February is a beautiful month in Australia. It's the last summer month and mornings are getting sligtly cooler while the days are bright and sunny.
I liked Queen Katya, “If you’re not embarrassed about last year, then you’re not making any progress.” I hadn't heard of it before, and it helped me understand all that embarrassment I was feeling about myself and my work meant something. I was growing.
Marissa, you've shared some fantastic reads, but I'm struggling with the sheer volume of material to read these days. I'm subscribed to numerous newsletters, and while I'd love to read them all, I don't have the time (or a method) to do so.
Gone are the days when I could leisurely spend an afternoon or evening curled up with a good book. It's been ages since I've read a novel, and I used to finish one in just 3-4 days.
I'm retired now, and I don't have many other responsibilities. I spend my days reading, yet I still can't seem to get through all the reading I want to do.
I'm so jealous of your February's Neera! That sounds lovely. I suppose our February's are your Augusts?
I've definitely got a few suggestions! Emma Gannon of The Hypen on Substack usually puts all of her newsletter emails into one folder and then devotes an hour or so on the weekend to reading them. I don't go that route specifically, but I do try to carve out an hour here or there to catch up on all of my newsletter emails.
Not to link to myself, but I did a post a few months back on how to read more, which I'll include below. Because writing and teaching is my job, I try to carve out a solid hour per day to read. But that doesn't work for everyone and that's ok! The big chunk of time method works for me, but I know some people who read for 20 minutes at a time right before going to bed, and that works for them. I'd try to find a method that works for you, something that feels easy and not like a chore, otherwise it will become one and that's not fun.
I'm a poor audio processor, so I don't do well with audiobooks, but that is one easy way to read more, especially if you've got a long commute or parts of your day that are 'empty' otherwise. Let me know if this helps!
Makes sense. I think I need to carve out an hour twice a week to read newsletters. I used to do spordic reading, when I am going through the emails, but I get Substack newsletters can't be read that way. Thanks for your suggestions. Let's keep communicating.
Whenever I read my old stuff, I vacillate between either: I'm a genius! or, I'm an idiot. There is no in between.
And I'm glad it resonated! I had another idea that came from student papers I've been grading (saving that for a future week), but decided being more authentic about where I am currently was the better route to go rather than pushing myself.
February is a beautiful month in Australia. It's the last summer month and mornings are getting sligtly cooler while the days are bright and sunny.
I liked Queen Katya, “If you’re not embarrassed about last year, then you’re not making any progress.” I hadn't heard of it before, and it helped me understand all that embarrassment I was feeling about myself and my work meant something. I was growing.
Marissa, you've shared some fantastic reads, but I'm struggling with the sheer volume of material to read these days. I'm subscribed to numerous newsletters, and while I'd love to read them all, I don't have the time (or a method) to do so.
Gone are the days when I could leisurely spend an afternoon or evening curled up with a good book. It's been ages since I've read a novel, and I used to finish one in just 3-4 days.
I'm retired now, and I don't have many other responsibilities. I spend my days reading, yet I still can't seem to get through all the reading I want to do.
Do you have any suggestions?
I'm so jealous of your February's Neera! That sounds lovely. I suppose our February's are your Augusts?
I've definitely got a few suggestions! Emma Gannon of The Hypen on Substack usually puts all of her newsletter emails into one folder and then devotes an hour or so on the weekend to reading them. I don't go that route specifically, but I do try to carve out an hour here or there to catch up on all of my newsletter emails.
Not to link to myself, but I did a post a few months back on how to read more, which I'll include below. Because writing and teaching is my job, I try to carve out a solid hour per day to read. But that doesn't work for everyone and that's ok! The big chunk of time method works for me, but I know some people who read for 20 minutes at a time right before going to bed, and that works for them. I'd try to find a method that works for you, something that feels easy and not like a chore, otherwise it will become one and that's not fun.
https://marissagallerani.substack.com/p/how-to-read-more
I'm a poor audio processor, so I don't do well with audiobooks, but that is one easy way to read more, especially if you've got a long commute or parts of your day that are 'empty' otherwise. Let me know if this helps!
Makes sense. I think I need to carve out an hour twice a week to read newsletters. I used to do spordic reading, when I am going through the emails, but I get Substack newsletters can't be read that way. Thanks for your suggestions. Let's keep communicating.
This is very good writing advice. I love what I wrote a couple weeks ago but those first few posts whew!!
Whenever I read my old stuff, I vacillate between either: I'm a genius! or, I'm an idiot. There is no in between.
And I'm glad it resonated! I had another idea that came from student papers I've been grading (saving that for a future week), but decided being more authentic about where I am currently was the better route to go rather than pushing myself.