You sit in a dimly lit room, perhaps only a lamp shining over you, your eyes squinting to read and comprehend the small impressions of ink that are words. You’ve been there for what feels like hours, but it’s only been a few minutes and instead of flipping through pages at a steady, favourable pace, at best you’ve only read through two.
To make matters worse, you should have finished this book days ago.
If this scenario sounds familiar to you, don’t worry! You are not alone, and I’m here to guide you on how to read that super long book that’s been sitting on your desk collecting dust for months on a time crunch.
In order to read and let the story create itself in your imaginative memory, forget why you have to read this book quickly in the first place. Whether it’s for a class, exam or a personal goal, breathe and let go of the crushing expectations for a moment. Focus on the words and the story that is trying to be conveyed to you. Immerse yourself so you actually care about the story, and reading it will be much easier.
If you’re still unconvinced, for the second step, we are going to get a little petty. Take that long, heavy book off your desk, dust it off, and take it with you everywhere. You will tell people you’re carrying it in an attempt to make steady progress every chance you get. In reality, by taking the book everywhere, someone is bound to ask you about it, and no matter how little you’ve actually read, you will tell them you plan to have it done the next day.
When this happens, the other person is bound to make a face of doubt and surprise, or even better, they straight up tell you that you can’t. If you are like me, this step will fuel your drive in order to prove this person wrong, and the rush of adrenaline will make you finish the book faster than you’ve ever finished a book before.
Now, maybe you aren’t into being too petty and prefer to be a lot more methodical. That’s totally ok, and for this third piece of advice, I will suggest two things. Number one is read in increments of 30 minutes every day or an hour if you can handle it. This sets easier goals that you can feel good about completing without focusing on the stress of having to finish an overwhelming amount of pages that generally discourages readers.
The second suggestion is as simple as listening to the audiobook. If you do better with auditory learning, this step is for you. The audiobook, which you can pair with the physical copy as well, provides a narrator that often enhances the atmosphere and experience of the book. Also, this option gives you the chance to perform other tasks, which can be motivating as you aren’t stuck in one place as you would with a physical book.
The world is your stage.
Now, if none of these are motivating, and like me, you’ve had to shed a few tears or eat a few extra sweets in order to reward yourself for ever putting up with this, I suggest taking a break altogether. For a last resort, sometimes it really is better to not touch the book at all and wait for a spur of inspiration to help you get through and most importantly, truly understand the words on your pages.
At the very least, let yourself believe it will get done and that you will know the story.