Is your 2020 resolution to read more? Perhaps that has always been your New Years resolution. I know it has often been mine. I’ve even, in the past, set myself numbers of books I’d like to read per year. I’m often overly ambitious. When I say ‘I’ll read at least 100 books this year’ I set myself up for failure almost instantly. Setting such a daunting goal can stop even the most voracious reader in their tracks.
A better idea is to carve out time to read, and to read for pleasure. There is always the worry that one will end up writing a big list of all the dense, ‘important’ books they aim to read by the end of the year, and then despairing when they read something else or get bored of a book they think they ‘should’ be enjoying. Or of course, reading ends up only being done for the sake of reading (where we aim to plough through a book, whether we enjoy it or not, simply to be able to cross it off a list and feel accomplished).
Although we may all want to read more this year, I think that falling into the trap of striving to read a self-prescribed number of books is, in almost all cases, going about it the wrong way (unless you think it works for you, I can’t stop you after all). I’ve been doing some reflecting on all my past approaches and attitudes to reading to come up with an action plan for making time for the world’s greatest pastime.
Remember in primary school when we were always told to read for at least 20 minutes a day? Well, we may all be older, busier, and more tired but the principle still stands. Although I, for one, am prone to holing up inside all weekend (well, until my mum drags me outside for fresh air) and reading, (this happens every few weeks) I have also found that short, regular reading sessions are the most effective ways to be a full-time ‘bookworm’.
This isn’t to say, of course, that when the moment strikes you shouldn’t read for extended periods of time. Quite the contrary, finding a book that interests you enough to want to abandon everything and read it (the culprit for me over the Christmas break was ‘The secret history’ by Donna Tart) is arguably one of life’s great pleasures. However, I do find that when I only pick up a book on a whim, my reading habits become sporadic at best, or drop off the face of the earth at worst.
But how to find the time to read?
‘I’m so busy’ you may wail. Do not despair, there is always time for reading.
Your commute to and from sixth form (unless you’re blessed enough to live in walking distance) is prime reading time. If you have to deal with constant London rush hour on the tube then break out your elbows to fend off commuters and make enough room to hold a book.
Or try an audiobook if you’re less aggressive. Surprisingly Youtube has a number of good audiobooks if you don’t have/ want to invest in an audible membership. (I’m listening to ‘Things fall apart’ by Chinua Achebe on Youtube and the recording is surprisingly good). There are also sites such as https://archive.org which act as online libraries which give you free access to an incredible amount of books, audiobooks and films.
I’ve also started replacing most of the time I’d be watching TV (to procrastinate on doing homework) with reading. I’m not saying that its a good idea but hey, at least you’re doing something more intellectual than re-watching Friends. (My next goal is to stop procrastinating though.)
Instead, use the morning, or in the evening after you’ve finished your homework (I have to say that really), and dedicate some of it to reading. If you set your alarm half an hour earlier then you wake up, you get to sit in bed for 30 minutes and enjoy the coziness rather than stumbling, bleary-eyed, straight out of bed.
If you often reach for your phone when you wake up, instead reach for a book. You won’t be instantly bombarded by social media, and the bright, unforgiving white light of your phone screen. Reading before bed helps you wind down as well, and I think that we could all use a better night’s sleep.
You wouldn’t think how much every spare second (standing in a queue, waiting for the bus, waiting for the kettle to boil) starts to add up. Always having a book on you means that you have a better way to fill in those little gaps, instead of going on your phone or staring blankly into space. You’ll be surprised by how much you can read in these little bits of ‘dead’ time.
Now the real question is how do you make yourself want to read consistently. We have so much school work already, and I don’t know about you, but sometimes at the end of the day I’m so tired I think ‘if I see another sentence I’ll scream’.
Maybe a shift in attitude is in order.
Reading shouldn’t be a chore, but rather a way to enrich your life. We just have to make time for it. After all, reading has undoubted benefits. It is an excellent stress reliever (yes please to that), it expands your vocabulary and knowledge, and increases your concentration. I see no downside.
Happy reading.
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