Showing posts with label Lists. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lists. Show all posts
*Alternative title - Take a Drink at Every Use of the Word 'Read' and See if you Can Still Stand Up'
I have only really gotten back into reading in the past three or four months. Before I went to University I was what you would call a 'big reader'. I got through the first three A Song of Ice and Fire in as many weeks, blasted through six books a month easily and read consistently one after another. However once Uni life began to settle I essentially found myself reading
1. Get into the habit.
Making reading just another part of daily life takes a few weeks of effort. Like going to the gym or tending a garden, making reading a regular habit takes actively forcing yourself into it for a little while until it just becomes something you do. Try and find space at least once a day to read, you can set yourself a page count or timer if you like, or just make sure you're reading, however little, every day. You could choose a specific time of day, on the bus in the morning or while dinner is in the oven. If you find it hard to set a certain time try using something like Don't Break the Chain to give you motivation or get someone else to hold you to account. After a while reading will stop feeling like something you need to make time for, and be as much of a habit as brushing your teeth.
2. Stop adding to your TBR pile.
I know this will sound strange, but the more unread books I see on my shelves, the harder it is for me to actually read any of them. I know, I'm insane. For the time period that I was really not reading, I was still buying books, because I wanted to read, I wanted to get out of this slump and get back to being the avid reader I was before. But I would try and start my new books, then feel guilty about all the unread books already sitting on my shelves and think I should really get through some of them first. But what do I pick? Do I finish that series I enjoyed but never got to the end of? Do I go for one of the classics I really should have read by now? Do I read these new books I've just bought while they're still relevant? Being overwhelmed with choice is a huge detriment to getting anything done. I had the bookshelf equivalent of the woman rifling through a stuffed wardrobe complaining of having nothing to wear. In the end I took most of my unread books and put them in a suitcase. I go back now and again and some make it out and get read, but I will probably end up donating most of them. It's silly to waste them on my shelf when they could go to someone who will read and love them. The likelihood is I'll forget about them. And if I find myself pining to read some in later years I can just pick up another copy and actually read it straight away this time. So stop crowding yourself with more and more unread books. Trust me.
3. Figure out if you're a 'TBR reader' or a 'Mood reader'.
In the book blogging/ booktube community there's a trend in which we post a declaration of our TBR, a pile of books 'to be read' over that month/summer/weekend and for some people that structure and planning really works. I however, have learned that if there's one way to guarantee a book goes unread forever, it's to put it on a TBR pile. I find that for me this method works once a year (bizarrely) and that's making a long list of books to get through over summer. Even then there must be no order or time frame or I will just never get to them. I don't really have an explanation for this. Maybe I just really don't do rules and 'limits' even when I'm the one deciding them? Whatever the reason, I find I read more consistently and enjoy my reading more when I just buy two or three books, read them and then buy some more once I've finished. This means I'm unlikely to have those massive haul posts/videos that I actually quite enjoy reading and watching, but it does mean that I'm a much happier reader. So work out whether a TBR is something that works for you, or if you find that just going one at a time suits you better.
4. Balance dense or complex books with lighter reads.
I love literary fiction, but sometimes reading can feel like a chore because you feel like you have to concentrate to get through it. Fortunately I also love fluffier reads and find that reading one alongside the other works beautifully! I read a lot of non fiction this way, and got through Quiet by Susan Cain, which is dense and deals with a lot of research and studies, alternating with the first three books in The Emperors Edge series by Lindsay Buroker (incredibly trashy, moreish steampunk books that take less than a day to get through each). You can see my reviews here. I did a similar thing with Wool, a book that I began to find heavy going and slow about half way through but really wanted to finish. I began to read fifty pages of it, then treat myself to fifty pages of Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman which is a joy the whole way through and kept me motivated to finish Wool. It worked perfectly! If like me you often find yourself reading dense or slow moving books, balancing fluffy humour or fast paced fantasy can be a great way to keep your reading pace and finish your books.
