How Daily Reading Got Me Organized
A habit is hard to rebuild, especially one that has been associated with failure time and time again. So over the holiday hiatus from the frenetic curriculum of grad school I went out of my way to lay foundation one more time for a habit left dusting in the corner — reading. Doing so, I aimed to pick up a book everyday, and spend no more than a week’s time on a single book so to be involved in the text, actively learning from the narrative or teaching. My criteria for any considered read was that I would be able to take something from it — a moral lesson, a new skill, a thought process, etc. My aspirations molded toward the front of strategy —product management and UX design, I knew there was more to grasp beyond the trial of class time. Reading was the perfect opportunity to know more stuff. I had a whole month to dedicate to knowing more stuff. But the barrier to break through was, of course, reading.
I’ve gone through varying periods of believing I’m a morning person (getting the majority of my day’s work done between 6am — 11am, and a night person (getting my day’s work done between 8pm — 1am). It’s like perpetual jet lag. So my thought process formed — if I could start reading at the beginning of the day, I bet that I could probably be productive with my other tasks throughout the day, largely because I don’t have to worry about reading anymore! Turns out, this is the psychological phenomenon behind working out and meditating at the start of the day.
Hypothesis, testing, and iteration on the brain, as case I set my alarm to wake me an hour earlier than my usual start. Of course groggy the first few mornings, I’d stumble out of my comfortable bed to make coffee, murmuring that this was worth it. But being sprawled on the couch with my Kindle in one hand and coffee in the other, there was something inviting about getting a start on myself before my actual self really woke up. I had gotten a head start on my loud roommates by a few hours and was not needed to be actively communicating Slack for a good while — I could just read. I zipped through Let My People Go Surfing, operated through Zero to One, and pretty much ritualized Hooked.
Soon I began planning which coffee I would brew that morning, a self-invitation to start the day. So that I could be even more rested for the forthcoming day’s tasks, I initialized a rescheduled bedtime for 45 minutes earlier. I planned my Google Calendar with my reading planned in it, not only to see each task in a clear, visually digestible view, but to also remind myself that I have that time. Subsequently, I was soon being greeted by the reward of moving ‘Books In’ to ‘Books Out’ in my personal Trello Board.
Reading got me on a pace — one where I believe my time is invaluable. Reading also taught me to give more credit to the work I do throughout the day — it’s difficult to bring oneself to complete a task to the maximum fidelity. To see out completion of great work, and even the process of getting there, should be honored. Lastly, reading taught me to plan —foreseeing objectives throughout the day in a way that I can be in full control of a master schedule has presented me a higher level of mental stability and confidence in the tasks I put my valuable time toward. I’m incredibly excited to continue my new habit of reading each morning.
