Reflection on 2013 progress

I started this year vowing to read more.

And I have to say I'm pleased with my progress on this.

It's mid April (tax day eve), and I have completed 12 books since January 1.

I read 24 books in 2012--so in a three and a half months I've read half of what I read last year. I would say I'm well on pace to surpass last year's total.

Where have I carved out the time? I'm not exercising less or ignoring my work for teaching or spending less time with my family. But I'm definitely watching less on Netflix--way less. And I'm Facebooking less. And I made a rule that once I got in my bed at night I could only use my iPad to read and not check Facebook or play Words With Friends or read anything posted on the internet. Hence, I'm reading every evening right before I fall asleep. Some nights I can only make it about 10 minutes before my eyes can't stay open any longer. But now that I'm reading more frequently I'm finding myself wanting to read and thus getting myself in bed earlier to carve out more time for it before I fall asleep.

I guess that we block out time in our day for the things that we value, right? I've sought to make reading more of a value in my day, and it's working. I've had to trade off things that do not bring me as much joy as reading. Rather than picking another TV show and watching all of its episodes, I'm reading. Rather than spending a lot of time doing that random internetting that we all do (you know, you just decide to check your Facebook news feed and then you click on a link to something someone has posted and before you know it you've spent two hours watching videos on YouTube?), I'm taking back that time and doing something constructive with it.

I do not miss the things I've given up to have more time to read. I'm thrilled to be able to see the 12 books I've read and to go back to them again and again in my thinking because of all the ways the books have challenged me as a human being. I can't say the same for a series of cat videos on the internet.

So here's to all the books that are yet ahead for me in 2013!