A few months ago I saw this article on Book Riot: The DVR is Destroying My Reading Time.
I didn't even have to read that article to know that it perfectly summed up my life. But I did read the article. On a slow DVR day, that is.
I made a goal to read a book a week for a year back in March. I'm getting further and further away from that goal. I'm a little annoyed with myself, but honestly more proud. I'm proud that I have read more in the past 8 months than I had in the previous 4 years. For an avid reader, modern technology (and parenthood--you just get tired, a lot!) has forced my reading habits to the back burner. That is something I'm certainly not proud of.
And by modern technology I mean the internet--specifically being accessible via my smart phone as I lie in bed at night. That was the number one place I used to read, every. single. night. And I still do--but now I read tweets and posts and articles and blogs. And not that those things are bad, in fact, I really enjoy them. I'm just not reading novels/short stories/nonfiction/poetry like I used to.
And then there's my DVR. Having a DVR has made so many more programs available with the click of a button. The number of shows I watch has grown a lot over the years. Part of that is because TV has gotten a lot better in the past decade. There are so many well done shows that I genuinely enjoy watching. I'd even argue that there are some shows that rival a good film. That never used to be the case.
But there's also a lot of trash. A lot of "guilty pleasure" viewing...stuff that pre-DVR I would only watch if I happened to turn the TV on at the right time and it was on. Now I can avoid the gamble and set up a season pass of anything my little heart desires and boom! I pour myself a glass a wine and click over to my "list" and have endless options for my viewing pleasure. {This is especially handy during all those gig nights when my husband's not home to judge me and my viewing choices.}
Regardless, you know you have a DVR problem when you get an alert on your TV while your husband is watching Monday Night Football saying that due to 2 recordings you need to change the channel at 8:00...
Or when you constantly have between 17% (when I start to get nervous...I don't want things to get deleted!) to 30% (let's have a party--I can find more stuff I want to watch!) of space available on your DVR...
So what ends up happening? It's 10pm and I'm getting tired. In the old days that would mean I would get ready for bed, head upstairs and open my book. Read for about a half hour and then go to sleep. Now, it's 10pm and I think, 'I have time for one more show, it'll help me unwind.' And then it's 11pm and I'm exhausted. I get ready for bed, head upstairs and open twitter. "Read" for a bit and fall asleep. All the while my book collects dust on my nightstand.
These past 8 months have been filled with little lessons. I've learned that reading doesn't just happen. At least not anymore. I need to make time to read. Even though I started out with the goal of a book a week a year (and was maintaining a good pace for over half the time frame), I'm gaining more than just getting 52 books under my belt. I've discovered new authors. I've revisited old favorites. I've been inspired. But most of all: I'm reading again.
Another lesson? I really don't need to watch every new show that looks somewhat interesting. Plus, more than likely, give it a few months and I'll be able to stream it. Netflix is the other enemy of the state (of reading).
But, above all, I need to redefine my idea of "guilty pleasure." It doesn't have to always be Bravo programming. It could be a book. "Shopaholic" series anyone?
xo Sara