1 00:00:03,480 --> 00:00:06,760 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:09,240 --> 00:00:15,640 Speaker 1: Good Morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. 3 00:00:16,880 --> 00:00:20,680 Speaker 1: Today's tip is to commit to a must read for 4 00:00:22,960 --> 00:00:25,079 Speaker 1: I am sure many people listening to this have a 5 00:00:25,160 --> 00:00:28,600 Speaker 1: long list of books you would like to read it sometime, 6 00:00:29,760 --> 00:00:32,760 Speaker 1: So why not choose one of those books and make 7 00:00:34,760 --> 00:00:40,280 Speaker 1: the time as long time Before Breakfast listeners know. I 8 00:00:40,280 --> 00:00:44,360 Speaker 1: have spent the past year reading slowly through War and Peace. 9 00:00:45,800 --> 00:00:48,360 Speaker 1: I read Leo Tolstoi's epic for the first time in 10 00:00:49,440 --> 00:00:52,960 Speaker 1: and really enjoyed it. But I also read it quite quickly, 11 00:00:53,560 --> 00:00:57,560 Speaker 1: probably to get through it. I decided I wanted to 12 00:00:57,600 --> 00:01:00,480 Speaker 1: re read this book so I could understand it's complex 13 00:01:00,560 --> 00:01:04,840 Speaker 1: characters and the way Tolstoy weaves together philosophy and history 14 00:01:05,120 --> 00:01:09,840 Speaker 1: and narrative action. If generations of book lovers have identified 15 00:01:09,920 --> 00:01:12,760 Speaker 1: War and Peace as one of the best novels ever written, 16 00:01:13,520 --> 00:01:16,640 Speaker 1: then I wanted to make sure I really enjoyed it. 17 00:01:18,040 --> 00:01:20,800 Speaker 1: There are probably classics that you keep meaning to read. 18 00:01:21,520 --> 00:01:23,840 Speaker 1: Maybe you read them once in school but you think 19 00:01:23,880 --> 00:01:27,320 Speaker 1: you missed some of the nuances, or maybe you just 20 00:01:27,440 --> 00:01:30,560 Speaker 1: keep hearing how profound these books are and you want 21 00:01:30,560 --> 00:01:37,759 Speaker 1: to experience that yourself, Moby Dick, Ulysses, Beloved, Middle March, 22 00:01:38,520 --> 00:01:42,319 Speaker 1: The Brothers, Karamazov. The list is long of classics we 23 00:01:42,400 --> 00:01:46,440 Speaker 1: just can't miss, and yet we inevitably have missed some 24 00:01:46,560 --> 00:01:49,800 Speaker 1: of them. Or maybe you want to read the Bible 25 00:01:50,160 --> 00:01:54,080 Speaker 1: or another sacred text all the way through. There are 26 00:01:54,120 --> 00:01:57,160 Speaker 1: lots of online study plans that provide a roadmap for 27 00:01:57,240 --> 00:01:59,960 Speaker 1: reading through the whole Bible in just a few minutes 28 00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:05,040 Speaker 1: a day. That is totally doable. And if you profess 29 00:02:05,120 --> 00:02:08,079 Speaker 1: a certain faith but have not read the sacred text 30 00:02:08,080 --> 00:02:13,400 Speaker 1: associated with it, well it's probably worth doing. Why not 31 00:02:13,840 --> 00:02:19,040 Speaker 1: in or perhaps you must read? Isn't something that's lasted 32 00:02:19,040 --> 00:02:24,640 Speaker 1: through the generations. Rather, it's something more recent. Other people 33 00:02:24,720 --> 00:02:27,600 Speaker 1: keep talking about it, and you want to join in 34 00:02:27,639 --> 00:02:31,920 Speaker 1: the conversation. Are you the only person in your circle 35 00:02:31,960 --> 00:02:36,960 Speaker 1: who hasn't read Kel Newport's Digital Minimalism or Emily Aster's 36 00:02:37,000 --> 00:02:42,239 Speaker 1: The Family Firm or Oliver