How To Start Reading When You’ve Been Procrastinating.
We’ve all done it. It’s on your bookshelf or saved on your device.
You’ve been meaning to get to it, but you just don’t have the “I’m going to read a book now.” mindset.
Besides it’s not like you have a deadline, you can always read it. Or perhaps you do. Your subscriptions or book loans are almost ending. But you still lack that push. The consequences aren’t scary enough to pick up that book and start reading.
Reading is often done for leisure, and if you’re putting it off, it just means it’s not for you. Right?
Wrong.
How do you know it’s not for you if you haven’t even started it? They say not to judge a book by its cover, but that’s exactly what you did. Something intrigued you, be it the cover or the synopsis. Something about that book charmed you.
You could be missing out on a great book. An amazing experience. But how do you beat that? Try these 4 tips!
Just Start
Pretty basic I know. But before you exit, remember this.
Just start the damn book. Read a couple of pages, and BOOM, if it’s interesting, time will no longer apply to you. Put a 5 minute timer, open it up, and see what happens.
If it’s not interesting, maybe read a few more pages.
Still disinterested? Close it.
If it doesn’t click with you, don’t waste your time. Simple as that.
But try it out first. Instead of taking a never-ending break on your phone. Read that book.
This is also helpful for people that want to make a habit of reading. The only way you can do anything is to start it.
Read at night
Reading at night motivates me more. It could just be me.
For me, I can’t sleep, and I don’t want to do any work. Going on my phone is something I’m going to regret. What other options do I have?
Plus, it’s a good way to relax, after a tough day. If you find yourself struggling to fall asleep, and staring at the ceiling for hours. Try reading. According to dreams.co
“Reading before you sleep could relax you significantly. A study highlighted in the Telegraph by the University of Sussex…found that ‘reading worked best, reducing stress levels by 68 percent’.
It was better than listening to music (61%), drinking tea or coffee (54%) and taking a walk (42%). It only took 6 minutes for participants’ stress levels to be reduced.”
This is mainly because, when you read, your mind is distracted from all the stress and tension.
When reading, your mind wanders elsewhere, leaving your own troubles behind. Reading also allows your muscles to relax and leaves you feeling calmer. (The article has a bunch of other reasons why reading before sleeping is great!)
Again, if you want to create a habit of reading, nighttime is perfect!
Create a cafe/library atmosphere
Reading on the couch may lead to checking your phone, and then spending your entire time on it.
To create this atmosphere, make a cup of tea(or coffee), and draw the curtains halfway. This way you have a dim environment, but enough light to read. If preferred play some chill beats in the background. Grab a comfy pillow, stack some books near you, and start reading.
Having a change in your reading environment will lead to you; reading longer, letting your mind rest, and not worry about daily chores. If you’re reading in the same atmosphere then your mind will be wandering to unnecessary worries and thoughts.
Let your book take you to another world.
Read With Me Videos
I’m surprised these exist too, here are a few though.
This one is 6 hours long, so you’re in for a long session! I believe they’re done in sprints, however.
This one is a short one, comparatively. Only a half-hour! So if you’re fitting in an extra 30 minutes of reading time, this one’s for you.
For both advanced and casual, this one’s a blast!
This tip is pretty self-explanatory. If you’re still having trouble getting into the reading mood, play one of these videos and enjoy your reading experience.
Conclude
Yay! Now you can finally start that book. I hope your reading experience goes ama-haz-ingggg!
If you have any book suggestions, comment down below. I’m always up for a good book! If you’re curious about my 2021 booklist, read it here.
If you enjoyed this post please share it, it’s greatly appreciated and helpful.
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Take care :]
I did not know read with me videos existed! But I find (like you say) just starting with the intention of only reading a few pages usually gets me going! Love a good book
Katie | katieemmabeauty.com
My procrastination is really annoying, especially I want to read a book or have school studies. I’ve never heard of those read with me videos, may have to try them. I do try to make my surrounding as comfy as possible but I get distracted by my stupid phone lol. This post definitely helped in motivating me to just start as you said lol. Great post! ?
This is really relatable for me because my phone is always a big distraction. I try putting in on silent or telling myself I would reward myself with some phone time after I finish everything. I’m glad it helped, thanks for reading!
Oh goodness… this has been me ever since I graduated from uni in December. I was an English major, so I was reading constantly & I was a little burnt-out after I finished. I’ve missed reading for pleasure, but I haven’t felt the motivation to just start. I think this post might have given me the nudge I needed to get back into it.
Thank you for that! Xx
I’m glad this helped you, and congrats on getting your degree. Unfortunately I know when you read too much that you miss reading for pleasure. Thanks for reading!
It’s easy to procrastinate when you haven’t done any reading for a while, recently I did an unhaul of books that I just couldn’t get into, now I can get on with reading what I do really want to read. I definitely like reading at night too. x
I feel you, it’s difficult to get back when you forget the feeling. I’m so happy you can read them much easier now, I know how bad it feels to have a bunch of unread books but you don’t feel like reading them.