Growing new reading habits

Muse #185 - adding to my daily writings

Credit: https://unsplash.com/photos/K-g-Kt1vAHs

I have been writing every day for about six months now. But I still have reading challenges. I do read a lot of audiobooks, but that is still a limiting factor as several of what I want to read are in paper form (or Kindle or other ebook forms). And it is time for a breakthrough here in order to move me forward. I have to stop freezing when I see words.

I am certainly not trying to meet some norms with an ability to read, as I am competing with one human I know, me! The readings are a means to an end to help me with my journey of things that I would love to do and not being able to be is impeding my progress.

I have actual reading challenges - over the last 25+ years, I struggle to read more than a few lines at a time. These are focus issues though I do truly want to read. So my eBook and physical bookshelf is accumulating. There are blogs that I want to read that I am unable to read.

AKA Clutter. Credit: https://sketchplanations.com/tsundoku

So what is my response?

My response is to read “30 books in 30 days” - and no, I don’t mean audiobooks - those will continue. I am planning to make a dent in my eBook and paper book collection. Some techniques that I plan to use include:

• Use techniques to focus - music helps for certain kinds of books, Pomodoro clock helps for some, just silence (using noise-canceling headphones) work for some

• Android speed read - one word at a time displaying at high speed - have a spare Andriod phone lying around which could do that

• I prefer to read books in full (every word of it) - now depending on the book focus on key sections, ignore slow-moving and repetitions, focus more on pictures, focus on summary sections. I still don’t prefer to read summations of books by someone else as it leads to more lost-in-translation.

• Time block my evenings for books. This means moving my priorities around and writing the blogs I write during the daytime instead

And I shall report back often enough on my progress on whether I am able to acquire the ability to read again. You shall know soon enough.