When Life Gets in the Way of Reading

You all may have noticed that in the past two weeks I’ve finished 0 books and I’ve taken two days off from blogging to keep the rest of my life under control. I’m very fortunate that this was foreseeable and not related to any kind of crisis. It’s school, work, and family coming together to be as intense and frustrating as possible all at the same time.

On a normal day, I’ll read some of 3-4 different books. I’ll take you through a typical day (and hopefully answer consistent questions about how I read so many books at a time) and explain how things have been different the past two weeks.

I typically wake up around 5:00am. On days I go for a run, I listen to my eaudiobook and get in about 40 minutes this way. On days I head to the gym to swim or attend spin class, I’ll get maybe 10 minutes of my car audiobook in during the drive. Total (average) reading time: 25 minutes.
This part of my day hasn’t changed much. Over the past two weeks, I’ve taken a few more days off than normal. So instead of this happening 4 mornings a week, it’s happening 3. I’m going to stick with an average reading time of 25 minutes.

During lunch 3 days a week, I read at my desk while I eat. This gives me about 30 minutes to read the ebook I keep on my phone, which is why that book is a rather slow one for me. Total reading time: 30 minutes.
I’ve been studying and reviewing notes during lunch since my class started. I don’t have much time at home to do these things so getting them done during lunch is a great option. Total reading time: 0.

After work, I usually head home and get about 15 minutes more in with my car audiobook. Total reading time: 15 minutes.
While in school, I’m driving to campus twice a week which gives me about 30 minutes in the car. This is the only area where I’m getting more book time in than I normally do and can be attributed to why I’m getting through car audio so much faster than normal. Total reading time: 30 minutes.

I normally cook dinner and listen to an audiobook while I do that. I use the eaudiobook on my phone for that. Total reading time: 20 minutes.
While in school, I’m eating while reading more notes and reviewing presentations and test material with classmates. No reading time here.

I like to get ready for bed early, around 9:30, and read in bed for 20-30 minutes before turning the light off and going to sleep. It really helps me unwind before falling asleep. Total (average) reading time, 25 minutes.
I’ve cut back to about 10 minutes if I even read at all for the past few weeks. I’m so exhausted after getting home after 9:30 that I don’t need to unwind much and I can fall asleep immediately. Total (average) reading time, 5 minutes.

So that gives me a normal total of 1:55 minutes of reading during an average day and over the past two weeks, an average of 1 hour per day. It makes sense that I’m at almost half speed for my reading when I look at it this way. Life is getting in the way.

But that’s OK. Life does this sometimes and I haven’t stopped reading completely. I’ll get back to it and it’s coming soon. My final exam is tomorrow (!!!) and after that, things will be much calmer in my life. Maybe I’ll enjoy the summer weather and read outside. Maybe I’ll go for some more long runs and listen to audio. Perhaps a car trip and some long audio with my hubby. I have to remember that “This too shall pass.” I’ll find the time when I can.

Until next time, write on.

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