5. Make Reading 'Your' Time.
Reading for me is one of the few activities that I have to be completely focused on. You can watch TV and play on your phone and have your emails up on your laptop all at once, but reading needs all of your attention, and for me that means that reading is one of the few activities I do that allow me to be completely switched off from everything else. For a while I had trouble really sinking into reading, as I'd find myself having to come back out and check my phone or refresh twitter. Now it's become the ultimate 'me time'. Something that is about taking time for myself, to do something I enjoy without feeling the buzz of connectivity that is part of modern life. So turn your reading time into a treat. Create a comfy reading area on a soft rug by the fire, sinking in pillows and blankets on your bed or stretched out on the lawn in the sunshine. Reading in the bath is a bit of a stereotype but it's a good one. Occasionally I treat myself to some LUSH goodies, toss them in the bath and relax and read until I go all pruney. Books are an escape from daily life, to enter a different world or meet different kinds of people, or be exposed to different ideas, and I think that makes reading a perfect opportunity to take some time completely for yourself. Make reading part of your wind down at the end of a long day or your Sunday lie in and it'll become something you look forward to and crave.
6. Chill man, it's just reading.
God we all make a fuss about reading. We can attach so much weird guilt when we don't feel that we're reading as much as we want, or as much as others are. You only have so many hours in the day and we all have to figure out our priorities to fit them. Maybe you're happy to give up reruns of Next Top Model in favour of curling up with a book. Maybe you aren't. Maybe you can dedicate a whole evening to reading, maybe you've got other shit on. Reading should be something you enjoy and yes, if you want to cultivate a reading lifestyle, there will be pockets of time where you have to push yourself to read, but most people who consider themselves 'readers' have worked out a pace that suits them and their lifestyle. I have some days where I will do nothing but lie in bed and read, I have days where I catch twenty minutes reading on the train to or from work. I have days where I just don't read at all. I also read pretty slowly. It can take me a couple of weeks to get through one book, particularity if its very dense and something to savour and pick apart as you're going through. This can be frustrating as it feels like every book is a time commitment, unlike my housemate Abby who can inhale books in days. But it's not something I let myself get stuck thinking about. The more you stress and guilt yourself about how much you 'should' be reading, the more you'll give yourself analysis paralysis and not be able to get started. Let go of this obligation to be reading, start to see it for what it is: a past-time. Literally a thing you do because you enjoy it and it gives you a pleasing way to spend your time, as well as having some benefits to you (if you make that masturbation joke I swear to God.) Sometime you might want to do other things or just not feel like it and that's fine.
So those are my tips for making reading part of your lifestyle. Feel free to share any tips and also check out this similar post by Bee over at Vivatramp, which I remember being really helpful to me last summer.
Thank you for reading.
Isabelle
xox
01. Using the phrase "when I grow up" at nearly twenty-one years old, makes people look at you funny...
02. People have an average tolerance of 3 photos of your cat before the "aww!"s stop being genuine.
02. People have an average tolerance of 3 photos of your cat before the "aww!"s stop being genuine.
03. Life is improved dramatically by a clutter free room.
04. Kindles will never replace real books. But they're still very handy if you can't be without a story.
05. Anyone who saw the original Pokemon series first will be eternally disappointed by those that came after.
06. Learning to accept an apology you never got is a step towards a high level of being.
07. Someone walking in on you dancing in your room with headphones in will never ever not be embarrassing...
08. Take photographs. You will only regret that you didn't later.
09. No matter what the world tells you, you get further in life being nice to people than you do being a dick.
08. Take photographs. You will only regret that you didn't later.
09. No matter what the world tells you, you get further in life being nice to people than you do being a dick.
10. Putting on a funny accent when you talk to strangers is just hilarious.
11. Just because you're sorry doesn't mean you deserve to be forgiven.
12. A long lovely bubble bath solves many problems.
13. The people who talk the most often have very little to say.
14. Conversely, the quietest people often have the loudest minds.
14. Conversely, the quietest people often have the loudest minds.
15. People think it's weird to get crushes on fictional characters... until it happens to them.
I haven't done any sort of little personal posts in ages! This is actually an update of something I posted a while ago on here, but since got deleted along with all the other posts pre my long hiatus. I'd really love to do some more of these lists so let me know if you enjoyed, and of course let me know any little life lessons you've learned!
