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.

5 Ways I’m Slowing Down and Simplifying My Reading Life This Summer

1. Trusting my intuition. Something I have been practicing lately across all areas of my life is listening for a "whole body yes" when making a decision. Do I want to read this book? Do I want to eat a big salad for dinner? Do I want to buy this dress? In all these situations (and more), I'm tuning into my body for the answer. This practice is often used for more significant life decisions, but I'm finding it helpful for even the smallest decisions, and it's bringing more joy to my life. Once you start tuning in to this small voice that jumps up and down and yells "YES," it gets easier to continue tuning in to it. I'm carrying this practice into my reading life this summer to pick up books that are exactly what I want to read.

2. Monotasking. So many of us struggle with focus these days, and the practice I use to combat that is monotasking. I'm practicing this in my reading life this summer by reading fewer books at a time, committing my full attention to them while reading, and slowing down my audiobook listening speed. Allowing my focus to be on the one thing—reading—lets me be more present and immersed in the book, which then lets me be more excited about it, leading me to want to read more. It's a (not so vicious) cycle, you see?

3. Happily miss out on everything else. I'm no stranger to this concept from Cal Newport’s Digital Minimalism; I routinely return to it when I feel a little crazed in any area of my life. It involves defining your values, or what you want, and then committing to those and happily missing out on everything else. Once you are clear with what you want your reading life to look like and feel like this summer, it gets easier to say no to things that distract your attention or know when something fits into your priorities and goals, and you can confidently say yes.

4. Prune the shelves (digital and physical). I did this last week, and let me tell you, it's such a palette cleanser! So, if you're feeling overwhelmed by the number of books on your shelves, be that your physical shelves or your digital reading lists, then let this be your sign to take some time and let go of some of them. I had 67 unread books on my shelf and weeded it down to 42. And I went through and cleaned out my Goodreads "Want to Read" shelf and my library holds list. Starting with a fresh slate in this new season is truly a gift.

5. Decide early. I was recently planning for our vacation in July. Even though it's a pretty low-key vacation, I realized that my desire to have everything planned out stemmed not from being Type A but from the idea of not having to make mundane decisions on vacation. What a gift to my future self, right? It was a "mind-blown" moment, and I realized I could carry this sentiment into my reading life this summer. Isn't it the worst when you are on vacation and have to spend time figuring out logistical details, looking up restaurants, or something equally mundane? The same applies to your reading life. Instead of finishing the final pages of a book and thinking, "What next?" and then going into a deep dive of endless options, I put together a list of a handful of titles I'm excited about that I'll pull from. And sure, this list will morph as the summer goes on, but it's nice to have a standby list. I do this with other seasonal things, too, like favorite summer recipes, movies that feel like summer, a small bucket list of activities we can pick from when we find ourselves with a free Sunday and beautiful weather, and a folder of cute summer outfits I love that I can replicate with items in my closet. It makes everything easier when you decide early and decide once.

I’d love to hear what you think and what your summer reading life is going to look like!

‘Til next time,