15 Kindle Tips & Tricks To Know To Maximize Your Reading Time

The Kindle Unlimited subscription service is worth exploring if you're taking your reader goals seriously. It offers unlimited access to more than 4 million e-books — that includes e-books written by best-selling authors and major fan-favorite series. Kindle Unlimited also offers "unlimited listening," which means you can listen to thousands of audiobooks at your leisure.

Another benefit to Kindle Unlimited is that you instantly gain magazine subscriptions like People and US Weekly at no additional cost. Kindle Unlimited changes the game when it comes to reading your favorite books digitally. The fact that you can cancel at any time without being trapped in a long-term contract makes this a no-brainer.

When you first sign up for Kindle Unlimited, you get a 30-day free trial to ease your way into the program. Zero dollars down to start is an easy way to attract readers who are curious yet still unsure. It's easier to take a leap with a consistent subscription once you know what it's like to have one. After your 30-day trial is over, you'll be billed $11.99 per month unless you cancel the plan — a great price for unlimited reading!

Turning off your recommendations and notifications on your Kindle is a must for most people who are easily distracted and looking to maximize their reading time. Unfortunately, the most interesting recommendations and notifications end up being the worst possible distractions when you're trying to focus on reading.

Silencing all that noise is as simple as following a few steps. Although it may be different depending on the model of your Kindle, generally, you'll be able to silence notifications by heading to the settings. You'll likely see a setting called "Notification Settings" or "Notifications & Quiet Time."

Once you're no longer faced with incoming distractions in the form of recommendations and notifications, focusing on whatever you're reading will instantly become easier — and more enjoyable. Staying on track doesn't have to be a stressful ordeal when there are settings in place to help you out. Gone are the days of feeling forced to acknowledge any chiming banners popping up on the top of your Kindle screen!

Wearing blue light-blocking glasses while reading on your Kindle may be a good idea for anyone who doesn't want to deal with eye strain or late-night insomnia. For some people, staring at screens too long can lead to headaches, irritated and dry eyes, blurred vision, and even pain in the neck and shoulders (per Cleveland Clinic). And according to the Sleep Foundation, blue light that emits from screens affects the body's natural tendency to create melatonin.

One thing many Kindle readers have in common is the desire to read books in bed. Reading a few chapters of your favorite story until you're sleepy enough to fall asleep is great — but it can become a problem if your eyes get achy or if insomnia starts kicking in when you're supposed to be calling it a night. That's where blue light-blocking glasses come in.

While research points to a lack of credibility that blue light-blocking glasses actually do anything for your eyes, some studies, like one shared in Chronobiology International, report that these glasses proved themselves to be helpful in patients with insomnia who went through a controlled sleep trial. Some people swear by their blue light-blocking glasses, so if you struggle with insomnia or eye strain after reading your Kindle, you may want to get your hands on a pair or your next reading sesh. 

Just because you're reading e-books doesn't mean you have to read them silently in your mind all day. You can also consume books by way of audio using Audible. Audiobooks have risen in popularity since they allow readers to sit back, relax, and absorb as much of a story as their heart desires without skimming a page.

All the books on Audible are narrated by professional narrators who must fit specific storytelling criteria to be chosen. You'll hear your favorite stories being told by people with acting experience, voice stamina, and the ability to take on different accents and inflections. 

Locate the Audible tab in the Kindle store to gain access to thousands of available titles with professional narrators. The benefits of listening to an audiobook are abundant. You can listen to your book while soaking in a bubble bath, lying in bed with your eyes closed, or driving in your car without taking your attention away from the road. You're hands-free, so you can do whatever you want.

It can be incredibly frustrating for some people to read pages of a book on Kindle when the settings haven't been adjusted to their liking. In other words, when the font size, orientation, brightness, and page color are not set to your preference, your reading experience can be negatively impacted. By tapping on the space above the page you are reading, you will be met with a customization panel to access all your preferences.

Some people prefer large font sizes that make it easier to read chunks of text. Other people prefer smaller font sizes that aren't so boxy and visually aggressive. In terms of orientation, some love reading their books vertically, while others prefer reading horizontally. 

Brightness is just as important since some folks feel their eyes are easily strained after staring at a bright screen for too long. Others can't stand staring at a darkened screen, so they prefer to brighten things up. Last but not least, page color is absolutely crucial for some. A lot of people read books on a Kindle with a white or cream-colored backdrop beneath the black text. Regardless of your preferences, there's likely a customization option for you.

Committing to a personal page count goal is easier to do with Kindle Insights. When you're reading the hard copy of a physical book, committing to a page count goal often comes down to counting out the page number where you started and ended. With Kindle Insights, the page counting is done for you digitally. 

The metric system offered by Kindle Insights gives you the chance to feel more successful in your endeavors without having to waste your time counting things out one by one. If your goal is to read 1,000 pages per month, Kindle Insights will let you know how far along you are by the time the month is coming to an end. If your Kindle Insights reveal that you're only about 500 pages deep, you know that you have a lot of reading to catch up on. 

They will even give you digital (and cute!) bookmarks as little trophies once you've reached certain streaks and goals. Through their Reading Challenge System, you can get points based on your reading and make a fun game out of it. Access Kindle Insights by clicking the "More" or "See More" tab on the home screen. Navigate to Reading Insights from there. Enjoy!

Maximizing reading time on your Kindle doesn't pigeonhole you into solely reading e-books. There's a lot of other written content to read in the form of articles, listicles, evergreen blogs, and breaking news. You might not be able to see everything you normally would while using a laptop or desktop computer — and the connection is definitely slower — but you'll still be able to access articles that are interesting to you. 

It's important to note that how you access the internet may be different depending on the Kindle's model. On a Kindle Basic, accessing the internet is fairly easy and should be similar to other models. When you're launching the browser, press the "Home" button. From there, click the three dots in the upper right-hand corner. You'll see a "Web Browser" tap. Click that, and it will take you to Google. Track down a couple of websites that intrigue you and bookmark them. This way, you can continually visit them whenever you want to read up on their latest content.

One thing you absolutely can't forget about when reading on your Kindle is that you're reading for pleasure! If you really want to maximize your reading time, you shouldn't think of reading on your Kindle in the same way you maybe thought about reading as a high school or college student. When you no longer feel forced to read books as a way of surviving academia, it may be easier to think about books in a more positive light. 

Plus, there are tons of benefits! "Reading is an activity which can keep the brain young — with every page turned or chapter devoured, the brain is working to decipher, store and retain more information," Dr. Emer MacSweeney, consultant neuroradiologist, tells Byrdie. "Reading provides mental exercise, which is very important in helping to protect the brain against cognitive decline in diseases such as Alzheimer's." 

The better your outlook on reading is, the better your chances are of maximizing your Kindle experience. When you start feeling bored or restless while reading books on your Kindle, it's a good idea to take a break and return to it later. Don't cause burnout by forcing yourself to keep reading when you're simply not in the mood. When you give yourself ample time to focus on other things, odds are, you'll be happy to pick up your Kindle for more reading later on.