Reclaiming Reading Time Steps to Keep Donald Trump from Stealing My Reading Joy

Reclaiming Reading Time Steps to Keep Donald Trump from Stealing My Reading Joy This post on reclaiming reading time is sponsored by  Penguin Random House Audio. HOLIDAYS ARE HAPPIER WITH AUDIOBOOKS. Make your holiday travels, errands, cooking sessions, and all the rest more enjoyable by listening to an audiobook. From bestsellers, to thrillers, to self-care, you can find the perfect listen for any moment. Give yourself the gift of audio this holiday season. This year has been a tough one. I must admit, I havent read more than 20 pages over the past three months. Its my fault. I spend too much of my time glued to Twitter, wondering what horribly offensive thing is coming out of  Trump. I spend my valuable time fighting right wing internet trolls, even though I know full well they cant be bothered to hear me. I obsessively listen to political podcasts, emotionally hurting myself as I listen to others scream into my carefully chosen liberal bubble. None of it accomplishes anything, and I know that. But on top of wasting my time, Ive allowed the GOP to steal my joy. Joy in the form of beautiful words spoken in audiobooks. Joy in the form of selecting new books for my daily commute. Joy in the form of excitedly preordering anticipated releases. I have allowed Trump and his cronies to take from me something that means so much to me. Its not his fault. Lord knows he doesnt read, so he doesnt understand how important this is. This is wholly on me and my inability to look away, even for an hour an evening. So my New Ears Resolution this year is to do as Queen Maxine Waters once said, reclaim my time. My commute to work, the time I spend cleaning my house, errands on the weekend…I refuse to allow Trump to rob me of that time any longer. I refuse to allow him to take up space in my brain that could be filled with gorgeous prose or humorous essays. via GIPHY Here are the steps I hope to take to reclaim my time and gift myself with the opportunity to voraciously consume all the audiobooks Ive been dying to listen to since the fateful morning of November 9, 2016. 1. Turn off the political podcasts. Sorry to the boys at Pod Save America or the good ladies at Mueller, She Wrote. Mama needs a break! 2. Take a Twitter break. I plan on using an app to keep me from involuntarily opening Twitter while I should be ingesting a book. 3. Stop purchasing books dishing the latest hot goss about the dumpster fire that is the Trump administration. It doesnt help me. It doesnt bring me joy. It just makes me mad. 4. Instead of spending my lunch break scrolling through Washington Post or The New York Times, Im going to use that time to listen to an audiobook. Sorry, WaPo and NYT…we had a good run! 5. Download multiple audiobooks at a time so I feel I have choices. I think this will keep me from deciding to do something else (read: find ways to anger myself further about 45) if Im just not feeling that particular audiobook I currently have downloaded. Variety is the spice of life…and the way to keep yourself from having a rage aneurysm at the tender age of 37 (shut up). 6. If possible, Id love to find a separate device that doesnt allow for internet access. I wont lie, Im weak. I know how easy it is to end up on Twitter or Facebook before you even realizing you have your finger on the screen. Downloading my audiobook files to a device with no internet access seems like a good solution. 7. Just remember how much I adore listening to audiobooks. I need to remind myself routinely just what John Barron and the Republican party are taking from me when I grant them precious space in my brain. The number of books Ive missed out on this year is entirely on me…and a true loss. I cant allow this group of racist, xenophobic transphobes to guarantee me four (please God, I pray of you, only four) years without books. via GIPHY I wish you all the best of luck in 2019 as you, too, try to take your reading life back! Lets reclaim our time…lets reclaim our joy! Also In This Story Stream Fiction Audiobooks to Help You with Your Resolutions Make The Most Out Of Your Commute With Audiobooks Restart After the New Year with These 12 Mindful Audiobooks My Audiobook-Related Resolutions How Audiobooks Help My Sleep Goals Listening Your Way to Self-Help Resolutions: Self-Help Audiobooks Audiobook Reading Resolutions for Kids and Their Parents My Reading Resolutions for 2019 QUIZ: What Should Your Bookish New Years Resolution Be? Remembering to Read for Joy and Resolutions Let Audiobooks Help You Meet Your Reading Goals An Ultra-Short Audiobook Syllabus To Eviscerate Your Resolutions 7 Classic Must-Read Books, and How to Move them Off Your TBR Pile Rhyme and Rhythm: 6 Great Poetry Audiobooks View all New Ears Resolution posts-->