How to Read More

When you're tired/busy/overwhelmed

TLDR: YOU DON’T!

If you’re tired, rest.

If you’re busy, focus on priority tasks.

If you’re overwhelmed, go for a walk or phone a friend.

Reading, as a pastime, is meant to be fun and relaxing.

It’s meant to provide a break from the incessant optimizations of modern life. It’s meant to allow us to step outside of productivity’s purview and slow down. To enjoy the act of co-creation with whomever’s words we hold in our hands.

“More, more, more, more, more!”

How exhausting.

What does it mean to read enough?

When I’m exhausted, I often find myself sleepwalking down one of two paths:

• reading to avoid time-sensitive responsibilities

• orrrr scrolling until my brain melts to avoid time-sensitive responsibilities (I’m looking at you, Threads…)

Neither are ideal—and both require reflection about the choices that carried me to Overwhelm’s doorstep—but I always find it more difficult to physically recover from scrolling. It’s a slow process, bringing my brain and body back together after exposure to so many thoughts and images and opinions in so short an amount of time.

I’ve been tired all week since returning home from Seattle. I even skipped posting last week for the first time since I began this project.

I needed rest more than I needed to preserve my posting streak.

Ever since I finished the Throne of Glass tandem read (mentioned in April Recap), I’ve been looking forward to moving on to books that have been patiently waiting on my TBR for months.

However, instead of blasting through the last Throne of Glass book, I’ve only been reading a few pages before falling asleep each night.

I need to enjoy every moment I have left with these characters more than I need to move on to more.

This Sunday, I’m still tired but I wanted to make sure I made time to allow these thoughts to join the books + friends archive.

Where are you pushing for more this week?

What’s the worst that could happen if you slowed down and aimed for enough?

I promise, everything will be okay :)

What I did last week instead of reading *more*