I guess I’ll take the little wins when I can: according to a chart in my notebook, I read every day in February! And it still counts, even though it’s the shortest month of the year.

My goal is to try and read every single day, but life gets in the way. The days when I don’t pick up a book are when I’m either sick, really busy, or on vacation.

I kept track of my days read in 2024, and there was only one month I read every day: April. Some other months I came close, only missing a few days in January, March, September, and October. Based on my rough math and third-grade-level counting skills, I read around 300 days last year. I don’t want to get really any more detailed in tracking my reading than just the days I’ve read; it’s easier and less stressful that way.

So how did I read every day in February? I purposely made time for it, got 10 books out of the library, and read two books at once (one for the daytime, one for night).

My two main reading times are during my lunch break and before bed. Since I work from home, I’ll take my lunch around 12:30 p.m., make and eat said lunch, and can usually get in a half hour of reading before going back to my desk. I keep my daytime book on the end table next to my spot on the couch, so it’s always in easy reach. Then, when it comes to bedtime, I try to go in 30-45 minutes before I actually want to sleep so I can read a good chunk of my nighttime book. Time-wise, this usually looks like watching TV with Josh until 9:30 p.m. and then getting ready for bed. I find myself looking forward to changing into my PJs, getting under the covers, and just having some quiet time to myself.

A third reading time is after work/after dinner. This isn’t as often, but sometimes I don’t have anything planned in the time between finishing work and making dinner so I can squeeze in a half hour; sometimes I’ll also read after dinner when I’m waiting for Josh to get home from work.

My anxiety has been up and down since the beginning of the year, and reading is one way that I can escape and shut my brain off for a while. Reading is my favorite hobby, and I don’t ever see myself not reading for fun; I mean, then I’d have to cut my right leg off to get rid of my book tattoo on my calf, but that seems sort of extreme.

I don’t put pressure on myself that I have to read every day; it’s more like I get to read every day. I’ve also made it a part of my daily routine that I don’t even have to think about it. My hardest decision is, well, what book am I going to read next?