Ever since I learned to read as a kid, it’s always been my priority. I’ve always carried a book with me and squeezed time to read between subway commutes, coffee break, lunch time and before bed. As an avid reader I caught myself over the past few months picking up my Nintendo DS when I slipped into bed or watching an episode of some television show I downloaded onto my Itouch. My Itouch has had the Complete Works of Shakespeare on it for two years and yet I have only managed to make it to the middle of the Tempest. The small screen isn’t conducive to enjoying a book. I don’t see me downloading any other titles if they were to become available. Yes, I prefer books and flipping pages to the electronic alternatives.
However, that isn’t the largest problem. Vying for my time are interactive mysteries or puzzle games, console games (I’m dying to try Batman Arkham Asylum and Drake’s Fortune 2), the portable documentary (PBS on my I-Touch), the missed television shows, updating web sites, keeping up with friends on Facebook, not to mention my own writing and that my job requires I read materials for research.
Reading for pleasure has been booted to the bottom of my list, if not tossed from the list entirely. Finding the time in a day or week is getting more difficult with such a bombardment of information around me.
To tackle the problem (and it is actually becoming a problem) I’ve started to schedule my time. I’ve never been fond of scheduling anything and I should also add that while I don’t assign specific times necessarily, I have started to assign a time-frame.
After work:
workout 1hr.
dinner & reading 1hr.
writing 1hr.
etc.
Unfortunately something has to give at some point because, apparently, I’m also supposed to sleep, oh yes, and clean and do laundry. I’m hoping if I can be disciplined, without being boringly rigid, that I can remedy this issue. Because while I may have let books fall to the sidelines I’ve never let go of the love of slipping into them.
Therefore my friends, should this profile lie fallow know that it’s for a good cause. I’ll be reading.
Filed under: Observation
