To follow up my ruminations from the previous issue, here’s a more practical answer to the question of how I try to balance reading for work and reading for pleasure. This is not meant to be a piece on ‘more productive reading’. It’s just my (evolving) approach to maintaining a reading practice that suits my lifestyle. Of course, none of these are hard rules – I break and bend them all the time because I’m not a robot.

Most of my work-related reading happens in Pocket where I dump interesting content from Twitter, blogs and newsletters. I’m a premium user, mostly for the unlimited highlights. I wish it allowed me to take notes inside the app, too.

I figured the key to avoiding crippling ‘read later’ debt is to limit my list size to around 25 items and have no qualms about deleting articles that don’t capture my interest quickly. I try to read one or two pieces on my phone every day, usually over breakfast or when I take a break. By default, we tend to fill little gaps during the day with checking social feeds. I’ve arranged the apps on my phone in a way that Pocket becomes my go-to gap filler, instead of getting sucked into the doomscroll hole.

As for books, I usually have two going at the same time: one non-fiction and one fiction. I learned that my brain is most receptive of non-fiction during the day, so I try to read a chapter or two over a tea break in the afternoon. As I mentioned last week, most non-fiction feels like work to me. I don’t particularly enjoy reading it. My curiosity about the topic keeps me going, rarely the writing itself. That’s why it takes me quite long to finish a non-fiction book. I pick it up when I’m in the mood or completely ignore it for days when I’m not. No hard feelings.

Fiction on the other hand is an act of pure, unabashed escapism. There is no judgment or limit to what, when, and how much to read, although I usually read before bed and on weekends. I mostly read on my Kobo these days, because it’s convenient and conducive to more reading: I buy and line-up the next book on my list whenever I’m close to finishing the current one.

If you get the impression that I’m a voracious reader, you’re wrong. I’m a pretty slow reader. I don’t devour books. I struggle with the same attention deficits as everyone else who works online. Focus and time for deep reading doesn’t come easy.

There is one lesson I learned from Ezra Klein that I like to share: When I commit to a whole, uninterrupted hour or so of reading, I get into a flow state that makes reading easier, more enjoyable and more rewarding. That’s why reading ten minutes six times a week does not equal reading for one full, undisturbed hour. This may seem obvious to those who read a lot, but if you’re struggling to finish books try dedicating a larger chunk of time to a book and see how it changes your experience.

Having said all of the above, I also learned to ignore most articles about building better reading habits, because they turn reading into yet another chore you ought to ‘get done’. I don’t really track time or follow strict rules. One week I go to bed early, so I can read more, the next I stay up late and lose myself in a new TV show. Life happens in phases, and I think it’s totally acceptable to just follow the ebb and flow of your interests. – Kai

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