Every semester, without fail, my friends and I have the same conversation about wishing we had more time to read books in our free time outside of textbooks and class readings.
Before I started college I was constantly reading at least one book — oftentimes more than one — so I found the abrupt shift to a life without a novel to fall back on unsettling.
And this isn’t to say I haven’t read books in college. All of us are well aware of how demanding course loads can be, sometimes requiring eight to ten books to be completed a semester.
Since I don’t believe in New Year’s resolutions, I am instead making a semester goal of consistently making my way through one book at a time.
This endeavor isn’t just so I can gloat in my friends’ faces that I actually managed to accomplish one of the tasks we are constantly bemoaning.
I’m also challenging myself to balance my time successfully enough to read responsibly, to have an outlet to de-stress from school and most importantly to fall back in love with reading.
First, I believe choosing a book you want to read, not one assigned in class, that will make you excited to pick it up and sit down for 30 minutes or an hour at a time.
According to a study by the University of Sussex, reading for just six minutes can reduce stress by up to 68 percent.
Those sound like pretty good numbers to me, especially when I often find myself with random amounts of time between class. There’s not enough time to really start or finish something, so reading a few pages would be a great use of that time.
Those little intervals throughout the day at the bus stop, waiting for class to start or getting dinner ready can add up to significant progress through a book.
Second, I believe firmly that no matter what genre or subject matter your book covers, you are learning. You don’t have to read a biography on Steve Jobs to feel smarter. I glean the most interesting tidbits of information from all varieties of books.
A third and maybe less obvious reason to read this semester is that it’s pretty much guaranteed to not leave you broke, tired or hungover when you’re finished. Many books are available for free or extremely cheap on any number of websites like Amazon or Thriftbooks and in second-hand stores.
And while reading should relax you, an interesting book won’t put you to sleep. Yes, I will admit, sitting at home reading may not be as raunchy and risk-filled as a night out with friends, but the aftermath is usually much nicer.
This semester goal might be one of my most challenging yet with this relatively ambitious attempt to get back in the swing of reading without neglecting my usual activities, but I am confident I will see positive results.
Now the first challenge begins: finding a book I can’t wait to dive into.
