When I have a lot of things on my plate and no clear idea of when or how they are happening, I often wake up in a state of sheer panic. Still not fully awake to grasp it, my mind leaps from one thought to another, becoming more agitated with each unsettled thing that emerges.
Since it takes me some time to awake completely, my capacity to put a halt to this ‘panic ramble’ is limited. Needless to say, this isn’t necessarily the nicest way to wake up.
Over the past week, I’ve started to read about a chapter per day (10–20 minutes) of a book1 I had lingering near my bedside for months. Among all the habits I’ve sustained for a comparable time-span, this particular one has undoubtedly provided the greatest value for the effort required. Reflecting a little on the ‘why,’ here’s 5 things that make morning-reading so powerful.
Morning reading slows you down
This was the effect of morning reading that really impressed me the most. I am currently going through a rather turbulent phase, with the anxiety from my dreams frequently carrying over into my first waking hour. My mind is on overdrive, which does not sit well with my morning coffee.
Thoughts are not necessarily complete, comprehensive and sensible. This isn’t the case for what we read in a book: words follow each other in logical order, and each sentence is a rounded package with a clear beginning and end. Together, sentences make up paragraphs, chapters and ultimately a story-line.
By reading, we force our brain to slow down, to fall back into this story-rhythm. Vocalisation, where you ‘say’ the words in your head, ensures that we cannot rush forward and that we stay grounded with the pace of the text.
Morning reading shifts your focus away from anxious thoughts
Not only do we slow down our thoughts, we also change them. By occupying ourselves with a different story than the ramble of our mind, our mood changes. We activate different neurons in our brain: not the ones associated with the presentation we’ll have to give next week, but the ones located near the concepts, people, and things you are reading about. Sparking activity in these regions will set the stage for a more enjoyable day.
Morning reading breaks the 'rut of the working life'
Many of us plan our day such that we get up, prepare for work, go to work, get back from work, and only then go about with ‘our’ day. This creates a somewhat distressing impression that we only do what we want to do in the few hours that are left after work: we live to work, rather than the other way around. By reading in the morning, you break this pattern.
Here I’m assuming that you are reading a book for yourself; something you find interesting or enjoyable—something you read because you want to. Now, you start your day with something you want to do, rather than something you have to do.
It seems like a small change, reading for 10–20 minutes, but it can transform how you perceive everything else you do.
Morning reading brings your fresh ideas
The nice thing about reading in the morning is that whatever you read can be on your mind’s stand-by for the rest of the day. Particularly for non-fiction books, you don’t just get new ideas and insights, you will also have ample opportunity to connect it to anything and everything that the day might bring you.
Morning reading makes you... read?
This is a bit of a bonus, but a nice one nonetheless. As I mentioned, I started reading a book that was near my bedside for months (4, to be exact), triggering an ‘ah I should really find the time to read that’-though whenever I looked at it.
Going from 0 to reading 10–20 minutes a day, you will see your reading pile shrink. Or, if it doesn’t match your book-collecting pace, at least it will rid you of the guilt you might feel from not reading at all.
To me, this is a sizable list of benefits that costs you only a fraction of your day. Will you give it a chance?
