Better Dead Than Read

This was for some reason a lot harder than it should’ve been. Picking up a book and reading somehow was one of the toughest things to do on certain days. I find myself procrastinating to do what felt like anything to not have to sit down and read. Thru it all, I definitely learned a lot in trying this though. I’ve had to do a lot of thinking on daily habits, short and long-term goals, and motivators over the past few weeks. I’ve learned not only from the process of trying (and failing) to read every day but also from the books themselves.

First and foremost, Ben Franklin was a crazy dude and I’ve got a ton of respect for him. He can be a great inspiration in times of trouble. His philosophies alone would’ve made him a legend, but he didn’t stop there. He became a renowned scientist across the world and was the only founding father to sign what are considered the four major documents to craft this great nation, the Declaration of Independence, the Treaty of Alliance with France, the Treaty of Peace with Great Britain, and the Constitution of the United States. He did have his flaws, however. Franklin was far from a family man, and while he never cheated on his wife, he was very flirtatious with a number of women in his time in both England and France.

Franklin, as it turns out is Nick Offerman’s “Most Respected Illuminatus,” as stated in his book. I really enjoyed this read. It was fun, full of pictures, and plenty of comedy. This was refreshing after the rather straight edged read of the biography. The read was fun, skills, however, are tough to work on without actually participating hands on. I had a good time reading the book and maybe learned a little bit, but I definitely wouldn’t consider myself knowledgeable in the world of woodworking without actually have worked with my hands.

The last book I challenged myself to read, and first to finish no less, was The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. I mostly picked it up because its name seems to be the inspiration for one of my favorite board games, Betrayal at House on the Hill (link is non-affiliate). Overall, it was just an okay read, but I did find myself using my mind a lot more to visualize the scenes, characters, and objects. This made the experience so much better. I visualized the house and the frightening things that were happening within it. I’m glad I gave it a chance, but I may be doing a bit more research before hopping into any future works of fiction. Let me know if you have recommendations.

My biggest takeaway is the importance of deadlines. I tried to set this up by hardcore scheduling my days in order to meet deadlines, but all in all, I knew when push comes to shove, if completing these books was a number one priority, that deadline would push me to do so. This is something I’m trying to apply elsewhere in life. From work projects to side projects, having deadlines for a particular idea or task helps me to finish beforehand. Batting 1.000 on those isn’t always possible, but I still feel a bit of a sting when I go past it. My mind keeps coming back to an article I shared in my newsletter a week ago. The gist is that it’s important to know what factors truly influence you. Can you operate purely based on personal goals or do you need an external force pushing you to do so? For me personally, I think having publicly announced deadlines helps me to actually push myself to finish things before or at least close to those deadlines.

Now for the next trial. I am going to try shaking up the formula a bit. Not only am I going to start a new trial, but every week I am going to add a new challenge. To start off, I am giving up a delicious and sociable pastime, alcohol. Let me know in the comments below if you think you are up for the challenge!