Recently, i’ve been trying to retake the lecture habit i had in middle school, however now i have a full time job so i don’t have the free time i used to, and to make matters worst, i have a lot of titles on my waitlist; ranging from novels and comics to educational and therapy ones. Usually i read a couple of pages and then drop them. If i ever decide to pick one and read it, the lack of interest and discipline makes me take a long time to finish even a 200 pages book, any advice on how to choose the right book to invest my time? how do you do to decide which book to read and how do you do to keep your interest on reading?
by PostPopDecade
8 Comments
A few tricks that have worked for me:
* Track your reading progress and set a goal. I have a Google sheet where I track my current books on-the-go, and I get to mark when I complete a chapter. I even made some formulas to record “streaks”
* Have a theme. Example, tell yourself you will read a non-fiction book this month, then a fiction book next month. Or alternately, you can have 2 books going at a time, but one should be non-fiction and one should be fiction. Any little game or structure you can add to it can help you focus, the actual rule really doesn’t matter as long as it resonates with you
* Try an Audiobook from your local library, that can kickstart the reading habit again
* Find a book club, either in person or online, a little peer pressure to finish can definitely help
I rely almost entirely on public libraries. I have a long-list of books that sound interesting that I manage on my phone and add to regularly, but ultimately the next book I read is the book that is on the library shelf. It’s weird how removing the limitless options has actually made me love reading even more – and I get that lovely experience of walking around a library to boot. So much more enjoyable than heading straight for what I walked into the bookstore for.
Also, I’m approaching mid-life, and the realisation that there will *never* be enough time to read everything I could ever want to read has solidified. …so I’ve stopped caring.
I frequently “clean out” my waitlist. I start from the bottom of the list and look up the book. If it doesn’t look interesting to me now, it gets removed. Sometimes I wonder what possessed me to put it on my list in the first place. Shortening my list helps me lessen the choices and not feel overwhelmed and defeated.
This is a pretty basic answer but I just read what I am in the mood for.
I don’t try to finish lists. I don’t even try to read all the books I have already bought first. I just read what feels right to me at the time. And honestly I have read a wide range of books this way.
I choose books at random. I have a pretty evenly mixed TBR pile of recent releases and classics, so I just pick one based on how I feel at the moment and stick with it to the end. Most books are at least good.
i’m a huge mood reader. usually i’m picking at random! i let myself go to the library and on libby, check out whatever i want without the expectation i have to read them all. i dnf when i want. what’s helped me read more after a huge post college slump is to track what i read but not have huge expectations. it’s more to just keep me engaged.
you might also look into to shorter novels, short story collections, and poetry! you can then break those into even smaller chunks— read a story or poem a day/ a week, etc.
I read what I’m in the mood for, what’s really pulling me in right at that moment. If I’m unsure I’ll choose a few that stand out and read some reviews on them, maybe check out the first few pages of each. Just that process alone piques my curiosity in one of them. If I’m curious then I’m eager to get into it.
I read primarily for entertainment. I even choose the non-fiction based on what will make me happy, to learn (even if I am learning about something awful, it may make me happy to learn it).
Thus, I simply read what I want to read. The TBR shelf and directory are always crowded but, so what? Just more choices on hand.