Starr's Guide to Reading When You Have No Time
I see a lot of posts on here about how people miss being able to read and can't get back in the swing of it because they don't have the time or energy. It's not a rare thing! A lot of people stop reading, or read a lot less, once they hit high school or college. How long it takes to come out the other side depends on a lot of thing, but mainly it depends on you.
So here's some advice from someone who also stopped being able to read a few years back and forced themself back into the swing of it.
Prioritize. You probably have a little time free, and what you do with it is up to you. I'm not saying you should pick reading, but you should recognize it as an option. Look at your free time and analyze it, and what you want to do with it. You could nap, watch tv, play a game, etc. Utulize that time and make sure you're using it in a way you're happy with. If you really want to get back into reading, you could even split half that time with a book and the rest with something else you enjoy.
Pick something fun. You don't need to read something revolutionary or even "good". Any book you want to read is a good book! Get something short, something fluffy or action packed or funny, depending on what you like. You could get out a Graphic Novel and that would still count. The only difference between War and Peace and To All the Boys I've Loved Before is that one is probably actually going to get finished and the other won't.
Reread. Unsure what of the millions of books out there you're actually going to enjoy? Reread an old favorite! Still counts! Doesn't matter if it's a book for elementary students, it's there for be fun.
Audiobooks are your friends. This is certainly not a new idea, but it can be overlooked by people of my generation and younger. Audiobooks mean you can multitask with them, you can fall asleep to them, you can listen to them while walking or driving. The only issue is the cost- but guess what! A lot of libraries are now using Ovedrive/Libby which get you audiobooks online that you can listen to directly from any of your internet enabled devices!
On that note, ebooks are also your friend! The world of bookworms have been so snobby about them that you may not have considered an ebook, but you know what's way easier than lugging a book around every single place you go? Pulling up a book on your phone. About to scroll on tumblr for 20 minutes in between classes? Why not read a little of your ebook instead? You can also get them from Overdrive, and amazon tends to have a lot if free ones from kindle.
Tackle beginnings. The hardest part of starting a book is actually starting it. I never stop reading a book until I'm at least 30 pages in. By 30 pages you're far enough in that you're not going blind, and you may feel more committed to it. Also, if you use goodreads then it'll give you what percentage you're through with, and if your books is 300 pages you're already 10% done! Which leads me to my next tip...
Use Goodreads! Goodreads helps you stay motivated with those percentages and will also give you good ideas of what else you may want to read. It's a great way to show yourself your progress. You can also utilize the book challenge, but don't feel pressured to push yourself.
Know when to DNF. It can be hard to give up on a book but you shouldn't be afraid to. You're reading for pleasure, right? If a book isn't fun to read then don't read it- there are better books out there waiting for you! I find it helpful to set a percentage where I can DNF without shame- for me itself 30%. If you're not able to read often, then you may want to call your cut off at 60 pages, but it's up to you!
