Another readathon has come and gone, which means that today's post should be a reading wrap up. And it definitely would have been, if I had actually read anything last week!
Don't get me wrong, I was excited to participate in this latest Bout of Books readathon. I knew my week was going to be a bit crazy, but I had my TBR all picked out and thought I could manage to finish at least the two books I was already in the middle of. As it turns out, although my week was really busy, I actually had plenty of time to read. The problem was I just didn't feel like reading at all.
I've noticed this trend a lot since I became an active member of the online reading community. Although I don't normally create to be read lists, when I do I am rarely able to stick to them. I often find myself distracted by other books I have sitting around or, even stranger, lose the desire to read at all and waste time watching tv or YouTube videos instead.
This has always been incredibly confusing to me, because I am a list maker extraordinaire. According to my parents, I wrote my first list at the tender age of 3 years old, jotting down my "to do list" in meaningless scribbles on scrap paper. I'm not afraid to admit I get a little thrill from checking off list items I've accomplished and my bullet journal was possibly the best thing to happen to my productivity levels in years. So why do I get so thrown by TBRs? Aren't they just lists of books waiting to be read and checked off?
It's possible this is an unforeseen product of my years as an English Literature student, during which any reading lists I wrote were full of required texts. Every time I put a book on a list, it starts to feel assigned, like it's something I absolutely have to read, and that immediately puts me off.
Are there any other list-makers out there who have a hard time sticking to TBRs? Any tips on how to get around this TBR block?
I have the habit of making lists (lots and lots of them), but I also seem to have problems sticking to TBR lists. One thing that does seem to work for me is assigning a certain number of pages per book to read during the week (just for the pleasure of checking them out :D) or even during the day. As for the book themselves, I usually make a list of books that I have, just so I can have an idea of what is waiting for me. Do you usually read more than one book at once or do you stick with the same one until you finish it?
ReplyDeleteI am definitely a reader who has multiple books on the go all at once! And that's interesting that actually assigning a page amount helps you get through TBRs. I would think that might make it feel even more like school work, mainly because that's exactly what I used to do in school! But maybe I should give that a go...
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