I’ve always been a reader. When I was living in Chicago and riding the train for an hour each way to work between Wrigleyville and the south side, I didn’t have much else to do but read. Now that we have two small kids, demanding full time jobs, extracurricular activities and a commute that involves driving in Atlanta traffic, that “free time” to read is much more limited for us than it used to be.

That said, in 2020, I took a much more dedicated approach to reading. It wasn’t a New Year’s Resolution or specific goal I set for myself. There were a lot of books that I thought would be cool to read, topics I wanted to learn more about, and eventually determined that the only way I was going to read more books was to actually read more books.

Right now, I’m reading three books simultaneously. I’ve read more in the first two months of the year than I probably did all of 2019. There’s really no trick to it, I’m just prioritizing the habit more.

Boxing Out Dedicated Time For Reading

I’m reading three books at once now, which seems cumbersome but if you dedicate certain segments of your day to types of reading, it’s not bad and easy to keep track of things. Most of us can keep up with the plot lines of multiple TV shows. Why not multiple books?

Here’s out I’m segmenting my time for reading/learning:

Morning: reading the news, industry-related topics and listening to podcasts on the morning commute to work.

Afternoon: Try to either read industry content or maybe a chapter of the book we’re reading in our church small group.

Evening: Audiobook on my drive home from work. After the kids go to bed I read another book.

So right now, I’m reading Liturgy of the Ordinary with our house church at Grace Midtown, one chapter a week. I’m reading Why We’re Polarized by Ezra Klein in the evening after the kids go to bed and just wrapped up Talking to Strangers by Malcom Gladwell on my audiobook drives home.

As a result, I’ve read these books so far in 2020. Also listing what I’m currently reading with a *:

• To Hell with the Hustle

• Start with Why (audiobook)

• The Ride of A Lifetime (audiobook)

• ABM is B2B

• The Artisan Soul

• Talking to Strangers (audiobook)

• Why We’re Polarized*

• Liturgy of the Ordinary*

• Good To Great* (audiobook)

Catching Up on the News/Marketing Trends

I’ve been reserving my mornings for reading the news and reading up on new marketing and technology industry trends. When I wake up in the morning, I’ll try and skim through Feedly on my phone over a cup of coffee (kids wake-up schedules permitting of course). I listen to podcasts on the drive to work, walking into the office and while I’m getting situated for the workday.

After I get started on the workday, I am pretty much wrapped up with podcasts for the day. It’s really shrunk how many podcasts I listen to but I’ve increased the book intake as a result. Spending more time one on individual topic or idea has been rewarding. I’ll check up on new marketing news and articles over lunch sometimes but that’s about it.

How It’s Going

I’m watching considerably less Netflix now, that’s for sure. Honestly, watching way way less TV except for the morning news and the occasional Hawks game. Because I’m reading a printed book and being screen free for the most part at night, I’m also getting way better quality sleep too, which I know affects me for the better during the day.

Starting a new habit of reading, especially at the end of the day, has been really relaxing. I love learning for fun and reading books just for the pure joy of taking in new information.

I don’t have a book goal in mind or anything like that. Just re-prioritizing my team to be more intentional about learning this year.

As I go through the year, what books should I add to my list?