February 20, 2018

Tell Me Something Tuesday: How Do You Find Time to Read?

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post on Rainy Day Ramblings, where the blog's owner Heidi discusses a wide range of topics from books to blogging. Weigh in and join the conversation by adding your thoughts in the comments. If you want to do your own post, grab the question and answer it on your blog.
Here is what is on deck this week:

HOW DO YOU FIND TIME TO READ?

I usually read in the evening - like I suspect many of you do. Unfortunately, the same time slot is the one when I do most of my blogging, schedule posts, tweet, bath, write my grocery list, do the darn ironing. As you may notice, there's a bit of a competition going on at my house after dinner.


Since I work the afternoons Monday to Friday, and spend the mornings networking doing my chores, this leaves only the evenings and the weekend free. Sort of - of course the weekend is ALSO when I fight my forever lost battle with all the adulting I don't have time for during the rest of the week. Anyway. I've favoured reading before bedtime - in bed even - pretty much my whole life. (Of course, when I was younger, I used to read ALL THE TIME really. Unless I was studying or listening to the radio. I've never been big on watching TV, except at lunch/dinner). The only difference now is that I have other activities that try and eat up that couple of hours between doing the dinner dishes and going to sleep. That's why I have resorted to reading schedules - at least when I'm given a book for review, or I intend to have a review ready for a certain day. Sometime I snatch a chapter in the morning, but it's becoming rarer and rarer now - I wasn't joking about networking. When I wake up I peruse my email, log into my blog for comments and my reading list, reply to comments if there are, read some of my blogger buddies' posts, maybe comment on them (or bookmark them for later), peek into my Goodreads page, see what my peeps and the other people I follow have been up to on Twitter, check the weather for the upcoming days...and it's ten or past it already. This routine is becoming almost impossible to sustain - my chores suffer. But I digress. The short answer to this week's question is - I read after dinner, often following a schedule. Sad, I know...😩 *

Ha! I wonder how he manages that at all 😄.

* (Of course, audiobooks would help - except I'm not as fluent in spoken English as I am in its written counterpart. Also, I love my books to be as physical as possible...).

Well, that's it for now. And if you're interested in participating, here is the TMST prompt list for the rest of February and March:
  • February 27th: When is your favorite time to read?
  • March 6th: Spring picks for 2018
  • March 13th: What are some good series for younger/MG readers?
  • March 20th: What books are you excited to share with your kids or younger readers in your lives?
  • March 27th: How do you feel about the whole mean girl/boy theme?
Since I wouldn't know what to say about some of those topics (except the next one, which I've already tackled in this very post somehow) and/or I'm always pressed for time, my next TMST will be on March 27th. But from April on, I plan on being more consistent...there are a few things that I'm DYING to write about LOL - and to hear your take on!

Now tell me something...how do you find time to read in this hectic life?

14 comments:

  1. Damn adulting...always getting in the way!

    I really hate reading for short periods like an hour here and there (I understand why people need to though!) I will rarely start a book if I know I don't have at least 3-4 hours to commit to it.

    Karen @ For What It's Worth

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    Replies
    1. LOL, I probably wouldn't get any reading done if I should wait for all that spare time...Then again, I often spend my weekend afternoons NOT reading, but doing blog-related things for the same length of time...For me, it's easier to read a book in chunks than write a blog post the same way. I mean, it's not like I usually write a post in one sitting - it takes 2 or 3, especially if it's a review - but if I should do it for very short periods at a time, I'd lose all my drive - while reading a book in 4 or 6 sittings doesn't bother me at all.

      Delete
    2. We are SO opposite!!!! lol

      I do my reviews in smaller sessions - like 10 - minutes or else it's too much for me but I can't read that way.

      If I read a book that way, I can't get as absorbed into the story.

      Delete
    3. Opposite? we? when? where? LOL.

      Delete
  2. I read almost every day over breakfast and before bed. I'm not really a pleasant or talkative person until I've had time to adjust to the idea of being awake, so reading helps my mind get going, and before bed, it's just a way to wind down. It's a nice way of easing myself into and out of the day. If I have free time on the weekends, I might catch another hour or two during the day.

    When I was a teenager, reading before bed was a terrible idea. I'd get interested in a book, and before I knew it, it was 2 or 3AM and I'd stayed up most of the night reading. Now there are almost no books that can keep me up past bedtime. I love books, but sleep is just as wonderful.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Haha, I hear you about sleep. It's rare that I stay awake longer than average to finish a book. But I've done it in the past...when my body was more willing to get up in the morning, not to mention, I had less things to take care of, so I could oversleep.

      It sounds like most people read before bedtime, while reading over breakfast is much less common. Maybe because most of us don't have the time, unless we wake up early (NOT A GOOD IDEA IN MY CASE LOL). I can definitely see the appeal of reading a couple of chapters before one starts the day...then again, in my case, it's been replaced with networking (for lack of a better word)...and as I said, even THAT has become a luxury lately...*sighs*

      Delete
  3. You do what you gotta do! If you need to schedule time in order to reading done, then so be it. My life isn't particularly busy, so I'm able to just find time whenever, depending on what I want to prioritize (I might have blogging to do) or how I'm feeling, but I do prefer reading in bed before I go to sleep at night.

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    1. Reading before bedtime is definitely everyone's favourite, from what I see. It's like a dessert at the end of your dinner...😉

      Delete
  4. I know, life gets busy. I find it harder and harder to find time to read, blog and everything else I want to do. Luckily, I still save that hour before bed for quiet reading time, it helps me unwind after the day.

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    1. I hear you! Apparently, that reading time before bed - albeit short - is everybody's favourite, too.

      Delete
  5. How do I find time to read when things are hectic? I don't.

    Ahaha not really, I try to squeeze in the time to read whenever I can when I'm REALLY excited for a book, but most of the time it's near impossible when I'm juggling uni and everything else. I've started to read for at least an hour daily, though, be it in the morning or evening- whenever I can, basically- and I've managed to keep at it for a few days now :D I think the trick is in firm resolutions and sticking to them...which is difficult, but that's all there is to it, lol. And of course, read whatever you're feeling like at a given moment. I sometimes start books and then get back to them weeks later because I end losing that specific "mood", you know? And that's fine, I've learnt. It's far better to put something off than struggle through it when you know you're not in the mood for it!

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Quote:
      "How do I find time to read when things are hectic? I don't."
      😂😂😂

      Yep...sticking to resolutions is all there is sometimes. *sighs*

      I'm not a moody reader - I usually start a book and get to the last page, come hell or high water - but I know you're not alone, so yours is a good piece of advice for everyone who isn't afraid to read more than one book at a time. I could never do that though LOL - I'm so boring...um...loyal 😂.

      Delete
  6. Sigh. Adulting. Can I go back just a few years? No, not 2016. Before that.

    Anyways, I'm fluent in English and still have trouble with audiobooks - I suspect it's my hearing and multitasking but I always have trouble writing those reviews.

    I don't know when I read now - when I can? Maybe I'll get a page or two in before a class when I'm not Procrastinating? (DARN IT PROCRASTINATION)

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    Replies
    1. I know a few people who aren't into audiobooks though English is their mother tongue. I suppose some of us are more visual (for instance, I would never choose to listen to an audiobook in Italian either, unless I lost my eyesight), not to mention, like you said, not built for multitasking. At least when books are involved - because we want to give them our undivided attention LOL.

      I think you've earned a right to procrastinate, with all the stuff you're juggling...😉

      Delete

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