Habit #2: Read Every Night Before Bed
So far, so good when it comes to my plan to introduce one new habit every week (or so). I’ve done a much better job with staying hydrated. I make it a habit to always have my water bottle with me, to constantly drink water whenever I’m at restaurants, and to drink a lot at dinner if I need to catch up for the rest of the day.
The next habit I want to add into the mix will be to read a little most nights before bed. I’ve been disappointed with how much TV I’ve been watching lately (on a computer via Netflix or Hulu, since we don’t own a real TV). I forgive myself for wasting so much time on mindless shows because going through two first trimesters of pregnancy within a couple of months of each other (with a miscarriage in between) was pretty rough for me. I felt tired and uncomfortable and sick nearly every night.
Whenever I want to make a change in my life, I start by identifying what specific actions I’ll need to take in order to make my goal a reality and what might hold me back. When it comes to reading each night, I need to be sure I have something to read on my nightstand. I know it sounds obvious, but now that we are on a tight budget and I only use the library, it takes extra work to find good books. I have to know what I want, order it from the library, and pick it up. At the start of every month when I’m setting my goals for the month, I’ll be sure to order books from the library. I also think it will help to have a go-to list of what I want to read. Here are some ideas:
- Flight Behavior
- The Beet Queen
- The Absence of Nectar
- Between Here and April
- The Blessings of the Animals
- The Birth House
- The Dirty Life
- Food Rules
- Made from Scratch
- Innovator’s DNA
- The Lean Startup
- Crucial Conversations, Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High
- Leadership and the one Minute Manager
- Five Dysfunctions of Team
- What Got You Here, Won’t Get You There
- The Way We’re Working Isn’t Working
- The Power of Habit
- Leadership and Self-Deception
My first book is available on hold at the library. I’ll go pick it up tomorrow!
- Drink Enough Water
- Read Before Bed
7 Comments
Katie B
I am a big reader, but I want to maybe warn against the "TV bad/books good" dichotomy. Some books are trashy wastes of time, and some TV is great art that is worth spending time consuming (Homeland and OZ come to mind).
Kristy
The Birth House was a great read. Have you read The Happiness Project? I read that book last January and it was a real motivator for the year!
Carrie
What about working books on CD into the "reading" rotation? As a lawyer, I read all day, and the last thing I want to do is read more right before bed. However, the same good book can be enjoyed with the ears rather than the eyes. 🙂
Anonymous
I loved "Half Empty" by David Rakoff. I definitely recommend it for your list.
Julia
Can I recommend http://www.goodreads.com ? You can track books you want to read, review ones you have, browse your friends' lists, etc. Super cool.
Stephanie
I recently came across some holistic practioners' blogs that cautioned against drinking too much water immediately before/during meals because it dilutes your stomach acid and other digestive juices. Just something to think about with timing of the water intake! It's made me rethink my hydration strategy, given that I have digestive issues.
Catfish
I totally agree with @Katie_B. A lot of TV these days has the richness of great literature – I consider The Wire to be The Great American Novel. I think we need to read TV with the same passion and conviction as books, because, let's face it, TV is more influential these days. It's only engaging with it mindlessly that's a problem.