Week 2

Day 8: Reading with attention.

Welcome to Week 2 of Avid!

Today I want you to pay close attention to yourself as you complete your reading goal. Answer these questions in your journal:

How does it feel to read? Note the physical and emotional sensation of opening (literally or figuratively) a book. Does it affect you in a positive way? Are there any creeping sensations of guilt or restlessness? Try to unpack this, and check in frequently with this question throughout the day if you can.
What do you do to prepare for your reading? Is there a moment when you “gear up”? What does that look like? Try to identify the threshold you cross over when you engage in your reading.

Day 9: How you read.

I used to read in the evenings and I would struggle. Once I discovered that reading in the morning was a more sustainable and consistent practice for me, I felt like I cracked some sort of code for how I function at my best. I found that with my lifestyle, my mornings are much more consistent than my evenings, and to try to commit to something steady and ritualistic at a time of day that is too dynamic, too up in the air, didn’t actually make sense for me. Mornings are pretty much always the same for me and it gave me the space I needed to create ritual. Moreover, I learned that I need to start with reading in the morning because it sets me on the right course for the day. I can’t spend an entire day unchecked & out of touch with myself, and then expect to buckle down and show up for a ritual before bed—I would unravel. That’s just who I am. Reading in the mornings is like tying a preemptive double knot. When I choose myself first thing in the morning, I’m more likely to stay in tune with my body and my needs throughout the day.

Through reading I learned to work with what I have, and to honor my preferences. I love a physical book. I love to read in bed, or in a comfortable chair with a blanket and a cup of tea. I have more time in the mornings, so I make sure to do it then. I also need a structured morning to keep myself from spiraling. The core elements to my reading practice (comfort, slowness, a bit of indulgence) are invaluable to me, and I refer to them whenever I try adding other rituals into my daily routine. We will be doing the same in the coming weeks!

I hope my example is helpful for you. I think, based on my experience, there are three things you need to think about this week as you reflect on how you read: your lifestyle, your personality, and your supportive materials. The prompts today and throughout the rest of the week will help you dive deeper.

Today, answer these questions in your journal:

Think about your reading practice thus far. What patterns can you identify in how you have shown up to read? Has it been specific to a certain time of day? Has it been in a specific place in your home or out of your home? Have you needed specific things, such as a blanket or a bathtub?
What has reading shown you about your personality, if anything? Has it felt natural to read daily? Has it enhanced or stifled any parts of yourself in a positive or negative way?

Day 10: What’s working.

Today we're getting very literal with our reading. We're looking at the physical act itself, what physical actions need to be completed in order to achieve your reading goal, and how the physical materials involved in reading are utilized. Then we'll briefly examine any conceptual aspects that help you follow through on your goal.

Answer these questions in your journal:

Consider the three forms a book can have: physical/paper, audiobook, ereader/digital, as well as their natural accompaniments (a couch, blanket; speakers/headphones, a secondary task like driving, walking, doing the dishes; a phone or device of some sort). With your lifestyle in mind, which kind of book makes the most sense for you?
Has your reading practice taken on any further purpose since you’ve adopted it? (i.e. has it turned into a reward? a prize? a test/challenge?) Has this impacted your ability to complete your daily goal for the better?

Day 11: What isn’t working.

With the previous day's considerations in mind, I want you to, again, think about the three forms a book can have (and if you have thought of more than three forms, consider those too!) and now think about if the style you are used to using is actually working for you.

Answer these questions:

What hasn’t been working for you so far this month, in terms of your reading practice? Try to get specific here.
Can anything be remedied by a shift in your routine, such as changing the time of day or acquiring the accessories you need?
Which book forms are you honestly not very drawn to? Have you tried them out before? Why don't you like them?
Do you need a combination of different forms to help assist you with your reading goal? (For example: my partner Izzy has ADHD and recently discovered that they can focus & show up to their reading practice best when they have a physical copy in hand while the audiobook version plays in their ears.)

Day 12: Reading as experimentation.

Today I want you to try reading in a different way than you have been thus far. You can switch up your form (i.e. find the audiobook version if you're reading a hard copy—only if it's easily accessible to you) or switch up the general ritual you have created (i.e. read in the evening instead of the morning today).

I want you to do this exercise because we often think we know how we feel about an action without actually trying it. You might surprise yourself and really enjoy the lightness of an e-reader, or the convenience of an audiobook, or the tactile quality of a paperback. You might also love reading in a new place, or reading when the light is different in your house. You might also hate it! If you do, that's great, it just means you'll be even more excited to return to your ritual tomorrow.

If you haven't been consistent in your reading practice (i.e. reading at the same time every day), I want you to start thinking about what conditions you've enjoyed most. For the next two weeks of this workshop, I really want you to find some consistency, so take the rest of the week to land on an answer for yourself.

Day 13: Only 10%.

Your task today is to read only 90% of your total goal. Again, we're switching it up to see how your body/mind/spirit reacts to the slight shift.

After you finish reading, reflect on the experience:

Describe the sensation of finishing your goal early. Did you feel relief? Were you disoriented? Were you left wanting more?
How do these sensations play into your overall feelings towards your daily ritual?
Has the shift helped you realize anything about your current ritual? Do you need to make some changes before you keep going?
How do these sensations and realizations differ from the ones you felt after increasing your goal by 10% last week? Does your ritual feel more solid than it did last week?

Day 14: Continuing the practice of sharing.

I want you to continue to the practice of sharing what you've read this week. You may want to share in the same way that you chose last week, or maybe you'll want to go about it differently this time around. Whatever you choose to do, know that you're continuing to reinforce those positive neural pathways, solidifying this ritual into your daily practice.

I hope you feel a sense of accomplishment! You just completed another beautiful week of active, intentional reading. This is such a wonderful gift to yourself <3

Alyssa Natoci