You were a third grader reading at a fifth-grade level. Now, you can't even get past Chapter 1 of that novel you picked up yesterday.
This week, I've been thinking a lot about how easy it is to start something but never finish it. Sticking to a new workout routine for a week before dropping it, starting a diary and writing only a few entires before forgetting about it, beginning a new book with enthusiasm but leaving it halfway through... It's all too common for many, many people.
With general reading, the stakes are low. You aren't necessarily trying to produce concrete results or create any tangible thing. There is no physical reward waiting for you when you reach the last page, and there is no penalty for giving up before you reach the end.
Is this what makes finishing a book so difficult?
Perhaps the book is just boring, and there's no need to continue reading. Or, maybe my attention span has simply been squashed by hours of scrolling on TikTok. Is it even a bad thing that some books get left unfinished? Is the idea of 'finishing things' an arbitrary value in our culture?
The list of obstacles could go on... Time constraints. Procrastination. Distractions. Reading becomes a chore.
What’s the problem? Me or the book?
Plot twist! It’s both! (Bet you didn’t see that coming, huh?) It comes down to two things: mindset and interests.
Let’s start with mindset. First off, this email is classified as 'productivity hacks.' However, if you really think about it, it’s not about being ‘productive.’ When we hear that word, we think about staying focused, working hard, and generating results. But that’s not what reading—for pastime—is truly about.
It’s about enjoying the process. It’s about finding comfort or joy or [insert whatever positive emotion here] that comes with the influx of knowledge, expansion of imagination, and increased awareness and introspection that accompanies reading. You’re not going to be able to 'productively’ finish a book if you’re having to force yourself through the process of reading it.
Now, let’s jump to interests. So, maybe the problem isn’t you. You DO enjoy reading; it isn’t a chore, it’s a hobby! You love books!
Maybe, the problem really does lie in the book. If that’s the case, well, you’re not going to like the answer to this problem, because it’s ridiculously simple: choose a new book. Don’t like fantasy? Try non-fiction. That’s not doing it for you? Flip through some poem books. I dunno, just go try new things, and find what you like.
Of course, sometimes it isn’t that simple. What if you have to read a book for school that might not exactly be your cup of tea? If you fall into that boat, then my advice to you is to fall back onto mindset. Remind yourself about the parts of the reading process you most enjoy, and apply it to whatever you pick up to read. Keep an open mind, and there’ll be something to take away from every book.
