Saturday, April 7, 2012

Dewey's 24-Hour-Readathon: Tips & Tricks


As the semester nears and end, I look forward to two big events.  1.  My graduation from law school (if I finish this horrid paper) and 2.  Dewey's 24 hour readathon.  I'm so excited because this is my third time participating in this event and I cannot possibly explain how much I've had.  Granted, I've never made it to the finish line, but I've learned from each participation and I hope to do even better this time around.

So let's recap...
I first participated last April.  I had a lot of fun, and fell asleep well before the end of the challenge.  Learning from that experience, I wrote a post last October explaining what NOT to do and all those things still stand.  You can find that post here.

This past October, I participated again.  I had even more fun, got my mom and blogger friends to participate with me, socialized too much, and fell asleep before the end of the challenge.  My mom outlasted me. Grr... BUT I learned even more so I'm hear again to impart some helpful tips for this event.

1.  Pick quick, fun, and easy to read books

Reading for a long period of time is easy.  Reading for 24 hours is hard and I found my eyes getting pretty tired.  Even though I picked the types of books I typically like, it is so much easier to read for such a long time if the reading is extra exciting.  I'm not reading for class during this time (not fun) and I'm probably going to try to stick to paperback reads (my eyes get more tired when I'm reading an ereader).

2.  Don't eat all your snacks at once (or have more snacks available)

First, have snacks.  Don't underestimate the importance of snacks (see previous post about this here).  When you have snacks, don't eat them all within the first 8 hours of the readathon.  It's really tempting.  I mean, I had had some great snacks and snacks are definitely one of the best parts of the readathon.  But if you do what I did you get full.  And if you get full, you get sleepy.  And if you get sleepy, you take a nap.  And if you take a nap, you have to wake up when your mom calls and pretend that you weren't napping.

3.  Prepare a template for your updates and challenges ahead of time 

Each hour, you'll want to update everyone on your progress or participate in a new challenge for the chance to win prizes.  But when I wasn't careful, I'd use the first 15-20 minutes of each hour providing updates and more if I wanted to participate in a challenge.  This time around, I'll prep my template ahead of time and I'll stagger my internet activities. I'll update every other hour, stagger my twitter love & check-ins with friends, and do multiple challenges at once.

Let's face it, I spent more time socializing online than I did reading.  There I said it.  But it was soooo fun.  I'm going to do better on the reading thing but I'm not giving up on twitter and check-ins with my friends.

4.  Send the Hubby/Significant Other Away!

I said it last time and I'll say this again.  Say away from those pesky guys.  I called myself doing this. I even placed myself in a separate city.  But somehow I found myself on google chat with my husband looking at youtube videos that weren't funny (of course he found them funny).  I also found myself answering the phone when my lovely husband called to ask me what I was doing.  He's going to be banned.  Again.

 If you haven't signed up yet, you need to do this RIGHT NOW!! It is sooo much fun and I can't wait to participate with all my blogger friends. Head on over to 24hourreadathon.com and sign up for the challenge today :)


Don't want to do it alone? There will be tons of us participating but don't feel afraid to ask people to do it.  You'd be surprised.  I contact friends personally and ask them to participate with me.  Last time my mom participated and this time my grandmother has signed on too!  Yay!!
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26 comments:

  1. wow. that is hard core reading! good luck. On your paper too!

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    1. Thanks! It is but there is a lot of socializing involved as well.

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  2. Oh, this sound so tempting but I could never do this.
    when the seventh HP book came out I wanted to read it through the night -I got home about 3 am from the bookstore - but my mom kept bugging me about chores and family and just interrupting!!!

    Sorry

    But yeah, my family would never let me do it :(

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  3. A suggestion I would make is change up your scenery when you can. Last time I tried (and failed) the readathon, I holed myself up in my bedroom, which felt claustrophobic after a while. This time, I plan to go to a coffee shop or a library during the daylight hours of the readathon and get some reading done there.

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    1. Oh that's a good idea. I'm usually holed in a bedroom. A coffee shop would be perfect.

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  4. I LOVE that you have your mom and grandma doing it with you - how fun for all of you! I'm not going to be able to participate, but I have full confidence that you'll have an awesome read-a-thon and I can't wait to see what you finish. :) PS: Good luck on the paper - you can do it!

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  5. YAY for graduation! I hope you finish AND pass your paper. :-)

    I don't think I could participate in this. My sleep schedule is really wonky so I know I would a sleep well before my 24 hours was up. But I will definitely be on the sideline cheering all the readers on!

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    1. Oh it's okay. You could still participate and go to sleep when you go to sleep. I never make it either.

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  6. I had so much fun participating in the last readathon I can't wait for this one. It was fun especially since it was my first time I also tried being a cheerleader for a hour. Guess what?!?! I'm going to cheer for 2-3 hrs.....yay!!! Also, No more texting my daughter to see if she is reading she will be right here with me, and I will also check on my mom since this is her first time. (she has signed up for cheerleading as well). We are ready! You guys better join us it is so much fun! I completed 3 books the last time I'm going to try and break my work maybe at least 4. :)

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    1. I can't wait! I know you can do it. If you go to sleep on me I'm going to be so mad!!

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  7. I had great intentions last time and then life happened and I ended up not being able to follow through. I'm not sure whether to try again or not.

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  8. I am excited about participating in the readathon sounds like fun, pray for me because I feel that night time is for sleeping.
    Thanks to my daughter Liz and granddaughter Alexis for ecouraging me to try.

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  9. I've always wanted to participate. The 4th one cracks me up. Good luck!

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  10. Thanks for all the good tips. I'm a veteran, but enjoyed being reminded of the readathon and its pitfalls. Preparing the posts in advance especially is a good idea.

    I'm will actually be reading a big book this time - against my own advice (and yours) because I can't find any other time to read it. I plan to have an easy chick-lit as a second book that I can read if the big book gets too much. I don't think it's a difficult read, just big.

    How nice that your mother and grandmother also participate! Have fun at the readathon.

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    1. I can understand that. At least you have back-up. I'm hoping to have an even more successful readathon :)

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  11. Can't wait can't wait! I think I've convinced my Mom!

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  12. Great tips! That's similar to what I learned last time: don't read non-fiction (omg those were the worst hours ever) and don't wait too long to drink the energy drink if you've got one planned (apparently they've improved on those and you don't crash anymore... so I ended up not being able to sleep after the readathon!).

    I'm definitely gonna use templates for my updates this time. Last time that was hard because I updated all in one post (it was on my genealogy blog and I didn't want to annoy people...). I might also update every hour instead of every two hours, even though it'll take some reading time away.

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    1. I update every hour but create a new post every 4 hours. I don't want to annoy people but I want people to know there is a new post you. It is a hard balance. You gave me something to think about. I should ask other bloggers what they think about it.

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  13. Good luck with the read-a-thon. I was going to read but I think I'll cheer instead. Come to think of it that's when I met you - last October I think and I'm so glad I did!

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