stop times made me giggle though — that is exactly why I don’t think I could replicate this study for myself.
One difference I spot between your habits and mine is that I rarely read or listen to an audiobook if I only have a few minutes. I much prefer big chunks of time to devote to reading, although I am usually only reading with my eyes when I am in bed, in which case I get through very few pages!
Oh yeah, I’m here for this discussion! I love a reading goblin kind of day! I don’t think I’ve ever tracked my reading/listening time. I always listen to an audiobook when I’m just working around the house, doing dishes, cleaning, etc. I don’t usually sit down and listen, though. But then again, sometimes I do! If I’ve finished the task at hand and the audiobook isn’t at a good stopping place, it’s quite nice to sit and listen. OH NO, you’re all caught up on Emma Lion? Do you know when the next one will be out? I just started book 4.
Coincidentally, I started tracking my reading on Monday of this week, just to see how much I’ve been reading, so it’s super interesting to me to see your stats. I’ll have to write a Stefany inspired post 🙂
I read first thing in the morning whenever I can- that’s the only way I can guarantee getting reading with my eyes in. I want to be an evening reader but sometimes I’m just tooo tired.
I listen to podcasts in such a similar way that you listen to audiobooks! I always listen to one on my walk with Rex (around 75-90 minutes), which is a long stretch, but then I listen in little snippets when I’m doing things around the house. Sometimes it’s only a few minutes!
I never read in the morning. I usually read a book while I’m eating lunch, even if it’s only ten minutes. Then I carve out a couple of chunks in the day to read. Usually that means in the afternoon around 3 – that’s a big stretch, sometimes an hour – and then I read in the evening while Rob watches TV. Sometimes we watch a show together, but then I usually shift my reading to read a bit more in the afternoon. I always have a book in my bag if I’m going to an appointment, so I can read rather than look at my phone while I wait. The key is to remember my reading glasses (I don’t always remember!)
LOVE this kind of tracking/analysis – here for it! ALSO – how is Enormous Wings? It’s on my TBR!
This is so interesting!!!!
Sadly, I only listen to audio books in two settings: at night, before bed, and tend to fall asleep so I put it on a 30 minute timer so I don’t miss “too” much. And two, in the car.
I noticed that having podcasts distract me from listening to more audio books.
In terms of paper books or kindle I read something non-fiction-y in the morning and fiction at night.
I do not read in the morning unless I’m on a stationary bike. I read when I finally crawl into bed at night. I rarely get more than a few pages read. Thus: it takes me forever to get thru a book. I do read more in the summer m, if I find myself poolside.
I can see where tracking all of this is interesting, and then a PITA, right? Good to do it occasionally, but not all of the time.
I don’t read first thing in the morning, that is my ‘game’ time. But I usually listen to an audiobook while I go for my morning walk, and if it’s a day I’m doing weights, I will listen then. I listen while cooking, and while running errands. The only time I read a physical book is in bed before I go to sleep. Which means I generally don’t get much reading done, because I’m tired. I’d say I’m 90% audiobooks at this point.
Reading before bed is when I get most of my reading done! If I took it out…egads, I can’t imagine.
Also, I get a lot of audiobook listening to done while I walk the dog and cook. I can’t believe there are people out there cooking without listening to audiobooks or podcast!
I LOOOOVE this and want to have a post like this immediately.
But I am always so apprehensive about all the tracking…
And I envy you for the speed you read. I think I had a time when I went through 100pages in an hour but lately I feel I take forever. I used to work on speed reading but gave that up for fiction books as it takes a ways from the flow and melody of books. I sometimes do it with boring books or non fiction but rarely these days.
I didn’t pick up any audiobook in August. Crazy.
I have never tracked my reading, but it varies so much week by week or month by month! If I am riding my bike on a trip, that could potentially be 6 or 8 or even 10 hours of listening (and sometimes one or two books!) in one day, vs when I am petsitting (and watching more TV) or with someone else on a road trip or hike, my audio listening will go WAY down (sometimes only a few minutes or less than an hour a day). I can count my ebook reading time because I barely do it, so it is probably only 10-30 minutes a day, and sometimes zero!
Actually, for fun I did the math, and for last year, given the number of books I read and the fact that most were audio, and I listen at 2x speed, my average reading time per day would be about 2.75 hours!
Longish time reader, pretty sure this is my first time commenting!
I am always impressed by how much you read! This was cool to see how you fit it in. Hope all is well – getting a bit worried about your posting drought since this post!
I appreciate the comment and your check-in, Maria! <3 All is well, just needed a little break.