I haven't done any sort of little personal posts in ages! This is actually an update of something I posted a while ago on here, but since got deleted along with all the other posts pre my long hiatus. I'd really love to do some more of these lists so let me know if you enjoyed, and of course let me know any little life lessons you've learned!
.Finding that dress, you know, that one that is just the length, colour and cut you were looking for that fits you like a glove and makes you look staggeringly good.
.Being better than your siblings at their favourite video game (See little brother and Mass Effect 3)
.Stalking through the internet for pictures of Norman Reedus, Kit Harington, Douglas Booth or some other gorgeous human being... I would make so many sandwiches for those three #fangirl
.Playlists of songs from your youth. Just whack on B*Witched, Vengaboys or Busted and watch mecrack out the moves make a royal tit of myself.
.When your interest in video games/ good music and TV/ sport/ garners you more attention from the males than the tiny lacy bralet being worn by the obnoxious airhead across the room.
.Making just the tiniest positive change in someone's life. I visited the old people's care home that Mama manages and painted a few of the ladies' nails. They really liked it and it gave me the warmest fuzzies ^_^
.The realisation that you understand certain looks and sounds that your pet makes. E.g. Cat's neck stretched as far as possible with wide eyes staring at me = that thing your sitting on/ using? I quite fancy a nap on that... moveplz.
apologies for the less than in-depth post today, I'm not feeling hugely inspired but I thought it'd be nice to just share a few things that have made me happy recently, we spend far too much time focusing on the bits of our lives that aren't perfect when there's so much to be happy about, even just the little things.
What's been making you happy recently?
.Being better than your siblings at their favourite video game (See little brother and Mass Effect 3)
.Stalking through the internet for pictures of Norman Reedus, Kit Harington, Douglas Booth or some other gorgeous human being... I would make so many sandwiches for those three #fangirl
.Playlists of songs from your youth. Just whack on B*Witched, Vengaboys or Busted and watch me
.When your interest in video games/ good music and TV/ sport/ garners you more attention from the males than the tiny lacy bralet being worn by the obnoxious airhead across the room.
.Making just the tiniest positive change in someone's life. I visited the old people's care home that Mama manages and painted a few of the ladies' nails. They really liked it and it gave me the warmest fuzzies ^_^
.The realisation that you understand certain looks and sounds that your pet makes. E.g. Cat's neck stretched as far as possible with wide eyes staring at me = that thing your sitting on/ using? I quite fancy a nap on that... moveplz.
apologies for the less than in-depth post today, I'm not feeling hugely inspired but I thought it'd be nice to just share a few things that have made me happy recently, we spend far too much time focusing on the bits of our lives that aren't perfect when there's so much to be happy about, even just the little things.
What's been making you happy recently?
. Bucket List . Page of Things I Love .
Hey hey! As I said in a previous post, I want to be more creative this summer and really devote my time to getting my creative juices flowing! So a little while ago I purchased a lovely little fabric notebook from Paperchase (shown below) and am filling it with inspiration and happy makers. Some pages are pretty outfits and styles I pieced together from magazines (see the page of Baby-Goth-Girl clothes below.) Some are full of quotes and lists and some I just filled with patterns!
I'm hoping to expand what's in it, I'd love to include sketches, craft ideas, maybe use it as a dream diary too!
The possibilities are endless and I'll definitely share a few more pages once I've filled it up a bit more.
Let me know any creative plans you have for the summer!
. Fashion Mood Board . Favourite Quotes .
. Inspiration . Pattern Page .
Holy suncream Batman! Where is the year going!?
July really crept up on me, I was so busy getting myself together after coming back from uni I had no idea what the date was until my little brother 'pinch-punch-first-of-the-month'd me! SO mature.
But this month I really want to get some things done so I thought I'd share my July plans. They're quite indoorsy things as in August I have two holidays and a festival so I won't have time to get these things done between packing and preparing for funtimes and the actual having of said funtimes.
The first set of plans is basically getting myself organised and decluttering my room which, after 16 years of having an owner who doesn't like throwing anything away, is starting to gethorribly just a bit out of hand. The second is about getting creative and inspired. As I said in August I've got a lot on and will have to spend a lot of time being outside and/or with other people so I won't have much time to myself and therefore won't have as much time to be creative (you try writing a novel with flatmates or parents looking over your shoulder. Off-putting to say the least!) so I'm allowing myself, when not at work or seeing friends, to dedicate June to really exercising my creative brain-power!
