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Back in June of 2020, I wrote THIS blog post about how to increase your reading when times are tough. As I write this, Covid-19 still exists, but many (most?) of us have gone back to somewhat normal life; however, that doesn't mean we don't all experience ups and downs that sometimes impact our favorite hobbies, including reading.
I thought it was time to revisit the idea of how to increase the amount we read when things aren't going the way we'd like.
I've experienced dips in my reading not only during the pandemic, but also when I've found myself grieving, I've become burnt out on work, I've been sick, and so on. Sometimes, I'm just so bored that even reading doesn't appeal to me -- and it's my favorite activity!
Over the past four months, I've dealt with one illness and injury after another -- several bad colds, a broken ankle, Covid, a rare form of pneumonia, a sprained wrist, a torn ligament in my other wrist (I'm wearing a wrist immobilizer as I type this!). Plus, I've been dealing with job related uncertainties and a few other life complications.
As much as I love to read, it hasn't always been at the forefront of my interests amid the turmoil of life.
In my last post about how to read more, I suggested reading first thing in the morning, having a designated reading spot, and reading something easy or familiar. I still stand by those ideas, but here are the three things I've done over the last few months to get or keep myself reading:
FIND A THEME
I'm writing this from Buenos Aires, Argentina, so I thought it would be fun to read books by Argentinian authors. I started by just doing a Google search and then cross referenced the authors I found with what would be available as e-books from my local library. I'm 90% of the way through my first of four books -- a collection of short stories called Seven Empty Houses by Samanta Schweblin.
I think if you can find a theme that's relevant to your current situation in life, to a specific intense interest, or something you've been interested in for a long time, you'll be more likely to keep reading than if you just choose a random theme. I opted to choose just four books for my four week trip, and I'll probably only realistically read three of them. In addition to choosing a theme, consider limiting the number of books or the amount of time you spend on the theme so that you don't overwhelm yourself.
TRY SHORT STORY COLLECTIONS
Following from our first tip, try finding collections of short stories. Instead of feeling like you've read 20 pages and still have a whole lot of pages to go, you'll get a little dose of satisfaction after finishing every short story, even if you aren't finished with the book!
Knowing that I've already finished several of the stories in Seven Empty Houses, I'm more motivated to finish the rest! But, I already feel accomplished thanks to having read several complete stories within the book.
CUT BACK ON SOCIAL MEDIA SCROLLING
I think most of us go through periods where we find ourselves just scrolling and scrolling and scrolling on social media. I honestly love Instagram and I use Facebook to stay in touch with friends that live far away, but I also find myself really wasting a lot of time just scrolling.
Several weeks ago, I decided to do a huge social media purge. I went through both Facebook and Instagram and unfollowed, unliked, and removed a lot of accounts that I actually don't enjoy or that don't serve my interests or needs anymore. I also deleted several that seemed redundant.
I've noticed that I'm enjoying my time on social media more now that I've worked on curated my feeds, but I'm also spending less time on there! Instead of constant, unsatisfactory scrolling, I'll catch up on things and then put my phone down in order to read.
BONUS: PUT YOUR TECH IN ANOTHER ROOM
In my prior post, I suggested creating a cozy reading nook. Well, take it a step further. Once you've created your cozy reading spot and purged a whole bunch of social media junk, practice putting your phone, tablet, and other tech (including smart watches!) in another room while you read! I'm much more likely to keep reading if I can't reach for my phone or tablet from where I'm sitting.
Each of these has taken time to get used to and to become natural habits, but I've definitely increased my reading over the past few months by incorporating these ideas.
How are you getting more reading in? Share your tips in a comment!
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