What Time Of Day Do You Prefer To Read? (1/9/21)

[Marc]

Do you read first thing in the morning or just before bed? Do you squeeze in reading throughout the day? What time of day do you normally read? And what time of day is your preferred reading time (if you had no competing commitments/obligations/etc.)?

[Stacia]

I normally read at night. And that's my preferred time for reading because I'm naturally a night owl.

[Robert]

I wake up at 3/4am to read. That way the house is quiet and I manage to get 3 hours worth of reading done.

[Hugh]

Whenever I have the time, but predominantly evenings - I watch very little TV...

[Jibran]

My preferred time to read is in the mornings after I am done with exercise, breakfast, and shower. But this happens rarely due to life.

Usually I find time only at the end of the day when I'm tucked in for the night. I read as much as I can (which isn't much) before words turn into a blur and my mind stops processing them. Near bedtime also happens to my least preferred time to read.

I also try to make time to read during the day between tasks if I'm hooked to a book. So basically I read whenever I can.

[Ellen]

My favorite time is morning when I have the most energy and focus. But often there isn't time so I squeeze in what i can and then read in the evenings after dinner.

I also find I read well on the subway (I live in NYC). Strange but true.

[Jennifer]

I have been reading at night just before bed. I would prefer to read late morning. At my old job we had an hour lunch, so I was able to get in reading time at lunch, in my new job lunch is only 30 minutes, so no reading time.

[Marcus]

A new routine has emerged for me in the last few weeks. I get up at six am and share an hour with my wife, make her breakfast before she leaves for work, and then walk the dog. For an hour or two after that I have started going back to bed with a book. Uninterrupted reading with just a coffee, the dog and the cat. I take in much more that I read in that time.
I agree with Ellie about reading on the subway - twenty years living in London using the Underground on a route where I didn't have to change was great for reading. It seems strange now to remember how removed you could become from what is happening around you. Especially with a good book.

[Bretnie]

Marcus wrote: "For an hour or two after that I have started going back to bed with a book. Uninterrupted reading with just a coffee, the dog and the cat. I take in much more that I read in that time."

Marcus that sounds magical! Some day when my mornings are free I'd love to make this my routine!

Like Ellie, I like to read on my commute on the bus. Lately I really like commuting with an audiobook since I can enjoy the sunrise/sunset from the bus. And I love listening to audiobooks while I walk the dog after work. And then I like to settle into the couch in the evenings with a book.

[Jen]

I read whenever / wherever I can, it usually ends up being in the evening. But then I am tired and easily distracted. My best reading time is in the morning, with a coffee. This only happens on weekends and holidays, but it's wonderful.

I also 'read' audiobooks, which fit in around my day while commuting, dog walking etc.

The comments on reading on the London tube bring back happy memories for me, I covered a lot of pages on those trains too when I lived there!

[Whitney]

Yes to subway reading. When I used to ride public transit, I got a lot of reading done thereon. The risk is the occasional missed stop. Pre-Covid, I used to like to stop by the local pub to get a beer and read there, it's like an adult coffee shop.

I love interstitial reading time, such as waiting for an appointment, waiting for a friend at pub or restaurant, or even standing in line.

These days, my most uninterrupted reading time is while having a soak in the hot tub before bed.

[Jennifer]

Whitney wrote: "Yes to subway reading. When I used to ride public transit, I got a lot of reading done thereon. The risk is the occasional missed stop. Pre-Covid, I used to like to stop by the local pub to get a b..."

Yes A book at all appointments. I used to read when waiting to pick my son up from school. That was great.

[Robert]

Whitney wrote: "Yes to subway reading. When I used to ride public transit, I got a lot of reading done thereon. The risk is the occasional missed stop. Pre-Covid, I used to like to stop by the local pub to get a b..."

From 2007 - 2011 I used to work in a library on Saturday from 8:00am - to 13:00. Generally after work, in the wintertime I would take a bus to Valletta (Malta's capital) and go to a restaurant for lunch - I used look forward to ordering then reading a chapter.

There's a certain peace in that.