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?
