How to Read Less

I like to read. A lot. Probably too much. As Catherine has gotten older and more active, I have less time to read. But I've somehow held myself to the same standard of reading 200-250 books for the annual Goodreads challenge. Recently I've started to explore and question all the expectations I hold for myself to check and see if they're realistic and healthy. And I've decided to give myself permission to not read as much.  I have other things I want to do with my rare free time, and as I have realized I am not getting any younger...that the time is now. Ever since I was young I've always wanted to develop these habits (exercising regularly, playing the piano, and practicing Spanish). When I devoted all my time to reading, those things fell by the wayside. I realized that no one cared how may books I read (even though I thought they did). I realized that *I* wanted to be better at each of these other things and that they would bring me greater pleasure than to simply be able to say "Yeah, I've read that!"

So in the spirit of Brené Brown, here is my permission slip I wrote for myself to read less.

I also have found a way to be content about experiencing books without having to read them all the way through. Life is too short. I will still read a lot of these, but I'm letting myself off the hook.

1. Read long, professional reviews of it (like from the New York Times or Time)
2. Listen to the Fresh Air segment with the author
3. Listen to other podcasts about books (haven't looked too hard into this yet)
4. Read the Sparknotes if it's an older title

Life is short. I love to read, but I've found it's not the only thing I love. I am proud of myself for questioning my long-held assumptions about what makes me happy and why I do the things I do.