In 2002, Steven Pressfield taught us about resistance in his book, The War of Art: Winning the Inner Creative Battle. If you haven’t read it, here’s the main idea: whenever you’re about to do important work, there’s a palpable feeling of resistance every time you get started. If you’re an author, every morning’s writing sessionContinue reading The War of Reading
My wife reads a lot for work. As a college professor with a Ph.D., if she’s not reading research papers, she’s grading large stacks of homework. In her downtime, the last thing she has energy for is more reading. But last night, things got interesting. She was unwinding on Instagram while I read Hiking withContinue reading She Wouldn’t Read the Book
A fridge magnet changed my life. It said, “Show me your five closest friends and I’ll show you your future.” It’s the kind of saying that means little when you’re a kid, but I wasn’t a kid. I was sitting in the principal’s office with my son who had gotten himself in trouble on theContinue reading Your 5 Favorite Authors
While it’s euphoric to read in silence, you must learn to read your books in noisy places. Otherwise, you’ll never get any reading done. The world is full of people shouting, cars honking, circular saws buzzing, feet stomping, woodpeckers pecking, and houseflies hovering. This damned planet is set to distract me. I thought I wouldContinue reading Learn to Read in Loud Places
There’s a different quality about Sunday. Compared to the other days of the week, it’s softer and less hurried. I hear the rhythmic tick of the clock and the occasional sounds of my home settling in for a quiet, winter day. My kids are still asleep as I scoop Earl Grey tea into an infuserContinue reading Reading on Sunday
Mom never made me eat broccoli – she wanted me to be happy. And so I was. She fed me well, always nutritious food, but if I didn’t like it, why have a fight about it? That’s my mother, wise and kind in the same package. She’s irreplaceable and she taught me a lesson. IContinue reading Stop Eating Broccoli Books
Philosophy is hard to understand, but there’s a reason you should read it. My first experience with Plato, Aristotle, and contemporaries like Hannah Arendt came in the fall of 2004. I was getting a Bachelor’s degree in business, and I needed an easy class to fill my schedule – so I took Intro to Philosophy.Continue reading The Flywheel of Philosophy
After nine hours of pulling electrical wire, Mark Robinson sat in his armchair reading a copy of Grey’s Anatomy, a medical book weighing in at over 1500 pages. I sat on the couch opposite watching this man read with more passion than an army of football fans at the Superbowl. All he needed was aContinue reading Become an After-Hours Academic
I have a challenge for you. The goal is to read every day (with focus) for 60 minutes over an entire month. Can you do it? For the brave souls who want to tackle this project, I’ve just launched The 30-Day Focused Reader Challenge in my private community. If you dare to sign up (I’mContinue reading The 30-Day Focused Reader Challenge
The Hedonic Treadmill is an idea in psychology that if you keep busting your ass, you’ll be happy one day. Except that, for each “improvement” you make, you don’t feel any different. That’s because you’ve erroneously assumed the end result matters. If you drive a certain car, date a level-10 girl, or make a millionContinue reading The Hedonic Treadmill of Reading