Lacking Motivation to Read
I love reading (shocker) but sometimes I hate reading. Okay, maybe that’s an exaggeration but there are definitely times when the last thing I want to do is crack open a book and read a chapter.
These spells where I lack any motivation to read usually happen when I am tired or procrastinating.
It’s been said that when you are tired (and trying to fall asleep) you should read in order to fall asleep faster. However, when I’m tired I find it much easier to watch YouTube videos on my phone, this typically results in me spiraling and watching way too many videos often causing me to stay up much later than I should. Similarly, when I am procrastinating something I find it much easier to do so by watching a YouTube video (or videos) as opposed to continuing or starting a book.
And this isn’t any testament to the book I am reading, or about to read, at the time. For the most part, me choosing to play on my phone doesn’t mean I don’t like the book or it isn’t well-written. It usually just means that I don’t have the energy or the patience to follow and pay attention to the story.
However, as it’s one of my New Year’s resolutions to read more, this is a habit that I am trying to break.
For the most part, I have been quite successful at this so far. And one of the main reasons I have been is due to the fact that I am actually scheduling time in my day to read. Lately, this specific time has been 8:30 p.m. (precise I know).
And on the evenings when my mom isn’t working, she joins me at 8:30 p.m. in our living room and we sit in silence reading for at least a half hour. This not only has resulted in both of us reading more, and me spending less time on my phone, but also helped us spend more time together which is always a bonus!
Using this technique has helped me immensely when it comes to lacking the motivation to read. Now, I more often than now find myself being excited to read again as opposed to finding excuses to put it off.
With that being said, I still do enjoy the odd Shane Dawson YouTube video.
Happy reading everyone!
Paige Petrovsky 