Gone are the days when I could settle down with one book in my lap, perhaps a snack or two and a hot beverage, and focus on one story line at a time. My attention span has been shot to death with the invention of the internet, and I freely admit that.
I still enjoy reading though (obviously). How to solve the problem though of a wandering mind? Over the last couple of months I think I found the solution.
I’ve allowed myself to pick up more than one book at a time, and switch between stories. When I feel like one isn’t captivating my attention at a certain time, even if I really like it, just switch it up. The real trick though is the medium by which I consume these reads.
For a lighter daily bag, I bring my Kindle with me to work and read an e-book during lunch. During the commute home, I listen to my audio book as I navigate Miami traffic. And at night, when I am comfy cozy in my pajamas, ready to settle in with the lamp alight on my nightstand, I read a physical hardcover or paperback.
Some nights I still can’t concentrate on a novel though, so I compromise with comic book reading. Short pages and mostly artwork does wonders for keeping the brain entertained.
My new strategy of reading multiple books and stories through different channels at different times has also expanded the amount of reading I get done in a month. The thing about trying to read one book when I wasn’t feeling it, is that I’d read the same sentence at least five times over and still not process what was happening.
Letting myself give in to the new millennial attention span and spreading my reading around through e-books, audio books, and physical books has increased my ability to multitask and enjoy a story even more than I already could.
For the first time in a long time, I look forward to taking a look at my TBR list and not feeling a dreadful pit in my stomach, making me feel guilty for adding, adding, adding and never making a dent. I’ve finally started to get some of those books off my list.
Should I even dare to dream that one day I can make it through the whole list? Alright, that’s probably farfetched, but a reader can dream.
What are your favorite ways to consume books? Let me know in the comments!