What I read regularly
I’m a voracious reader, and have been for as long as I can remember. (I won a trophy for the number of books I read one year in elementary school.) My friends, family members and clients can count on me to pass along things I’ve read on a regular basis.
I do this by making space and time to consume what’s important, and try my best to ignore the rest of the noise that could get in my way. Here’s what generally makes the cut.
Books
I have an unfortunate habit of getting interested in books faster than I’m able to read them! The result of this habit is a reading list that’s more than a year long at this point. When my book pile gets low, I go to my reading list and reserve a few titles at the public library. I visit our local branch once a week for pickups and returns. I’ll pick up an audiobook once in a while for long runs or working on a puzzle, and I read on my Kindle to keep things light when I travel. Otherwise, it’s all hard copies.
As for what I read, it’s usually a mix of history, biography and leadership books. I really love escaping into a good novel, and remind myself to do this on a regular basis. (Example: I can’t recommend The Overstory strongly enough.)
The news
My gratitude once again to fellow coach Barry Demp for his idea that I borrowed early in the pandemic: I don’t read the news before 5 p.m. This helps me keep my brain focused on other, more important things. But I am a pretty regular news consumer.
We receive the Sunday Washington Post print edition. I love doing the crossword with a pen as part of my weekend routine. I also read the print editions of TIME, Choice, Harvard Business Review and Washington Lawyer.
I skim the digital Post and New York Times every day, along with Slate and Vox. I visit the Google News page, which knows where I live and that I’m interested in Depeche Mode, electric cars and air travel. I occasionally look at Politico, Guardian, the Atlantic and The Cut.
Blogs
I follow blogs by influential authors and coaches, blogs about travel and blogs about things that happen near where I live. I’m one of the few old souls who still uses an RSS reader to stay on top of these. I usually check it a couple of times a day.
Email newsletters
Most of the coaches I know have email newsletters, and I’m subscribed to a bunch of them. I also read the Anti-Racism Daily and Heather Cox Richardson’s daily emails.
Social media
I ditched Twitter shortly after it came under new management, and I’ve been off Facebook for more than a year. Can’t say I miss either of these. I’ve never had an account on Instagram or TikTok. But LinkedIn is a lifeline for my business, and I’m on it pretty frequently as a poster and reader.
That’s my list! What’s capturing your eyeballs these days?