HOW TO CONQUER YOUR TBR PILE IN SIX (OR SEVEN) WAYS

Hullo, bookdragons!

How are things going? I hope you haven’t been squashed by your TBR pile or whisked away to an alternate dimension where dark monsters roam. I’ve been not-so-active lately because I spent the whole week preparing for a culminating activity that involved dancing my bones off and spending 99% of my time in school which left me no time for reading and blogging. What else is new?

Anyway, I’m back with a post that can help you in ruling the world. I’m introducing you to to six (or seven) ways to conquer your TBR pile. Yes, I know that this seems to be an impossible task but we just have to try okay? We need to believe that we can read all the books in the world with enough strength, will, determination, and blood rituals.

WHY BOOKDRAGONS WANT TO CONQUER THEIR TBR PILES:

• They love books that much

• It will give them a sense of satisfaction

• ‎All their children deserve equal attention

• ‎It brings them one step closer to world domination

• ‎The dark forces demand big things

HERE ARE SEVERAL WAYS TO CONQUER YOUR TBR PILE:

• Learn to DNF books

I know this is as difficult to do as leaving your mundane life to fulfill a grim prophecy but it’s something that bookdragons shouldn’t be ashamed of doing. A wise person (a.k.a. me) once said that your life is too short and your TBR pile too high for you to waste your time on a book you don’t enjoy reading. In case you didn’t know, DNF means “did not finish” which is a term we often use during tragic times.

Of course, even I find it hard to DNF books but there are things you need to do to survive decrease your TBR pile.

• Listen to audiobooks

WHERE ARE ALL MY AUDIOBOOK WARRIORS AT? If you don’t consider listening to audiobooks as reading, get off my lawn now. When I got back to reading audiobooks, my reading progress really improved. With audiobooks, I can actually read while doing other things like taking bookstagram pictures, eating ice cream, and sketching world domination blueprints.

Listening to audiobooks makes you more productive with other things while being immersed in a book. It’s the secret to decreasing your TBR pile and YOU NEED TO TRY IT OUT.

Here are some audiobooks you need to try out:

• ‎Read multiple books at once

Okay, I can hear your protests from all around town but just hear me out for a minute. Not everyone is a fan of reading multiple books but in my experience, it really does help in accomplishing my reading goals. The secret to reading more than one book is to READ THEM IN DIFFERENT FORMATS. I sometimes read three books—one paperback, one ebook, and one audiobook. The difference in formats makes reading multiple books less confusing and your attention won’t be as divided.

• ‎Beat the backlist

You can conquer your TBR pile if you beat the backlist. I know how new releases can take up time to read but you should also pay attention to the books at the bottom of your TBR pile or they’ll kill you in your sleep otherwise.

2018 for me was the year of backlist titles and I’m aiming to read more this year. Unfortunately, I’ve been focusing on ARCs lately so the state of my backlist pile is not great.

Here are some backlist books I want to read this year:

• ‎Set up alarms

It’s difficult to read when procrastination is in front of your face all the time. I always find myself plunged into the Twitter void for hours while my brain constantly scolds me but I just CAN’T STOP SCROLLING DOWN. Twitter is a blackhole I can’t run away from. That’s why I set up alarms on my phone and set up a reading schedule to remind myself that there are books waiting for me.

If you want to conquer your TBR pile, set up a reading schedule. Set up alarms. 24 hours in a day will never be enough so being conscious of time will be a huge help in achieving your reading goals.

• Sacrifice enemy hearts

• Read to your heart’s content

READ. READ. READ. Don’t let the world stop you from spending time with your children. Of course, don’t force yourself to read if your schedule is too busy or if you’re not in the mood to hold a book. Read whenever you can and read wildly. Devour the book and show the world just how much of a great dragon you are. Travel through books and keep spreading bookdragon fire.

There you go. I’m hoping that my tips are going to help you get through life. If you have more thoughts on how to conquer the TBR problem, leave your tips below!

Do you think you can conquer your TBR pile while you live? What are some of the things you do to cope with all the books you need to read? Tell me your thoughts!