Kevin's Watch

I've sort of committed myself to writing a post for Indies Unlimited next week on how to find time to read. The idea is that writers need to read because it helps us learn to write well, but everybody always complains that they don't have time. Since most Watchers don't seem to have a problem with working reading into our day, I thought I'd take a poll.

Feel free to vote and/or leave a comment....

Can you insert "All of the above" between "Right before sleep" and "None of your business?"

My theory: if you want to read, you will find time to read.

There are plenty of moments where we are wasting our time which can be used to read instead if we really wanted to.

1) Watching TV. I've found that TV is a massive waste of time and adds little to no value to my life.

2) Hanging out with friends. A social life may be helpful/necessary, but sometimes it seems like they want you around every...day. Say no to such nonsense, focus on reading.

3) Waiting at work. Every once in a while, you may find yourself in a holding pattern at work. Don't just pick your nose during this time, multitask! Reading will help you improve yourself as a worker or make you more agreeable to work with!

4) Posting on Kevin's Watch....seriously, what are you doing? Instead of going that twentieth round with your arch-nemesis over the same disagreement, realize that winning internet battles is pointless...much like reading in a way, but much less enjoyable... so read!

5) Finding that significant other to share your life with You were born alone, you'll die alone... pass the time between existential voids with books!

6) Eating, drinking, bathing, etc. What's the point? Books understand me... if I get enough books, life will have meaning, right? Right?

As Morgan Freeman should have said, "Get busy reading or get busy dying"

Orlion wrote:My theory: if you want to read, you will find time to read.

There are plenty of moments where we are wasting our time which can be used to read instead if we really wanted to.

1) Watching TV. I've found that TV is a massive waste of time and adds little to no value to my life.

2) Hanging out with friends. A social life may be helpful/necessary, but sometimes it seems like they want you around every...day. Say no to such nonsense, focus on reading.

3) Waiting at work. Every once in a while, you may find yourself in a holding pattern at work. Don't just pick your nose during this time, multitask! Reading will help you improve yourself as a worker or make you more agreeable to work with!

4) Posting on Kevin's Watch....seriously, what are you doing? Instead of going that twentieth round with your arch-nemesis over the same disagreement, realize that winning internet battles is pointless...much like reading in a way, but much less enjoyable... so read!

5) Finding that significant other to share your life with You were born alone, you'll die alone... pass the time between existential voids with books!

6) Eating, drinking, bathing, etc. What's the point? Books understand me... if I get enough books, life will have meaning, right? Right?

As Morgan Freeman should have said, "Get busy reading or get busy dying"

I have a motto. At least, it's probably the closest thing I have to a motto. "Always carry a book." (a smaller e-reader and/or big pockets helps.) You will always have time to read when you have nothing to read. We spend a lot of time waiting, and a lot of that time, if you have nothing to do, waiting really sucks. But if you have a book... You can always say, "Oh, don't worry about me; I have a book." The end of waiting can often be a disappointment when you have a book.

And I'm not kidding when I say that I walk and read. Through the hall on my way to the break room at work, across the parking lot, etc. It's a skill you have to develop (it helps that I grew up in the desert, in the middle of nowhere, and usually lived a couple miles from friends' houses) and use judiciously.

Last, I'd say stay away from smart phones. They defeat the purpose of always having a book.

I sit down for 1.5 - 2 hours when I get home from work and read then.

I also read short fiction on my smartphone [:| Syl], when I'm on the train, or waiting around for something or other.

usually while Julie is watching tv before we go to bed.

I agree with [Syl], if you always carry a book then any time spent waiting can become a pleasure instead of a pain (so long as the book is good ). On a bus*, in a doctor's waiting room, in a queue for a tourist attraction**, on a train, a plane, in a car (so long as you're not driving ), while watching TV*** (during the ads or the boring parts (which can often be a lot of it)), while watching sports, eating (although you really should be 'mindful' and attend to your food), during your lunchbreak, at breakfast, on the toilet (TMI, uss! ), waiting to get a haircut and so on.

There are also audio books which I know lots of people use, especially when they are driving or doing some task that requires movement (jogging, at the gym?!)

