Overthinking with Dr. Mazidi: On Reading
Journal 1: On the benefits of whole mind / body reading
Since I am now retired, I have time to upgrade my occasional blog entries to a once-monthly journal of ideas to help you live a more meaningful life amidst the busyness of business
Sneak peek of Journal 1, in which I discuss what I’ve been reading and listening to, include an essay on reading and its distractions, share an AI-generated poem based on the content, and more.
Download a printable pdf of the full Journal 1 here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fcbJ7a8N7f2k6r9KKCdkzM6VAqjlkGPO/view?usp=sharing
Continue reading below for the main article only.
Whole body / whole mind reading
I’ve had a couple of different reading experiences this past year which make me want to optimize my default ways of reading. I do have two good reading practices that don’t need optimization. With my first cup of coffee, I spend a few minutes reading something inspirational, perhaps poems of Rumi, Stoic writings, or anything mind-opening. On my second cup of coffee, I spend a few minutes jotting down in my Remarkable tablet whatever is on my mind: reflections on what I just read, thoughts about a dream I had in the night, things I should get done today. It’s kind of a stream-of-consciousness transition from sleep to wakefulness and getting on with the day. I also read and write a bit at night to wind down before I go to sleep. Neither the morning nor the evening practice takes much time, and I find that this read/write practice gives me a sense of carpe diem. My other reading occurs in stolen moments during weekdays and longer times during weekends. I read novels, sci-fi, biography, history, science, and of course computer science, basically I’m curious about everything.
One of the greatest gifts adults can give to their offspring and to their society is to read to children
- Carl Sagan
Typically, I find myself sitting down to read, let’s say on a Saturday afternoon, and mid-paragraph I jump up to accomplish some task that I forgot to do, or think I need to do for some reason. Let me tell you about two scenarios I experienced when I could and did stifle these pesky intrusions.
One occurred on a bus ride home from visiting my son and daughter-in-law in Houston. It was a wintry day, but my son called the bus company who assured him that roads were clear and my journey would be safe. Not really. The normal 4-hour ride turned into well over 6 hours as we navigated through icy patches on I-45, and a road block which caused us to back down a highway entrance ramp and try another way. Yikes. The bus was warm and comfortable, the view outside was a lovely winter world. I had the best reading experience of my life. There was nowhere to go and nothing to do but sit in my comfy seat and read, read, read, now and again stopping to think about what I read as I gazed out the window. Apparently, one way to get me to read for a long period of time is imprisonment. Can I find the discipline to do that on my own?
Another great reading experience occurred in late Spring at a local state park, sitting outside my camper van. The weather was warm, I was next to a wood that was alive with bird song. There was a breeze off the lake. I would read-pause-reflect, repeat. With the sights, sounds, scents of nature, I call this Whole Body Reading. I was happier and more peaceful than I remember being in a long time. Nature heals. Again, there was nothing to do in this expansive block of time but immerse myself in reading.
How can I replicate these great reading experiences at home? First, silence all phone notifications. Next, set a timer for how long I wish to read, say one hour. Then, place paper and pencil beside me. If any pesky thought does pop up, I can write it down and get back to my book. I can also write down ideas and inspirations from what I am reading, or quotes to think about. Finally, get comfortable. After time is up, I may stretch a bit and set the timer again.
I have implemented this discipline and found that it works for me. It would also work for study sessions or coding sessions.
Let me know if you had to tweak it more to work for you.
Outside of a dog, a book is man’s best friend. Inside of a dog, it’s too dark to read.
- Groucho Marx
Some people find that a familiar place for deep reading is best, others may find that an unfamiliar place works best, say a newly discovered corner of a library, coffee shop, or bookstore. I did some of the best work on my PhD in airport terminals and restaurants while attending research conferences. The anonymity of an airport environment seemed to free me to be more creative and take bigger risks.
A final thought about reading experiences involves material I that I want to internalize. I tend to read through and highlight sections of interest. Then I “nail down” these ideas in a doc by going back through my highlights. But all this is just the left-hemisphere/ego wanting to control everything. For some books that is enough. For others, something deeper needs to happen, the ideas need to become a part of who you are. For these books you need to re-read in a more ritualized way. Get the environment right, read more slowly, stopping at each highlight to relate it to your own journey, ask questions of yourself, think of actionable steps you could take for implementation and internalization. From this second reading you could make a plan to revisit the key points and hold yourself accountable for how you are doing. Now we are going from whole-body reading to whole-brain reading. This can be life changing. Give it a try!
