A Simple Plan to Help Busy Moms Read More

Charisse Tierney shares an idea that has helped her to finally read more from the piles of books that have been sitting around her house.

I love books.  

I love buying books. I love checking books out of the library. I love browsing book shops. I love stacking books up all over my house. Probably far too frequently, I get inspired by a recommendation on a podcast, or an interesting person or saint I want to learn more about, or an area of my life for which I need more knowledge, and I order yet another book that gets added to the piles … and I look around … and the overwhelm sets in.  

There is so much to read and learn, but my days seem too short to keep up with my family and professional life, let alone sit for any length of time and read. Even if I can find the time, my over-fatigued brain just wants to gravitate to a tried-and-true TV show before succumbing to sleep. 

Refreshed by Reading  

But when I discipline myself to ignore the desires of my fatigue, I remember how good it feels to turn to something that will truly refresh me. The imagination can put the characters and scenery in a novel in motion better than any movie set. A well written book about business, teaching, or any field of expertise provides the thrill of a multitude of aha moments … better than any mind-numbing TV show. And a biography of a saint or historical figure gives me a unique and thorough glimpse into their soul and ideas for how I can emulate their finer qualities. 

Create a Simple Reading Plan, Topic by Topic  

I decided recently that I was tired of feeling overwhelmed every time I looked at the piles of unread books sitting in my house — and I was going to do something about it. I created a reading plan for myself by grouping my books into different topics and assigning a different topic to each day of the week. On Mondays, I focus on books about homeschooling, on Tuesdays, I focus on books about business and finance management, on Wednesdays I focus on books about music teaching and performing, and so on. I also use these topics to help me decide which podcast to listen to each morning as I get ready for the day.  

During certain seasons of my life, I read while nursing the latest baby. Other times, I have stolen a few moments of reading while my youngest children were napping. And there have been many seasons when most of my reading could only get done behind a locked bathroom door. Now, I generally read for awhile before going to sleep each night.

Giving myself a reading plan has encouraged me to be more disciplined about getting into bed at an earlier time so I can stay awake long enough to at least read a few pages. Some nights I read more than other nights. Occasionally I don’t get any reading in at all, but I know that day’s topic will come around again the next week. And as with anything that is nourishing to the mind, body, or soul, the more I make myself read even when I don’t feel like it, the more I crave it and miss it when I don’t. 

Creating a reading plan has transformed my multitude of books from paralyzing piles of overwhelm to enticing stacks of enlightenment. Each morning, I choose the two or three books from that day’s topic that I want to read … and I look forward all day to the moment when I can put the day’s work aside and relax into a few cozy moments of reading, reflecting, and pondering all of the possibilities that I have discovered within the pages of my books. 

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Copyright 2026 Charisse Tierney
Images: copyright 2026 Charisse Tierney, all rights reserved.