Probably the single biggest reducer of reading time is kids. It's not really a good idea to be reading while your offspring are hanging out the window, playing with the traffic, lighting matches or throttling each other

u.

* A couple of years ago I read Austerlitz by W.G. Sebald while I was commuting. It's a brilliant book and I might never have read it except for that time spent travelling.

** I spent an hour recently waiting to go up to the top of the CN Tower in Toronto, the best part of the whole experience was reading my book during that wait. Don't bother going up the CN Tower if there's a queue. There's not a lot to see from it and nothing to do

*** Especially during 'Revenge', 'Suits' and 'The Walking Dead'

ussusimiel wrote: 'Suits' [/size]

Heh...I watch that show. It's not good. But I enjoy it anyway.
And, related, if I'm watching TV, 99% of the time I'm reading, too.

Vraith wrote:

ussusimiel wrote: 'Suits' [/size]

Heh...I watch that show. It's not good. But I enjoy it anyway.

Yeah, it's like they took 'Mad Men' and said lets make this sleazy and s**t Still there's something greasily compulsive about it, as if you deep-fried the American Dream in waste oil for a month!

u.

Menolly wrote:Can you insert "All of the above" between "Right before sleep" and "None of your business?"

It appears I can't edit the poll. Bah. Sorry....

"All of the above" would be my choice, too. Y'know what makes me crazy? Well, one of the things. It's kind of a long list at this point.... Anyway, y'know what makes me crazy? All the freakin' TV monitors people have installed everywhere! At the doctor's office, in line at the store, etc., etc. It's like advertisers are co-opting all the places we used to use to read or think, and are driving their marketing messages ever deeper into our brains.

(There, there, ali. Deep, cleansing breaths...)

(Vraith -- the worst thing about it is that I *volunteered.* How dumb was that? )

I almost put "In the bathroom" as one of the poll options, but thought, "Nah, that's TMI...." :lol

Most of the time I have for anything is in the evenings once my daughter is in bed and asleep, which is usually by 8:30. I often don't get much time at weekends, either because of taking my daughter to swimming or other events, or because of things that need doing around the house.

The biggest problem is that there is a lot I would like to do in the evenings, and I just don't get time for much of it. I can read a few chapters of a book each evening, or I could play some sort of musical instrument quietly (so most of them are out of the question). I also would like to find time to write a lot more, and keep promising myself I'll start going running in the evenings again.

On top of that I really should spend time with my wife!

I get to read, but not anywhere near as much as I would like.

I used to take books around with me everywhere. I am uncomfortable making chit chat with strangers so whenever I used to be standing in line or waiting for various reasons I would pull out whatever book I was reading and get a few pages turned.

Then I got a smart phone. That was the death knell to my reading time. Now whenever I'm stuck standing around somewhere I'm either playing chess or catching up on Facebook. My copies of A Dance With Dragons and The Last Dark are both sitting at home unread although I would greatly like to read them both.

I don't know how to break the hold my phone has on me. I need help.

aTOMiC wrote:I don't know how to break the hold my phone has on me. I need help.

Download books to your phone and read them on there?

aliantha wrote:
"All of the above" would be my choice, too. Y'know what makes me crazy? Well, one of the things. It's kind of a long list at this point.... Anyway, y'know what makes me crazy? All the freakin' TV monitors people have installed everywhere! At the doctor's office, in line at the store, etc., etc. It's like advertisers are co-opting all the places we used to use to read or think, and are driving their marketing messages ever deeper into our brains.

My laundromat has no less than 3 TVs - one usually blaring sports, and the other two featuring soap operas en Español. It wasn't easy, but I have learned to tune all of them out.

I carry a book everywhere I go. I read while I eat, while I walk, while I smoke, and while I wait. I read while I cook and while I brush my teeth.

The only thing I hate is having to choose between reading, games or being online.

--A

Menolly wrote:

aTOMiC wrote:I don't know how to break the hold my phone has on me. I need help.

Download books to your phone and read them on there?

If only it were that simple. I have books on my phone and even though I have a fairly large phone with a great screen reading a book on the thing just gives me a headache.