I've recently started reading heavily again and want to keep up the habit but... I have ADHD and I'm a life long skin picker (gross, I know). When I get really into a book I can't help but pick at my cuticles or chew at my lips and I really need to figure out how to displace this energy. I could buy a fidget toy but I'm almost in my late 20s and I don't know why it feels embarrassing to have one.

Does anyone else struggle with this? If so, what has helped you?

Edit: Thank you to everyone who has commented! I've always been a bit ashamed about this but it feels really comforting to know that other people struggle with this too. There are so many really good suggestions here and I'm genuinely going to give them all a try, even picking up some fidget toys as well!

For the data nerds, what book stats do you like to keep track of? Maybe you are trying to increase representation of a certain type of book or goals?

At the moment I am tracking:

Books in Translation (15%) Australian authors (23%) Non fiction (5%)

How are your goals or stats coming along for the year so far?

While I was at my parents' house, I saw something on the news about Book It! and the personal pan pizza reward.

It made me wonder, what things, big and small, contributed to making you become "a reader"? Was it incentives through school and libraries (eg Book It! , summer reading programs, accelerated reader); child-friendly reading areas; TV shows?

For me, it Book It! was part of it. Our family very rarely ever ate at restaurants or bought take-out, so it was a big deal when my dad took my sister and me to Pizza Hut to claim our free pizzas. Similarly, there was a a collaboration with Six Flags Great America, and if you logged 10 hours of reading within in a certain amount of time, you would receive a free ticket to the theme park. Ordinarily the cost, in addition to driving there, would prevent our family from going, but since we didn't want to "waste" the tickets, my family went, and it was how I was able to finally ride "real" roller coasters.

I also loved the summer reading program at my local library, and I would be really excited at the prospect of asking for my physical folder and writing the titles out (albeit in uncoordinated handwriting).

How do you guys make time for reading everyday? I had been doing really well this year but fell into a slump and lost my streak a couple of weeks ago, and haven't been able to get back on the horse since. I want to be one of those baddies with years' long reading streaks, but I can't even get past 100 days! Do you have any advice??