Reading one book a week
Day 362 / 365
I took a book reading challenge this year, reading 52 books in a year, one book a week. I took it partially because I had quite a comfortable job which left me with lots of free time. And partially because I loved reading as a kid, so I thought I’ll try to get that hobby back. I finally finished the challenge today.
So was it a good use of my time? Did I gain anything from doing this? Will I do this again next year? I am not sure about the answers to any of those questions, but I can share with you some things that I learned from doing all this reading.
Reading can be a great pastime
A great book can be just as engaging as a movie or a TV series. There have been books that I have finished over the course of a weekend, cause I just wasn’t able to put them down. For the first few months this year, I had switched off youtube completely, and I got almost all of my daily dose of entertainment from reading. I don’t think I have binge-watched a single tv series this year. And I didn’t have to force it, I just chose to read rather than watch Netflix.
It’s not hard work
Many people are put off just by the size of most novels. They think it is hard work, so they never give it a try. I’ll let you in on a little secret. Everyone thinks that. I love reading, and even I find it tough getting through the first 20–30 pages of a book. But that is where the hard work ends. For most books, if you are able to get through the first 20–30 pages, the book will carry you forward from then on. After that, it would be just like watching a movie, time would fly by and you wouldn’t even notice it.
And even if it is harder than simply sitting and watching videos, I think that is a good thing. You can never get into a flow state doing something low effort. That sort of entertainment wouldn’t refresh your brain as much as reading can do. Ever notices how lazy and tired you feel after wasting 2–3 hours watching random youtube videos? You would never get that from a book.
So for all these reasons and many more, I think I am going to continue the reading habit. Although I might not take it up as a challenge this time. And I think everyone should give it a try next year. Even if you read 10 pages a day, you would easily finish 10+ novels.