Hello travelers,
If you are like you, you are stuck in the middle of quarantine. I recognize that this might mean different things for different people. Personally, I live in an area where everyone is supposed to be doing the bare minimum for health safety yet they are also pretty much back to normal life despite our spiking numbers (thanks Midwest America). I am an essential worker and have continued to work throughout the shut down in order to service my community with their library needs. I recognize i'm lucky to still be working though I do wish there were more restrictions and not such a big push to reopen given the current climate.
When this quarantine started, a lot of people figured this was a great time to read all of those books that they never would normally get around to. I had a similar mindset. I couldn't go out. I was stuck at home all the time. Obviously this was the perfect time to put a huge dent in my TBR, right? As the two months became three months became seven months, I found myself reading less and less. So i decided to make this post in regards to reading during quarantine.
1. Do not feel bad for not reading a lot!
The quickest way to not getting any reading done is to put pressure on yourself to read. I have this problem where i feel like i need to get a bunch of books done when that's not actually the case. Read for pleasure first.
2. Read at your own pace
I have a neighbor who is reading a 300 page book a day. I also have a coworker who has only managed a single book in the past few months. Find your spot in between.
3. Use audiobooks
Some people, myself included, are struggling to focus on the pages of a book while the world seems to be falling apart around them. If this is the case for you, maybe try using audiobooks. Some people are exclusively using audiobooks while others are following along with a physical book, kind of like back in elementary school when they had books on tape or cd with a book to help you read it. Either way, this may be a good way to help yourself focus on the story or the words on the page if your goal is to get through a book.
4. Re-read books
Instead of forcing yourself to pay attention to a new world and cast of characters in a book you've never read before, why not visit something familiar. Like when you put on a tv show that you've watched a hundred times already. You can let yourself zone out without worrying about missing something crucial to the plot and you can still enjoy the experience of reading.
5. Read kids books
Picture books, middle grade books, YA, whatever you find quick and easy to get through. Reading these can be comforting. They do not require you to keep lots of twisting plot points in your head, and the language is often simpiler to understand.
6. Read one large book
On the other hand, maybe you want to invest your time into a single story and steadily plod through one thing and one thing only. I suggest picking a single large book in a genre that you enjoy or by an author you love and pacing yourself through that single book. Only able to focus on something for five minutes? Read for five minutes and put it down. Or maybe read one chapter a day, or just fifty pages. You will make progress, and you do not need to worry about other things interupting you.
7. Be kind
I have been struggling to focus on anything during the last few months. There are times that I don't know what day it is; just get up, go to work, come home and eat. There is nothing else to distinguish one day or month from the other. Some people are able to read seven books in a week, I can barely manage one in a month. So please be kind. Let people cope however they need to in these trying times, because God knows there's not enough on people's minds besides beating their yearly reading challenges.
Until next time travelers.
Comments
Post a Comment