Making Time for Reading

A few weeks ago, on World Book Day, I tweeted a few thoughts of mine about reading. It started off as my daily PSA that people should read. I'm going to quote my tweets below.

It's #WorldBookDay so here's your daily reminder to read books - as many and as often as you can.

— Emma (@AwkwordlyEmma) March 3, 2016

I wish every single person could read a book a day, but that's just not possible. We have busy lives and books are long and some people read more slowly than others. That last reason in particular isn't a problem at all. I am blessed to be able to read fast, but as long as you're reading, I don't care if it takes you a week to finish a book.

Most people are like, "I wish I had as much time to read as you do." Fun fact: I MAKE time to read. I squeeze it in whenever I can.

— Emma (@AwkwordlyEmma) March 3, 2016

So many people in my own major (creative writing, which should be full of book lovers) say, "I wish I had as much time to read as you do." It's really hard to not laugh when they say that. As I said in my tweet above, I make time to read. I have as busy of a schedule as most college students, but I find little moments to read whenever I can.

I read a book instead of going on Tumblr or watching TV. I read when I get to class early or when I'm traveling.

— Emma (@AwkwordlyEmma) March 3, 2016

So it's possible to have a busy life and still have time to read. I'm also very fortunate to have a job where I can read while I'm at work.

— Emma (@AwkwordlyEmma) March 3, 2016

I watch a lot of Netflix these days, y'all, which distracts me from reading. But I am trying to be better about reading a book if I've already watched an episode of something that day, and I'm trying to police my Internet use more.
I get my stuff ready the night before for classes so I'm ready to go early. Then I read in my dorm or head onto campus early and read while I wait for class. I'll read in the car even if it's a 5-minute drive (as long as I'm not driving), and I'll read for at least 5 minutes before bed. And, like I said in the second tweet, I can read while I'm at work since I have a receptionist-type job. So I do a lot of reading during my 9+ hours a week at work.

Ladies and gents, to sum up my final tweet from that thought process on Twitter, if you truly love books, you will make time to read. You'll spend less time on Tumblr or Pinterest or whatever social media site you favor. You'll give up TV a few nights a week, or you'll only watch one episode instead of three. If it's a series with 45-minute episodes, you'll have a whole extra hour and a half of reading time! You'll learn to prioritize what really matters. And sometimes you'd rather watch something mindless instead of reading, which is okay. If you get in a habit of reading, you can take breaks occasionally.

So, in conclusion, I don't "find time to read." I make time.