Issue #4: On reading more (and maybe achieving something, too)
Issue #4: On reading more (and maybe achieving something, too)
How to read more, commit to your craft with zero time available, and the one book that will get you started.
Let's talk about that stack of books on your nightstand. You tell yourself you don’t have time to read. Every night, you look at it and think, "God, I really should read more." But then you remember you have x, y, z millions of other things to do.
Here's the thing: we've all bought into this idea that reading is some kind of luxury, like a weekend getaway or splurging on the fancy coffee beans. But let's be real – reading isn't a treat. It's not something you earn after you've checked off every item on your Trello board.
Where, in fact, you don’t need:
a whole free afternoon.
to watch another episode of House of Fire.
to keep up with the latest silly dance on Tic Toc.
to read the whole book, every book.
Read a chapter with your morning coffee instead of immediately diving into Gmail.
It's not about how much time you spend reading – it's about making it a habit, a rhythm that becomes as natural as checking your phone for likes on that tentative first Substack post (maybe even replacing some of that anxiety-inducing screen time, but let's not get too ambitious here).
Most of the things I know are from the books.
When I started my management job, I did not have qualification for it. For the first year, I did not know what the heck I was doing.
Basic management books gave me an idea of what a job entails, what is expected, and how to deal with some challenges. The rest happened over time.
When I started writing, I did not know how to write an essay, conduct an interview, or write concisely. Yes, I could turn to Google or have AI do it for me. In the short term, it’d be a solution.
For the long term, the books provided the key concepts.
I’ve been doing the same thing my whole life, at least since turning 17.
When I wanted to learn English, I did not move to England, even though that’d be a smart idea. I travelled to the closest town with the bookshop and the biggest dictionary I could find. It costed 800 Slovak koruna! And it meant I had to eat instant noodles for the rest of the month.
I carried the heavy thing home. Yes, this was back in 2003, so there were no phones and no fancy Oxford Dictionary app available.
And once I finally decided to move to the UK, I brought it with me. The stone of a book took up half the space of my luggage–worth it!
Of course, these days, we keep dictionaries on our iPhones. If you don’t know the meaning of ANY WORD, Google it or ChaT GPT it and it’ll give you a complete description of not only the meaning but also how to use the word best.
For the rest of the knowledge, I’d still say the books are the best bet.
That said, let me give you a few suggestions based on what I’ve been reading in recent months.
“Put your ass where your heart wants to be” by Steven Pressfield
For anyone who ever struggled to cobble together enough time to pursue writing without letting a week's worth of dishes pile up, working some meaningless job for rent money, or investing some quality time with loved ones so they don’t feel neglected, this book is the book to spend 10 pounds on.
There’s no single ounce of doubt in my mind that you will be satisfied with the purchase.
Why is that?
Pressfield stops you in the trucks of inertia and addresses self-sabotage tendencies, such as perfectionism, lack of time, dread of failure and pervasive anxiety of not being good enough.
“In a culture obsessed with productivity hacks and quick fixes, Pressfield’s advice is refreshingly straightforward: sit down and do the work.”1
Timely and only valid advice when it comes to managing time.
But how? Your well-fitted question and very reasonable objection cannot be ignored.
Without spoiling this excellent read for you here’s what Pressfield suggests: Commit to your craft (whatever the craft is—it does not necessarily have to be writing. You can adapt it to your own “passion project”)
“Make the conscious choice to put your ass where your heart wants to be every single day.”
Even though the book is about pursuing your craft, it will help you change your perspective if you even slightly fall into the traps of overwhelm, not having enough time to do it all, and all the other obscurities we face daily.
That is it for today, one book only.
I wish I could share the whole list of the books with you, but unfortunately, I’ve been struggling to fit reading in around all the commitments. I’ve got a couple more books on the go, but they are nowhere near fully read.
So, I guess that could be a preview of what’s coming up in the following recommendations.
And
The secret to reading more or reading at all isn’t stealing the whole afternoon to read the entire Hunger games trilogy.
Read a chapter with your morning coffee instead of immediately tackling the overnight notifications on Substack.
These will be there after you finish your page.
My TBR pile is high... Right now I'm reading Free to Focus by Michael Hyatt -- just because I need to get myself together. I did two writing conferences back-to-back and need to plan how to get through it all.
I started reading Get the Picture by Bianca Boscker about a journalist who infiltrates the art world. While it made me laugh and is probably very good - my commitments over-powered, and I didn't continue. I also started Did I Ever Tell You - by Genevieve Kingst another non-fiction where her mother dies and leave gifts for every birthday and milestone for the author and her brother. Again, work derailed that, even though I was really looking forward to it.
I usually take the morning 7:30-8:30am to read for me. I've been traveling a lot have been thrown off my game. I will get back to my routine and eventually pick these back up, unless something more shiny grabs me.
Perfect timing! My writing mentor is always reminding me the key ingredient to better writing IS more reading, and I hardly make the time for it (mainly cause I have an issue with authority figures & people telling me what to do EVEN IF I want to do it). BUT, this is a great way to incorporate reading into my daily routine rather than looking for a time in my schedule to CARVE OUT the time! Thanks for sharing this wonderfully written piece, and congratulations on learning English! You are amazing at it!