As you get older, it becomes harder to find the time in the day to do many of the things you'd like to do. Between work, school, family, and other obligations, being able to take time for yourself can seem nearly impossible. For the longest time, I have wanted to catch up on books or movies but couldn't find the time. In December of 2016, however, I decided to change that. I decided to read at least one book a month for a year.

At first, I found the challenge easy. I somewhat cheated and began reading during Christmas break in December. I had plenty of time then since I wasn't dealing with classes. Once classes began, however, it became harder. I had initially set myself a goal of reading at least a chapter a day in order to accomplish my overall task of reading 12 books a year. Soon it became "oh, I'll just read two chapters tomorrow to catch up." Eventually in March, while I had finished my goal of reading at least a book a month, I had failed my side-goal of reading one chapter a day. I learned at that moment that it isn't necessarily about reading one chapter a day as much as it is about reading as much as you can during time you take the effort to carve out for yourself.

I started leaving my apartment to read and relax, finding the distractions there too much to keep myself on track for reading, and going to my local coffee shop (GetSomeCoffee off Trenton Road, for those of you living in and around Clarksville, TN) during the weekend or after I had finished some homework. Normally I would read from one to two hours. I noticed a profound difference in my energy levels and my overall happiness. A decent portion of that is because I read the things that I wanted to read, but it was also because reading allowed me to dedicate my mind entirely to one thing. I wasn't checking my phone, I wasn't looking at a screen, and I wasn't worried about anything. I was focused on reading and reading alone.

By May, I had read the Star Wars Thrawn trilogy by Timothy Zahn, finished reading the last two books in the Game of Thrones series (more accurately known as the A Song of Ice and Fire series for those fellow nerds out there), and had begun reading the Harry Potter series for the first time in my life (I know, I'm an idiot for waiting so long). By the end of the year, I had read the entire Harry Potter series, I finished reading a book I had read parts of for a class called Against Democracy by Jason Brennan, and finally finished The Giver quartet. I used the site goodreads.com to keep track of my progress, my book ratings, the books I had read before, and the books I wanted to read in the future. After the first few weeks, reading began looking like less of a chore and more like something I couldn't wait to do. I found myself desperately trying to find more time to read. This year I've bumped up my challenge to read 20 books by the end of the year. So far I've read Lincoln in the World by Kevin Peraino, Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging by Sebastian Junger, and both The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien.

The reason I recount my story is because I am definitely a late bloomer in regards to reading. Sure, I read some books when I was younger, but most of them were for school. My mother, my father, my stepfather, my younger brother, and my younger sister were always massive readers. They always wanted me to read more, but I never could get into it the way they could. In my experience, there's this false premise that there are people who read, have always read, and always will read and then everyone else. That couldn't be farther from the truth. If you are determined to start reading, not only are you entirely capable of doing it but you'll be better for it.

I challenge you to read at least one book a month. Don't look at it as a chore. Read the books that interest you the most. For me, that meant reading a bunch of fiction books I had been wanting to read for some time, but that doesn't mean it has to be that way for you. Maybe you prefer reading nonfiction or comic books. The goal should be to broaden your horizons and dedicate yourself to one thing as often as you can. Stop telling yourself you never have time; you have as much time as you allow for yourself. Whether you decide to read with a friend or family, as part of a book club, or all by yourself you need to: