Welcome back to week 2 of the Messy Summer Reading Club, where we all aspire to read on a beach, but maybe it’s really in the darkness of a hotel room with a toddler snoring nearby.
Today, we continue to explore those stories that get in the way of our reading lives. This one is LOUD for many…I am too busy to read.
We are all busy. This world seems to run on busyness. And since there isn’t yet a way to add more hours to the day. You’ve got to make some choices.
Try this…
This is a good exercise from The Anxious Perfectionist: How to Manage Perfectionism-Driven Anxiety Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy by Clarissa Ong, PhD and Michael Twohig, PhD. that can be helpful for many types of activities we might be explaining away with busyness.
Every time you say you are too busy to read right now, swap the words “I’m not willing” for too busy.
Eek, does that give you pause?
What’s great about this is that sometimes you aren’t willing to do something, and owning that can feel good and liberating. And sometimes saying you aren’t willing will feel like it’s going against the grain for you. It may mean you need a little values check. That’s a clue for sorting out where and how you can prioritize the activity. And of course, this goes way beyond reading, you can try with any old thing you are stuggling to find time for.
Practical tip for summer reading…
Reading begets reading. It all counts. If feeling like there is time to read is that you like a solid, uninterrupted hour to read. That might be hard to find in this season. Try re-adjusting your expectations. I find even just 5 minutes of reading during a pocket in the day actually helps me pick up my book in another pocket and so on, and then by the end of the day, when I read before bed, I am more engaged and connected to the story.
How about a little poll?
A few times through the summer, we will have a little poll to see what our fellow readers are up to:
The comment section is what we make of it…
Put on your shades, step outside, take a breath, and get in on the comments section. It is what we make of it.
What are some ways you “find” time to read?
Do you find you need a certain amount of time for reading to feel “worth it”?
Any good reads this summer so far? Sharing is caring.
Hi! And welcome back to the Messy Summer Reading Club! Busy-ness gets in the way of reading, moving our bodies, spending time with friends and family, and fill-in-the blank thing that might be good for us. We are talking about reading here of course BUT examining busy-ness can be helpful in many parts of life.
So does this story show up for you? What are you reading right now?
I am just starting Happy Ending by Chloe Liese.
For me reading feels like a luxury activity (often, but not always) so taking time to read is relaxing and feels like a break from everything else. It can be hard to choose to take a break, but it also feels like choosing something that I want that is only for me and that's a good thing.