oops! i think i addiction- transferred!
I noticed I feel tangibly more happy and motivated when I’m actively learning.
So I made a goal to read 52 books* this year!
When I sat down to write this, my goal was to list some practical tips on how I fit more reading into my life, halfway through these tips I paused and asked myself:
“Good lord, do I sound completely MANIC?”
There is a concept called “addiction transfer”, when an addict gives up one addiction (like me quitting nightly-wine cold-turkey), they might find themselves copying & pasting that compulsive behavior onto something else, for example: binge-eating sugar.
That wasn’t gonna be me! “I’ll just give up EVERYTHING all at once so I can’t transfer to ANYTHING” as you read in my first journal.
The only thing left to “binge” would be reading AND WHAT COULD POSSIBLY BE WRONG WITH THAT? I’m reading books about personal growth for crying out loud!
Well, really there’s nothing “wrong” with reading a ton except I noticed two snafus:
1- Input overload. “My brain is full. I think I need a little time to process what I’ve learned before diving into the next book.”
2- Lower quality ‘presence’. “I could be reading right now and I’m running behind on my goal.” is NOT the background thought I want to have when my adorable kiddo is telling me a story.
Remember: this WHOLE year is one big experiment for me and I’m sharing in REAL time. So you’re getting my wins/losses in one big ole cocktail as they’re happening. Sound fun? still in? 😆
That said, I’m going to proceed with my original MANIC tips, but I added a bonus tip once I realized “Oh no. I think I’m starting to sound insane.”
Sound good? Here we go!
Here’s how I fit more reading into my daily life.
1. Go ahead and let yourself buy the dang book.
I believe in Ramit Sethi’s budgeting rule that books are the one exception to any household budget. “You should ALWAYS just buy the book”. Most are less than $15 and all contain life-changing information. That’s a pretty good deal. I always have one printed book and one audiobook ready at all times. I have an audible subscription.
If you have truly no book budget: I use my library card to access hoopla/overdrive apps for free and reserve books alllll the time. My favorite librarian is Dave. “Hey Katie Day! I’ve got your book!” “Thanks Dave! You’re the best!” “See ya next time!” (Note: this is a childhood dream ever since that scene in Beauty and the Beast when the bookseller knows Belle by name. Psst, Dave. You’re my dream. I love you**. Too soon?)
2. Keep it on you at all times.
I tell my kids, “if you always have a book with you, you will never be annoyed that you have to wait ever the rest of your life.” Suddenly waiting rooms become “oooh I can finish that chapter!” Audiobooks changed the way I feel about kid-pick-up/drop off, basically any time I’m trapped in a car, I’m learning. Complete mindset-shift. Keep charged AirPods with you at all times and Voila! an Aldi run can be a chapter in your audiobook. Laundry-folding-time = audiobook time! Need to get steps in? Habit stack and get some pages in!
3. Do not take your phone into the bathroom.
(SHE WENT THERE.) I sweartogahd if everyone took a book into the bathroom instead of their phone, everyone would be finishing a book a week. Nuff said on that point.
4. Create a Bedtime Ritual.
This one was a MAJOR pattern interrupt for me. Swapping pre-bed phone-scrolling for reading one paper-book chapter before bed felt RADICAL. It also radically improved my sleep quality.
The hack for finally forcing myself to do this was actually purchasing a fancy new charging dock that I keep in my bathroom NOT by my bedside. This dock charges my phone, apple watch AND AirPods which sets me up to pull off hack number two.
Added bonus: I used to be someone who had to say “sorry I didn’t respond, my phone died…watch died….ope my airpods are dead….can I borrow a charger?…” I feel so much more in control of my day when I wake up fully rested and fully charged. (Even my devices.)
5. Alternate subjects to avoid “learning burnout”:
I like to rotate Habit-change, Nutrition, Parenting, Marketing to keep the subjects feeling fresh. I use novels as a mental “break”. I prefer physical-book-novels and non-fiction-on-audio because I don’t like narrators “acting at me”. Listening to non-fiction feels similar to listening to a podcast.
6. BONUS NEW Disclaimer tip: People > Books.
Although I love fitting in a chapter when possible, if a human wants my attention, the priority goes to the human. I don’t listen to audiobooks when my kids are in the car with me, ect. Sometimes I need to take a walk and feel the need to THINK MY OWN THOUGHTS. There’s sort of an intuitive gut feeling when it’s time for silence, reflection, connection. After all, what’s the point of all this learning and personal development if we aren’t connecting with the humans right in front of our faces!?
Old belief: I don’t have time to read.
New belief: I have all the time I need to accomplish anything I value.
*If I don’t get to 52 books because I prioritized human connection, that actually sounds like a great reason to fail a goal. I’ve read 18 so far and that is already six more than ALL of 2023. Feeling good. I’ll keep you posted.)
**Dave…do you feel the same? Give me a signal.)
What am I missing? Any more hacks for fitting in reading? What’s the best book you’ve read lately? How many is TOO many for you?
xoxo- Katie Day (write back soon!)
Current Read:Couple’s Bucket List: 101 Fun, Engaging Dating Ideas Dr. Carol Morgan PhD : Just read this out loud to Jared on our little anniversary roadtrip. We marked the dates we wanted to do and roasted the ones we don’t want to do. Ultimately we laughed A LOT. Very quick read and a nice mental break.
Current Growth Goal:My 5am wake-up slipped into 5:30am then 6am. I really LOVED getting up early, so I’m refocusing this week. I like practicing a “super-structured” routine for a few days right after a trip to get me back in the groove. Trips throw me off! You?
Up Next:Taking the kids on a fishing trip this weekend. Tent-camping. No service.
“Never trust anyone who has not brought a book with them.”
— Lemony Snicket
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