July really crept up on me, I was so busy getting myself together after coming back from uni I had no idea what the date was until my little brother 'pinch-punch-first-of-the-month'd me! SO mature.
But this month I really want to get some things done so I thought I'd share my July plans. They're quite indoorsy things as in August I have two holidays and a festival so I won't have time to get these things done between packing and preparing for funtimes and the actual having of said funtimes.
The first set of plans is basically getting myself organised and decluttering my room which, after 16 years of having an owner who doesn't like throwing anything away, is starting to get
01. Organising
♥ Have a massive makeup/beauty chuck-out >> My beauty and makeup preferences have changed so much over the past few years, but I still own a lot of the makeup I was wearing when I was 17! There are all sorts of frosty peach lipglosses and neon green eyeshadows (Oh lordy) cluttering up my drawers and sitting in bags that I'm never going to use again. I want to chuck all that out and condense my makeup down to the products I love and use regularly. That gives me space for more!
♥ Donate my old/unwanted clothes >> Same story really. So much in my wardrobe that I just never wear! I'm going to dig right into the back of my wardrobe and pull out all the crap. The good stuff that just doesn't fit or isn't my style anymore I'll be donating to the various charity shops in my little hometown, and the things that I don't think anyone would really want to buy I want to give to a charity that gives clothes out to the homeless or those who simply can't afford clothes. Gets rid or my clutter, helps out other people and makes my soul a little shinier too. Win/Win!
♥ Create an official desk space to myself >> Unbelievably I actually have two desks in my room at home (as opposed to uni), but neither actually functions as a desk, more just two miscellaneous crap tables. I want to organise at least one of them and equip it with a stationary holder, pen box and other jazzy things so I have a place where I can write, research and be productive over the three months I'm going to be spending here!
♥ Create an official desk space to myself >> Unbelievably I actually have two desks in my room at home (as opposed to uni), but neither actually functions as a desk, more just two miscellaneous crap tables. I want to organise at least one of them and equip it with a stationary holder, pen box and other jazzy things so I have a place where I can write, research and be productive over the three months I'm going to be spending here!
02. Creating
♥ Win Camp NaNoWriMo! >> I tried to do NaNoWriMo (Don't know what it is? Click here!) back in November, and I did pretty well but I had so much work to get done. I got four essays in two weeks! So I had to prioritize and give up. However there is another opportunity during the summer and I've decided to give it another go. It started today and will go for a month. I've manged to complete today so I'm feeling good. If all goes well I may share a snippet of what I'm writing here!
♥ Create an Inspiration Board >> This is to go with the aforementioned desk space. I've always wanted to make a big board full of the things I love and find inspiring but I've just never gotten round to it. Well no excuses! I've spent ages looking at Pinterest and Weheartit at other people's and have found a big board in which to create my masterpiece! Should be interesting!
♥ Start Scrap-booking >> Another thing I've wanted to do for ever and ever! I just want to make something to keep all of my lists and drawings and favourite magazine articles and quotes and photos of the days I spend with my friends and family. I've finally purchased one from Paperchase, this one if you're interested. I'm starting to invest in colouring/ arty bits and pieces and even if I only fill a few pages I'll be happy that I've made a start.
If you have any plans for July definitely let me know!
♥ Create an Inspiration Board >> This is to go with the aforementioned desk space. I've always wanted to make a big board full of the things I love and find inspiring but I've just never gotten round to it. Well no excuses! I've spent ages looking at Pinterest and Weheartit at other people's and have found a big board in which to create my masterpiece! Should be interesting!
♥ Start Scrap-booking >> Another thing I've wanted to do for ever and ever! I just want to make something to keep all of my lists and drawings and favourite magazine articles and quotes and photos of the days I spend with my friends and family. I've finally purchased one from Paperchase, this one if you're interested. I'm starting to invest in colouring/ arty bits and pieces and even if I only fill a few pages I'll be happy that I've made a start.
If you have any plans for July definitely let me know!
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