You have heard the phrase, "God will never give you more than you can handle," right? But why does that often feel untrue? Does God give us more than we can handle? Does the Bible actually back this idea up? & When it all starts to feel like too…

I love reading. I wish I could say I had always loved it, but it wasn’t until I was 18 the I discovered the power of books! Sometimes I think back to my single days back before the husband and kids on how much I used to be able to read in a year.

Long gone are the days of staying up all night to finish books. Since my son was born, finding the time to read has been quite a challenge. Nevertheless, I have discovered some great ways to make sure that I am still taking the time to escape into great books.

In fact, I managed to read 30+ books in my first year of motherhood. Which was such a blessing as it helped me to endure the challenges that come along with caring for my first newborn.

So here are the things that made all the difference for this busy mom!

Reading has always been a passion of mine but having my first baby made finding time to read very challenging. Here are my tips on how to read more books as a busy mom or person and how I read over 30 books in my first year of motherhood.

Embrace Audio Books

I will give you my greatest secret right off the bat. Audiobooks. Now I know I had seen the ads of all the YouTube and influencers for years pushing Audible, and I also wondered if any of those people actually used the service and liked it. I get it. But hear me out.

After having Judah, I got hit pretty hard with postpartum depression, plus we were 1,000 miles away from friends and family, and Mike started a new job where he was gone for around 14 hours a day. It was hell.

I discovered a funny podcast and would listen to it ALL day. I binged like two years’ worth of that episodes in a couple weeks. I would listen while nursing Judah, while dressing him, during the hours of rocking him to sleep, while walking the dog and making dinner. But then I ran out of episodes, so I decided to give audiobooks a try.

I LOVED listening to books. I loved having a place to retreat again through books and their fictional worlds. I also made time to listen to encouraging nonfiction books.

I am a HUGE fan now of audiobooks. We’ve found a way to work it into our monthly budget, and I still listen to books each day during Judah’s hour of Daniel Tiger or Wiggle reruns.

I go through Audible and love it. It’s 14.99 a month for a credit that you can use on ANY book plus you get two free originals a month. Don’t sleep on those. They are usually pretty good! You get to keep your books forever, and they always have a free trial where you can get at least one free book!

My favorite thing is they run sales most months where you can stock up on even more books. I also have Mike hooked. The free trial is a great deal too! You can try Audible and get two free audio books which you can keep even if you change your mind. If you want to take them up on that free trial offer, you can do that here!

It is easy to get distracted when life is busy. We have a fun and FREE 6-day scripture writing challenge that 1,000s of women have gone through and rediscovered how incredibly loved they are by the Father! If you want to mix up you devotional time or if you are in need of some encouragement, click below to join us!!

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Decide that you’re worth it and that you can find the time.

For me, reading is something I do to help take care of me. So it’s essential to find the time for that. You likely have time. If you have a tiny baby, maybe it’s while you nurse them, or perhaps it’s during those crazy crying fits where you try to hold onto your sanity as you attempt to rock them to sleep.

If your kids are older, listen on your commute! Bring your headphones and put on in and listen while your littles watch their show in the back seat. If you are a working momma, do you have work tasks that don’t require your full brain to do? For me, it’s when I make graphics to accompany these posts.

Maybe it’s when you lay down at night, and you just listen until you pass out, and then the next day, you find the last part you remember comprehending.

Be willing to quit a book.

Seriously. You don’t owe any book ANYTHING! If you don’t like it, or you catch yourself putting off picking it up, then quit it! With Audible, you can return those books and try again.

I spent years in reading slumps because I didn’t like the book I was reading but felt like I had to finish it for some reason. You don’t have to finish it. Life is too short not to go for the books you can’t put down.

These are the changes that have really made a world of difference for me. Discovering audiobooks, deciding I have time to listen or read, and being willing to quit books I am not enjoying helped me get back into a passion that I love and missed so much.

Sure my ready hobby looks different now…or I guess it sounds different now, but I have had a couple of the most productive reading years of my life, and it has been soo good for my mental health and well being.

If you are struggling with how to find time to read, then I highly suggest you give Audible a try.

If you found this helpful or you think your friends or followers would enjoy it, would you consider sharing this out? It really helps us to spread our message of hope and love further. There are share buttons on the screen to make it super quick and easy.

All the verses marked TPT shared in today post are taken from one of Mike and I’s favorite translations, The Passion Translation. We love this version and the heart behind it. The best part is the Kindle version is usually available on Amazon for under $10. Last time I checked, it was only $6.99! You can check it out here.