5 Little Things I Learned From a 24-Hour Readathon
For the first time in my life, I participated in a readathon. Dewey’s 24 Hour Readathon, to be precise. My goal was to stop being a ”fake reader” and get back into the habit of reading. And dig into my TBR pile of Wheel of Time books.
1. Focus? Is that some kind of food?
I remember the time when I could read for hours non-stop, neglecting hunger and toilet breaks. 15 years later, I’m stopping every 15 minutes to check on my phone, even when I’m reading a fantastic fantasy book. Not good. Lack of practice, I presume.
2. That’s NOT enough snacks
My adventurer rations for the readathon were:
- a small bag of sour candy
- garlic olives
- hummus
- crunchy vegetables
I was out of snacks by hour 3. I thought: “This is a readathon, not a snackathon”. I was dumb. It will not happen again. I won’t ruin my life by snacking through one 24-hour readathon. I will, however, ruin a readathon without having adequate snack breaks.
3. All-nighters are not for me…
Ah, sleep. My number one priority for better quality of life. Is there a word for tired-angry? Like “hangry” but with tiredness instead of hunger. That’s how I get when I’m tired. I planned on staying up all night… I didn’t. No regrets.
4. …however, themed days are
There’s something magical when you can dedicate a day to one activity or goal. No decision fatigue or task-switching, and losing time into all those little in-between tasks. I should try this more in my everyday life. Also, it feels great to see progress fast, rather than doing a little of many different tasks.
5. Focus? I know that word!
It gets better, surprisingly fast. Just keep reading.
Despite my snack-related miscalculations, I had a blast. It was lovely to see people on Instagram sharing their reads. I felt like I was having a sleepover with (hundreds of) friends who are passionate about books. 10/10 will recommend and participate again.