21st Century Literature discussion
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Do You Have To Do Anything To Protect Your Reading Time? (8/27/23)
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Marc
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Aug 28, 2023 03:01PM
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I try to make sure everything is done and the TV is off, but even if it’s on, I can read. And I can listen to books while doing chores, driving to errands, and working if I want to, so I’m lucky. The hardest part to avoid is the time suck that is the internet.
It's a little silly, but it's one of the reasons I choose to commute to my office two days a week even though I could work from home every day. My 1-hour bus commute has always been dedicated reading time, so I enjoy that uninterrupted block of time, especially to warm up my brain in the morning and to unwind from work on the way home.
That’s not silly. That’s one of the reasons why I don’t drive: I need reading time like that
Good question. If I eat lunch alone, as I often do during the week, I read while eating. This also helps me to eat slower as once I finish eating, the fun is done and back to work I go. I also like reading once I get in bed until I fall asleep. This helps me to not use my phone at that time which can mess with your circadian rhythm. I agree with everyone else that the biggest obstacle is ignoring the black hole of time that is the internet.
I try to read a little in my car before work and during breaks (I do this in my car because I don't want people coming up to me in the break room and asking "what are you reading? what's it about? why are you reading it? are you one of those 'readers?'"). At home I read a little while the baseball game is on and then I try to read a little in bed before I go to sleep. Now that my daughter is gone to college there's not much I need to do to protect my reading time at home, but when she's home it's more difficult to balance that time between spending time with her and reading.
When I used to commute on the bus, it was the best way to ensure a solid block of reading time every day. I loved it, though inevitably there were those questions RJ mentions ...I'm trying to see reading as self-care. :-) Blocking out time like I do for exercise.
I do often ask myself when I'm spending time on Goodreads reading discussions and reviews or scoping out more books for the TBR, "Shouldn't you just be, you know, reading?"
RJ - Slayer of Trolls wrote: "I try to read a little in my car before work and during breaks (I do this in my car because I don't want people coming up to me in the break room and asking "what are you reading? what's it about? ..."Brilliant, RJ. Now I feel like a fool for never thinking of this when I was working on site. I used to go hide in a public space (never the breakroom for reasons you stated), but even strangers will engage. Lunch breaks are barely long enough to eat and decompress without the interruptions!
I opted never to teach in summer so I could be home with my boys. When they were young and home from school during the summer, I implemented something called "alone time." I established the rules with them for "alone time." The boys would have my complete attention every morning. This was followed by lunch. After lunch was designated my one hour "alone time." The boys were told in no uncertain terms that I needed to be alone to read. Reading kept me sane. Without it, I turn into an irritable, crabby woman. The boys were never to interrupt me unless it was an emergency. They were to play quietly until I emerged from my reading feeling whole and ready to take on the world. If they stuck to the bargain, I would reward them in the afternoon by taking them to the pool or the park or a movie--whatever they wanted. If they didn't stick to the bargain, they would be stuck at home all afternoon. The system worked really well for all of us.
As the boys got older, if they saw me getting particularly irritable about something, they would ask, "Would you like me to get your book so you can read?"
