I want to start reading more, I do, but it’s just so much easier to watch TV. There are so many books out there. I even enjoy reading when I do it. Still, when I sit down to relax, my first thought is never to pick up a book. How do I go about changing this?
Habits are, famously, not easy to change. I’ve met people who have been able to quit smoking simply by deciding that they no longer wanted to smoke. I’ve met people in life who read incessantly. I’m one of those people for whom change takes time and effort. My routines are well established and my habits well-formed.
For how many years has “read more” been on my New Year’s Resolution list? Decades. Reading, among many other things, reappear, year after year, like taxes or the flu.
It has become very difficult for me to read. I have a hard time remembering what I’ve read. The cadence of the text is hard for me to follow. I catch myself speeding through whatever I’m reading, not understanding what the words and phrases are conveying. I end up getting frustrated. The thought of picking up a book is clouded with memories of the difficulty I’ll be faced with once the cover has been opened.
I like reading on my Kobo.
There is only one way through this problem: reading. Like anything, practice is the only guaranteed method that’ll lead to improvement. Intentional practice slowly executed will lead to progress.
I must find the will to persevere. Piecemeal, I can replace minutes of TV with paragraphs, episodes with chapters, seasons with novels.
Leave a Reply