Berkman's Four Thousand Weeks? Or 37 00:02:42,280 --> 00:02:46,079 Speaker 1: maybe you haven't read your partner's favorite novel. If your 38 00:02:46,120 --> 00:02:50,440 Speaker 1: partner's favorite book ever is Cormac McCarthy's The Road, don't 39 00:02:50,440 --> 00:02:53,480 Speaker 1: you want to read that as a window into his 40 00:02:53,600 --> 00:02:56,960 Speaker 1: or her in her life. Whatever it is that you 41 00:02:56,960 --> 00:03:00,639 Speaker 1: have been meaning to read, commit to act truly reading 42 00:03:00,680 --> 00:03:05,080 Speaker 1: that one particular book in the coming year. If you 43 00:03:05,120 --> 00:03:10,960 Speaker 1: commit to one must read and focus your energies on 44 00:03:11,000 --> 00:03:15,280 Speaker 1: that one book, you will finally be able to check 45 00:03:15,320 --> 00:03:19,360 Speaker 1: it off your list. Yep, even if it is something 46 00:03:19,400 --> 00:03:24,560 Speaker 1: long like War in Peace or the Bible, and then 47 00:03:25,120 --> 00:03:28,600 Speaker 1: you will become the kind of person who has read 48 00:03:29,040 --> 00:03:33,320 Speaker 1: that book. For something long and intense, you could certainly 49 00:03:33,360 --> 00:03:35,560 Speaker 1: spread your reading out across a few months or even 50 00:03:35,600 --> 00:03:39,960 Speaker 1: the whole year. For something shorter or lighter. Maybe all 51 00:03:40,000 --> 00:03:42,280 Speaker 1: it will take is putting the book on your nightstand 52 00:03:42,360 --> 00:03:45,480 Speaker 1: and actually opening it or packing it into your carry 53 00:03:45,480 --> 00:03:48,920 Speaker 1: on the next time you travel. You could cross this 54 00:03:49,040 --> 00:03:53,360 Speaker 1: new year's resolution off your list in the first two weeks. 55 00:03:54,400 --> 00:03:59,760 Speaker 1: As long as you focus and do it, then who 56 00:03:59,800 --> 00:04:03,360 Speaker 1: knows what that sense of reading momentum will lead to next. 57 00:04:05,000 --> 00:04:08,040 Speaker 1: If you decide on a two must read, I'd love 58 00:04:08,120 --> 00:04:11,120 Speaker 1: to hear what it is. You can reach me at 59 00:04:11,200 --> 00:04:17,360 Speaker 1: Laura at Laura Vanderkam dot com. In the meantime, this 60 00:04:17,400 --> 00:04:21,680 Speaker 1: is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making the 61 00:04:21,720 --> 00:04:31,280 Speaker 1: most of our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to hear 62 00:04:31,320 --> 00:04:34,120 Speaker 1: from you. You can send me your tips, your questions, 63 00:04:34,200 --> 00:04:37,960 Speaker 1: or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook 64 00:04:38,040 --> 00:04:42,840 Speaker 1: and Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod. That's b E the 65 00:04:42,960 --> 00:04:47,200 Speaker 1: number four, then Breakfast p o D. You can also 66 00:04:47,200 --> 00:04:50,919 Speaker 1: shoot me an email at Before Breakfast podcast at iHeart 67 00:04:50,960 --> 00:04:53,800 Speaker 1: media dot com that Before Breakfast is spelled out with 68 00:04:53,800 --> 00:04:56,560 Speaker 1: all the letters. Thanks so much, I look forward to 69 00:04:56,560 --> 00:05:04,760 Speaker 1: staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a production of I 70 00:05:04,920 --> 00:05:08,760 Speaker 1: heart Radio. For more podcasts from I heart Radio, visit 71 00:05:08,800 --> 00:05:12,200 Speaker 1: the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you 72 00:05:12,240 --> 00:05:13,440 Speaker 1: listen to your favorite shows.