3 Readathon Tips
Are you ready to embark on a reading challenge? Before you dive in, read these 3 readathon tips that will make it a better experience. I ventured on a 24-hour readathon and there are some things I wish I knew before reading.
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3 Readathon Tips
Protect your eyes.
Read over the weekend.
Set boundaries.
1. Protect your eyes.
I’m a contact/glasses wearer and I didn’t take the proper care for my eyes before this reading challenge. So my biggest piece of advice is this: ensure you’re taking the proper precautions for your eye health. My eyes hurt for two days after this challenge. And because of the horrendous eye strain, I was drained, and slept for hours after it was over. Closing my eyes was a relief.
Although my eye pain was mostly from improper eyeglass wear while reading, I still feel like reading for long stretches isn’t the healthiest for you, and it’s best to take breaks. Reading small text is simply hard on your eyes; it’s similar to staring at a screen for 24 hours— it’s going to hurt. My next point explains how you should approach a readathon.
2. Read over the weekend.
As with any activity, you will get burnt out if you read for an entire day and night—every second of every day. This doesn’t make you a failure or a bad reader. It’s natural. Sadly, it’s unrealistic to read for 24-hours straight, and honestly I don’t think it’s healthy for your eyes. So, I suggest stretching your readathon over an entire weekend. (Unless you work over the weekend, in which case, I recommend any two-day stretch you have.)
Two days allows you to achieve the 24-hour reading goal since there are 48 hours in a weekend. Yes, you are spending half of your weekend reading, but isn’t that exciting? And isn’t it less draining than crunching in desperation, just to say you did it? I’m conducting another readathon and will use this method— I’ll share my experience! Stay tuned.
Since my first 24-hour readathon attempt was a bust, you need to know that I successfully got through eight hours of reading in 24-hours. This didn’t feel great and I felt like I failed, but a lot of this was due to various factors that I’m outlining here for you. Also the realization that I learned a lot about myself as a reader while pursuing this challenge.
Another major part of the lack in hours was the timing of this readathon, which brings me to the next point.
3. Set Boundaries.
Setting is a major component of a successful readathon. Ensure you’re not scheduling around a major holiday such as Christmas (like I did), unless you have all of your shopping completed (which I did not).
Also, make the people around you aware that you’re embarking in a reading challenge, that you need the time and space to read— uninterrupted. When you’re pulled out of a story, it takes you time to immerse yourself back in.
During my first readathon, I spent time with my boyfriend and his family—it was the holiday season. It may have benefitted me to be in solitude for the readathon—I don’t ever regret shared time with loved ones—but this meant less reading time. However, as I mentioned in my previous post on 5 Takeaways From My First 24-HourReadathon, don’t be anal about pinching minutes. You must find a balance.
Remember you are doing a readathon because you love reading— don't make it a chore.
I hope these 3 Readathon Tips are helpful as you venture into your next reading adventure!
Leave a comment below and tell me if these tips helped your reading challenge, or any other advice you have.
