Background:
I'm in my 40s and I've always sort of beaten myself up over not being an avid reader. I go through phases where I read a bunch, sometimes I'll finish a book in a months time, sometimes start a book and forget it, sometimes it seems like I go literally years without really getting into any book at all. But I still accumulate them.
Because of how important reading is and now I "fail" to prioritize it, I've always found myself in a poor relationship with reading. I feel this artificial pressure to read things that are only important and will somehow make me more useful. I feel this artificial pressure to start one book and read it to the end. I feel this artificial pressure to become a changed person by fully investing every bit of info from every book.
I've been learning that these pressures are untenable.
I've also noticed that I partake in all kinds of things without the same expectations: tv shows, games, podcasts, media and news outlets, social media, etc.
Right now I have 6 books that I am actively reading, and I am trying to remember that it's for enjoyment and not some high level goal. Someone told me if I read 10 pages a day I would finish about 10 books a year. I found this so encouraging.
Taking the pressure off of reading has really helped me get more productive at reading, and I think it will help me convert my habit into a truly fruitful one.
So now I ask you:
- What are your reading habits like?
- What do you like to read?
- What kind of stage of life are you in, and how does that affect it?
- Have you made any changes, positive or negative, to your reading habits?
- What else?
I read every day, before bedtime, and in bed. I can't fall asleep without reading something. This has been a lifelong habit. I still also study techie books for my career. I pretty much self trained foir that by reading books.
Mostly non-fiction. History, music criticism and artist bios, current science. Been reading anarchist literature recently.
I am old, 65. It has affected my reading habits, but not completely; I have fewer commitments, more time on my hands.
Is this positive? I have quit automatically picking up the tablet and reading when I wake at 2 am, and try to go back to sleep again.
I am very picky about what I enjoy. I suggest you try lots of genres, types of books, find something you enjoy. If that's graphic novels, enjoy that: if it helps associate reading with fun instead of being a task, great.