Last year I shared with Art of Simple readers my plan for bite-sized reading sessions stretched out over a year. It was nice to choose books whose focus aligned with my personal goals last year.
Having a quick daily read related to the habits and mindsets I was trying to cultivate helped me to stay motivated and on task.
In fact, it worked out so well for me that I decided to continue with this daily bite-sized reading habit this year. Today I’m going to share with you the books I have selected to include in my daily reading routine.
Day-by-day reading
This year I’m going to be keeping two books from last year and adding in two more, giving me four daily reads. I find that I want to read simple living books in the morning with my coffee and I like to read the other book at night before bed.
The two books that I’m going to re-read are Alison May’s A Year of Puttery Treats, which is 365 days of “a little something fun for each day of the year” as it relates to housekeeping and family life, and The Harvard Classics in a Year: a Liberal Education in 365 Days.
A Year of Puttery Treats was fun to work through last year. I wanted to read through it again because I enjoyed the treats and many of the reminders and tasks scheduled in the book are habits I want to keep in our home.
This is my third year of reading The Harvard Classics. I like that these classic works on a variety of topics are becoming familiar to me with each re-reading.
This time around my sixteen-year-old is going to be reading along as part of her homeschool. I’m looking forward to our discussions as we read this book together.
The two new books I’m adding to my daily reads are both decluttering and simple living books.
The first is A Year to Clear: A Daily Guide to Creating Spaciousness in Your Home and Heart by Stephanie Bennett Vogt. There are 365 lessons, organized in 52 weekly themes, about letting go of “stress and stuff in ways that lighten, enlighten, and last.” This book dives into the emotional and spiritual work of letting go of clutter, so if you’re a fan of that type of work (think Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up) then I think you’ll enjoy this book, too.
A Year to Clear introduced me to the idea of “tolerations” – those annoying things that are broken, or outgrown, or cluttering up spaces that somehow over time we put off dealing and learn to live with.
The last book I’m reading day by day is 365 Daily Do-Its: Organizing Tips and Challenges to Help You Get (and Stay) Organized Throughout the Year by Christina Scalise. I read this every morning and then add that day’s challenge to my daily To-Do list, if that’s the entry, or focus on the tip depending on what the day’s topic is.
Some of these are short and some will require more time and in-depth action, so sometimes I catch up with these on weekends or when I have a free block of time during the week.
There you have it, my day-by-day reading plan for the year. I’m looking forward to this slow and steady reading pace and to getting back into my habit of beginning and ending each day with a good book.
