So. . .you’re actually reading the article instead of just interacting with it for the meme. I feel very honored.

In a world of texting, posting, music, and the rather boisterous presence of visual media (your prime time television, your blockbusters), it’s often difficult to unwind and take a second to breathe. For someone with a short attention span, it’s perhaps more difficult to do this with the added act of reading. For a bookworm with a short attention span, it’s almost impossible to do those two things while fending off the looming weight of frustration. The “why can’t I just read this dumb book,” feeling.

Yes, it’s a horrible feeling. If you’re here because you relate, I’m with you. If you’re here looking for professional answers, I am so sorry.

Anyone can look up solutions to strengthen your attention span. Those articles exist, that information is already there. I’ve already tried those things. They’re not all that tailored to the bookish experience. Surely yes, you can try meditating and that can have a positive effect on your attention span which then aids your reading, but meditation isn’t for everyone. Something’s just do not work out. You know this, I know this, etc.

So, this article—this amateur advice giver—is here to provide several suggestions that you might like to apply to your daily routine to once again claim that bookworm badge. We always have it, of course, but maybe now we won’t feel like frauds clutching our pearls every time someone asks about the most recent book we’ve read.

Read 10 pages per day. It doesn’t seem like much at first, but pick up that book that’s been sitting around and read 10 pages of it. You might only get to 10 pages or it might turn into 20; it might even turn into 30. The important thing is to start and the best way to start is to just read 10 pages. 30 pages right off the bat? That sounds exhausting, but 10 pages? That’s doable.

Mix up your genres. Fiction is the MVP, it’s what most people love. We live for fantasy, we bite into it like it’s a delicate French dessert we’ve been waiting all day to eat. Although, while we’re busy doing that, there’s a lot of other desserts that are being neglected. If you love fantasy and you live mystical YA books, but you can’t push through any, try something else. Pick up a murder mystery, pick up a celebrity biography (yes, I just said that, don’t give me that look), pick up anything that is different than your usual. If it spikes your interest even slightly, try reading it. If it’s new, it might gain your attention.

Re-invent the book buddy. Remember when you’d drag the book you were reading everywhere with you? Well, take that practice, pick a single book and keep it in your bag. It doesn’t have to be the book you already started, it just has to be a book. Now, the next time you’re out and you’re caught waiting somewhere, don’t pick up that phone. Take the book out and read 10 pages. So, now you’ll have your home book and your go book. Wow, two books, that’s why I call hitting two birds with one stone.

So, you’re at the end of this article. That’s alright. Tell me how it goes.