4 answers
Kalysta
Student
Grafton, Ohio
5
Questions
Asked
496 views
How can I become more motivated to read or write?
Sometimes I feel as though I have no motivation to read or write, even though I enjoy it. Does anyone know how I can gain that motivation? Thanks!
#reading #writing #motivation
4 answers
Emilia Acosta
Analyst
16
Answers
Zacapalco, Mor.
Updated
Emilia’s Answer
Hi Kalysta! I hope you are doing great!
I'm a writer myself and I always find it hard to give myself the time to write as I have a dayjob.
Try to be more involved in artsy activities, maybe a reading / writing club or class, it is very helpful to do this activities if you have a space for them.
It is really important for you to just do it, so I recommend ALWAYS carrying pieces of paper or a little notebook and a pen to write your ideas in, cuz they just pop-up in our minds at different times of the day and this is always in handy when you are trying to write something new and you are lacking creativity.
Keeping a journal is also very helpful, just put down whatever comes into your mind, what you dreamed that night, what you ate that day, if you found a new song, if you met someone, even the little things, if you changed your shampoo or if a pimple appeared in your face... whatever, you never know what is gonna end up being a creativity trigger.
And also, even though we are getting more and more digitalized, and I'm risking to sound a little too conservative, but try to write in paper. We may thing that keeping everything in our computer or cellphone or tablet is easier but doing it old-school has its perks, first of all, it is prettier, the aesthetics of having a journal are just great and second of all, it allows you to embrace your mistakes and just keep on writing without thinking about your spelling or grammar or whatever the autocorrect is telling you not to do... you may think it is faster to do it in your tech devices but it is not, because, as in your computer you have the possibility to correct yourself, you can spend 3 hours trying to make one paragraph look perfect and in your notebook you'll just flow and forget about perfection, focusing on the content of the text instead of the text itself.
I really hope my answer is helpful and I wish you the best of lucks!
I'm a writer myself and I always find it hard to give myself the time to write as I have a dayjob.
Try to be more involved in artsy activities, maybe a reading / writing club or class, it is very helpful to do this activities if you have a space for them.
It is really important for you to just do it, so I recommend ALWAYS carrying pieces of paper or a little notebook and a pen to write your ideas in, cuz they just pop-up in our minds at different times of the day and this is always in handy when you are trying to write something new and you are lacking creativity.
Keeping a journal is also very helpful, just put down whatever comes into your mind, what you dreamed that night, what you ate that day, if you found a new song, if you met someone, even the little things, if you changed your shampoo or if a pimple appeared in your face... whatever, you never know what is gonna end up being a creativity trigger.
And also, even though we are getting more and more digitalized, and I'm risking to sound a little too conservative, but try to write in paper. We may thing that keeping everything in our computer or cellphone or tablet is easier but doing it old-school has its perks, first of all, it is prettier, the aesthetics of having a journal are just great and second of all, it allows you to embrace your mistakes and just keep on writing without thinking about your spelling or grammar or whatever the autocorrect is telling you not to do... you may think it is faster to do it in your tech devices but it is not, because, as in your computer you have the possibility to correct yourself, you can spend 3 hours trying to make one paragraph look perfect and in your notebook you'll just flow and forget about perfection, focusing on the content of the text instead of the text itself.
I really hope my answer is helpful and I wish you the best of lucks!
Susan Li
Graduate Academic Program Assistant
1
Answer
Baltimore, Maryland
Updated
Susan’s Answer
Time management: Start designated a day and time solely for reading. It can just be for 30-minutes or an 1-hour of uninterrupted reading. Reward yourself for completing this task every time with giving yourself a social media or tv break, or whatever you desire. Make this a habit.
While you're reading, make sure to take notes in the margins or notebook or bookmark pages. These notes will help when it comes time to begin writing, since you can refer back to the page or content.
Environment: If you're anything like me, I am easily distracted, so I need to put my phone away and avoid social media sites/apps. I used to reserve study rooms in my university library because it was just a booth/cubicle with dividers that would limit distractions.
Music: I also need to tuned out the sounds of the library, so having a relaxing playlist to listen to help me tune out the sounds around me. I recommend checking out "chill lo-fi" on YouTube for playlists. Lo-Fi music is supposed to be soothing music.
In regards to reading techniques, this was recommended for graduate students, but can be applicable to all.
The Sandage Method for Reading by method historian Dr. Scott Sandage of Carnegie Mellon University:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1e0a_9eAeeKtoI7tDrytkZMsJiHfdinFr/view?usp=sharing
The link above provides the steps of the Sandage x-ray reading methods and an example of a notes page.
While you're reading, make sure to take notes in the margins or notebook or bookmark pages. These notes will help when it comes time to begin writing, since you can refer back to the page or content.
Environment: If you're anything like me, I am easily distracted, so I need to put my phone away and avoid social media sites/apps. I used to reserve study rooms in my university library because it was just a booth/cubicle with dividers that would limit distractions.
Music: I also need to tuned out the sounds of the library, so having a relaxing playlist to listen to help me tune out the sounds around me. I recommend checking out "chill lo-fi" on YouTube for playlists. Lo-Fi music is supposed to be soothing music.
In regards to reading techniques, this was recommended for graduate students, but can be applicable to all.
The Sandage Method for Reading by method historian Dr. Scott Sandage of Carnegie Mellon University:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1e0a_9eAeeKtoI7tDrytkZMsJiHfdinFr/view?usp=sharing
The link above provides the steps of the Sandage x-ray reading methods and an example of a notes page.
Melissa Prashad
District Sales Manager
2
Answers
Pleasantville, New York
Updated
Melissa’s Answer
Start today, don't keep pushing it off.
Start with small increments of time and grow it as you become more advanced and find more joy in the activities.
Make an appointment with yourself on your calendar to read and write everyday. Don't cancel on yourself. Treat it as an appointment with a client or the doctor.
Good luck!
Start with small increments of time and grow it as you become more advanced and find more joy in the activities.
Make an appointment with yourself on your calendar to read and write everyday. Don't cancel on yourself. Treat it as an appointment with a client or the doctor.
Good luck!
Brandon Dang
214
Answers
Seattle, Washington
Updated
Brandon’s Answer
For regaining motivation, it is sometimes important to take a break. If you think about it too much, you will continue to be burned out, eventually losing more and more motivation. Try to find a way to regain a positive mindset, and take a breather from the writing. Another way to gain motivation is to set challenges for yourself. Try doing something that you have never done before, a way that differs from your normal tradition of writing. One example I can think of (if you are new) is to try and submit an Op-Ed article. That is a fun challenge that I am doing at the moment. It is at of my area of expertise and is a challenge since Op-Ed's can get rejected often.
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