Book Lust Reading Guild discussion

Do you set aside time to read? Do you make goals? Or do you just read when you can for however long?

InkFire wrote: "Do you set aside time to read? Do you make goals? Or do you just read when you can for however long?"

I've always loved reading, so I don't have to 'make time' for it - it just happens. I always read before going to sleep, it's habit. And it's a treat if I get to curl up on the sofa with a book for a bit, too :)

I only started reading regularly last year. I'm getting better at it but I have trouble focusing for more than 1-2 hours at a time (thanks, modern technology) so I read to relax and finish my day. Recently, I've been reading while eating lunch at work, commuting, or reading while walking on the treadmill.

I don't set aside a specific time or make goals. When I lived alone, I used to read before going to sleep (anywhere between 10 to 30 minutes, usually). When I used public transport to commute to university I read on the bus (I had a 30 minute commute one way - makes for a nice daily reading time :) ). At the moment, I don't have a specific reading time or ritual, but I try to grab a book daily and read at least a couple of minutes.

I do find reading is easier when it's part of my routine. But then, that's also true of eating right, exercising, dressing nice, and brushing my teeth.

Trying to read 30 pages a day or 30 minutes to 1 hour but that doesn't happen every day, but almost.

The moment I got a smart phone my reading time went way down. Apps like Goodreads don’t help either! 😱That said, with a bit of effort/mindfulness/diligence my time spent reading has gone back up. I always read at least 15 minutes before turning out the light. Dead tree books, to help quiet my mind. Audiobooks also help, although my favorite opportunity to listen (walking to and fro) has kind of gone the way of the dodo, but I listen while doing mindless tasks like housework. Another thing I do is try always to have a book (either a real one or on my phone) on the go that I can carry around with me everywhere and read during those stray moments (waiting at the doc’s, etc.).

Gah, yes: my smart phone did horrors to my reading, too! I'm doing much better these days. I also learned how to read on the bus - it makes me quite motion sick, but as my new route to work has so many stops and traffic lights, I can read while stationary and look up when we start moving again :)

I try to read when I eat breakfast, it slowls my eating down as I usually eat way too fast. It gives me time to wake up. I also read sometimes between study sessions, depending what I just did. I have a chair that I move to and it helps me to disconnect from it better and I feel refreshed. I also read before bed, it helps me wind down. It sounds like I read a lot but I only do it in short bursts. I try to split up what I do into writing, reading and watching. If my study session involved reading I won't read in my break. I feel my energy lasts longer for a day if I split it up. My reading energy seemed to be charging up when I'm writing for example.

I started getting up earlier so I have more time to read (I'm an early bird, in the evening I fall asleep to fast and can't concentrate). Mostly I read before starting to work, it's a nice and relaxing way to start ones day.