5 ways I'm slowing down and simplifying my reading life this summer

Some tips to slow down and enjoy

This past weekend, I unintentionally ditched my phone. I had an engagement session on Friday evening, followed by an early morning wake-up call to catch a ferry to Monhegan Island for the day. We shuffled in the door Saturday night, slightly sunburned and happily salty from a day out at sea, ate dinner, and crawled into bed just after the sun went down. We were up and out of the house early on Sunday to catch the good light for our annual anniversary photo, and then spent the day getting prepped for a busy week and quietly reading on the porch. At the end of the weekend, I realized I had barely touched or thought about my phone all weekend. And it felt so good.

I've noticed a recurring sentiment lately: many people feel overwhelmed by the amount of content out there and feel there isn't enough time to do what they want (in readers' case: uninterrupted reading time).

I'll admit that I've felt this, too. And when it comes to my reading life, I've definitely felt it as the summer reading guide season kicks off. I love a summer reading guide, but it can be easy to get overwhelmed by the deluge of recommendations. I've found it's important to be mindful and intentional about the content you consume, and one thing that is so helpful when I'm feeling overwhelmed in any area is to take a step back and ask, "How can I simplify?"

So, as I've been reflecting on that over the last week, here are five practices I'm instating in my reading life this summer to help me slow down and simplify.