Video streaming content Vs. Book Reading. - Convenience vs. Priority
I spent the entire last week binge watching and finishing 3 seasons of a currently trending show.
I did not have to specially carve out time from my schedule for it. With the convenience of mobile devices, it is easy for me to watch any video content while doing chores. Laundry, dishes, cooking, cleaning - I had the show running on different devices in different parts of the house depending on which room and what chore I was doing. Convenient, right? - Getting entertained while doing the most mundane everyday chores. If the show is interesting enough, it makes me want to do more chores. 😆😆
But before all this online streaming and abundant availability of video content, my one and only hobby was book reading. I USED to read a lot. I say "used to" because I don't read as much anymore. The only books I read these days are for my kids.
A few years ago, I had this conversation with a friend during which I looked back to pinpoint the time when my book reading graph slumped. It was right around the time when my cousin shared her account password with me, for a major online video streaming company. This was back in 2011.
For someone who loves to read books, I barely read any (less than 10) books in the past 5 years. The reason was always - "I don't have the time."
Mom life no doubt took up ALL my time. Honestly, after a long day with work and kids, I never had the energy to sit down and read, or may be it was never a priority for me. I envied people who could read on planes, while I was stuck entertaining my kids. I saw people on vacations, lazing at the beach, reading a book, while I was running behind my kids - longing to find a few mins for myself.
Given the choices of watching a trending show/movie or reading a recent best-seller, I would first finish the show because I get entertainment without having to compromise on my time. Will I get to reading the book, may be, but no guarantee that I would finish it at the same speed I finished watching the show.
With my kids growing older and a little bit of routines and consistency falling in place in the household, I am slowly finding a tiny sliver of time which I can dedicate to reading books. May be not everyday, but a couple of times a week, definitely doable.
I am hoping that I can add book reading to my self-care routine.
