Expert Millennial Reader. If you are any bit like me (which I assume you are, having read the title and not exited the page), you are a twenty-something-year-old who “loves reading.” However, here’s the thing There’s a problem: You’re not reading. Indeed, you’re not reading nearly the amount you think that you ought to be. Yet, every time you go to the book shop, you walk out with a plethora of books you’re not reading. These beautiful rectangular books are fresh and unchanged as ever.
Expert Millennial Reader
So, why don’t you read? There are many reasons that you don’t have time, you’re unable to focus, and you’re on your mobile all the time, you are studying, working, volunteering whatever it is, you’re exhausted, and reading is way too difficult.
It is important to know that you’re not the only one in this situation and that you are part of thousands of millennials from the past who are awestruck by the sensation of turning pages but are unable to look for it. I’d like you to set aside for a second and listen to those voices of English authors, professors, and scholars from the past who told you how important to read. Honor them and recognize them, but be aware that they weren’t in the boat. We’re in the present.
While I’m not trying to diminish the importance of the issues readers of the past encountered, I am making the case that our present challenges are different from the past. Today, we are blessed with accessibility to more literature than before, but we also are surrounded by social media, smartphones, and the constant flow of information that comes from all directions. We’re losing our ability to concentrate. And as millennials, this is a double blow as we recollect books from our childhood: reading for hours and bouncing between books to the next and not paying attention to how fast we were doing it. We know what we’ve lost and need to get it to be back.
After my rant is done, here are some of the options you have to revive that yearning for books back in action:
1. Consider your book as your mobile phone. It happens at school, at work, or waiting for the bus- wherever it may be, you’re feeling bored, and your mind starts to wander off. Then, you go to your phone. And you’re not the only one doing this According to priceonomics.com;
The average person is on the phone an average of 150 times a day. Let’s suppose that when you check your mobile, you only do it for more than 60 seconds. This is 150 minutes in a day and an amount of time reading. What if you altered the game just slightly? Decide that on top of your phone, you’ll put the book you’re currently reading. Then you’ll reach for your book each when you need an interruption!
Of course, you’ll be wondering, is it possible to read for a few minutes? Do you not think that reading at first makes you want to continue reading?
Yes, it is but life isn’t always able to disengage, and sometimes, we must accept and use the time we have instead of wishing for the days we do not have. Sixty seconds of reading might not be as stimulating as reading for an hour. However, you will still take a lot of value from your time reading. Take a look, and you’ll understand what I’m talking about.
2. Make sure you schedule the reading time. Indeed, it would help if you didn’t rely solely on short reading sessions of a minute. It’s important to take time to become absorbed in the book. Are you struggling to find the time? Plan it out and while you’re doing it, be careful not to grieve the fact that you’re forced to make it happen. We’re confronting it and socializing it, so we may like to schedule it. Don’t forget to tell us. If you’re tired at home, you’re a bookworm! You’ll get the urge to begin reading.
3. Book breaks are a must. Five minutes, that’s all it takes. Smokers smoke it, so why do readers not? To all smokers: you don’t have an excuse! Bring your book! Make sure you don’t set the book on fire. That will be a devastatingly irreversible ending…
Why should I be calling this a break? The answer is simple. As I’ve mentioned in passing, sometimes requiring you to read makes reading seem like it’s a chore, and the enjoyment disappears.
When you categorize reading as a break-time exercise, but you’re changing your mind to what it is: an opportunity to refresh and look at things from a different perspective. I am sure that a glance through your emails and Facebook accounts will have a far more negative impact…
4. Make sure you remember why you’re reading this. As the millennial generation, guilt lurking in the shade of nostalgia is inevitable. We need to face it. But putting yourself in a position of guilt isn’t helping. It hinders you and makes you feel as if you have ruined your persona as a reader…
Stop. Keep in mind the reason you’re reading. It’s as simple as that because you love it. You’ve always been awed by it. Read as slowly and as deeply as you’re able to.
Even if you have one book to read in your entire life and take pleasure in it, that’s enough to make the whole experience worthwhile. So no pressure. Go back and read a sentence if you have to, or even take a page to read. What’s important in the end is that you’ve read the book for the sake of reading and not for the purpose. If reading were just about the final page, there wouldn’t be any material to read.
5. Don’t be a chaos. Most likely, there will be days that you aren’t reading. Stress, laziness, or laziness caused by stress (a tradition of our time) might all be the cause. Whatever it is, this day is likely to make you think- what’s the purpose?
My dear reader is this simple Read on. You’re a reader. Accept it or let guilt consume you to death (oh yes, and that guilt you’re feeling, or have been feeling? This is proof that you’re indeed a reader even if you’re not doing any reading.)
6. Don’t speed-read. It’s tempting: Read faster, more. It’s just logical. It’s just not true.
Instead of trying to read more, why not relax and take a moment to soak in more? Relax a bit and unwind. Consider a connoisseur of wine, and you will see that they are a fan of good wine, or even desire to sample every excellent wine in the worldBut do they consume it all in one go? This is not recommended. Wine lovers take the time to taste each wine, and that’s exactly what you should be doing as well.
7. It is a good idea to read by yourself. It’s enjoyable to read in a cafe at times, watching the whirlwind of people going here and there than returning to the peaceful reading of the novel that you’re reading (hopefully an enjoyable one). But there’s some value about solitude, too. The silence when it’s only you and your book. A sense of enjoyment is truly one of a kind here and may even revive the focus abilities you’ve developed previously.
8. Read with others. Share your reading with friends as well! There’s something special about sitting close to a friend, all of you lost by your adventures while remaining completely on your own. It’s also a fantastic opportunity to talk about what you’re reading or perhaps gather ideas for books you’d like to read in the future.
9. Select books from authors you like. Yes, it’s essential to diversify your reading. However, you should also pamper yourself! I, for one, can’t resist an excellent Kazuo Ishiguro or Toni Morrison book. Therefore, I try to add them to my list of reading. Reading for pleasure should be the way it was intended to be: a joy.
10. Make sure you have an account on Goodreads account! If you’re looking to have an online social-media fix, Goodreads will be your best choice. The site was designed specifically to cater to book lovers, and it’s not just that: It allows you to explore books and remember what you’ve read.
Sometimes, it’s good to look back and say, Hey! I’ve read the book and enjoyed it! It might be time for a great book…
