Too Much of a Good Thing?
There are things in life that it’s just assumed are good for you: eating your vegetables, regular exercise, reading.
Well it turns out you definitely can have too much of a good thing.
And my good thing is reading.
Over the past few years I have prioritised reading over activities such as social media scrolling and watching TV as I know that I’m happier when reading and it seemed like a much better use of my time. As a result I’m reading at least a book a week (and this year by the end of April I had already read 50 books).
I am absolutely loving all the reading I am doing, both fiction and non-fiction. I enjoy submerging myself in the complications of other places and others’ lives as much as I appreciate the ability to learn through what I read.
However I have recently been aware that I’m struggling to find the time to dedicate to some of the things that are important to me. So I took stock of where my focus is going. And realised that almost all my discretional time is being spent reading. Which makes perfect sense as how else can I explain reading so many books this year while working full-time and being very involved in amateur theatre?!
So I have decided that other than reading fiction before sleep and non-fiction as part of my morning routine I will only read when I’ve scheduled it into my calendar; that way I can give myself more space to focus on all the other things that I want to spend time on.
My strategy to remind myself of this? Leave my current novel by my bed rather than bringing it downstairs in the morning. That way it’s not there calling me at random free moments! Let’s see how it goes.
What about you? Is there something that is taking up too much of your time, despite being important/ good for you/ incredibly enjoyable?
If you’re not struggling with getting other things done then carry on! But if you know that you are having difficulties finding the time for something else that you want to do, then consider cutting back on it. Giving the activity set times when you will enjoy it might be a good way to start. Or, if possible, hide it away so it’s less of a temptation!
