A Non-Fiction Nightly Routine

Years ago I read a lot of non-fiction, much of it historical in nature. But then I got involved in book blogging and got caught up in all the hype surrounding popular fiction. I stopped reading non-fiction but always really missed it. So I’ve made a goal to resurrect my non-fiction reading habits this year. Here’s how I’m doing it…

One thing I know is that non-fiction can be quite heavy to digest. The type of non-fiction that I like to read are historical or scientific in nature. These books are full of details, dates, research, data, charts, maps, and so on. Personally, I cannot read a book like that from cover to cover without a fast-paced or light-hearted fiction book in between to break it up. Problem is, once I start a really good fiction book, it’s hard to put that down to take in more heavy reading and then my non-fiction habit falls to the wayside again.

So I’ve set a tiny parameter for myself and I’m so pleased with how it’s working out. I do the bulk of my reading time in the evenings just before bed. I’ve found that I can usually count on at least 45 minutes of reading time each night. I keep my non-fiction book on my nightstand, as well as my earbuds (for audiobooks) or physical fiction book. I commit to picking up my non-fiction book and reading it for 20 minutes every night before I allow myself to read more of my fiction book. If I’ve picked my books right, they compliment each other well and make reading both something very enjoyable.

If I get any reading time during the day I only read fiction. My brain can’t really handle heavy non-fiction during the day. Only picking up my non-fiction book for 20 minutes each night means that it takes me about a month to get through each one. I’m okay with that because I’ll have read 10-12 non-fiction books by the end of the year. That’s 10-12 more non-fiction books than I read last year!

So tell me, do you read much non-fiction? 

(Photo by Casey Horner on Unsplash)