As a side note, this is not a prescriptive formula that will magically produce a fulfilling life of reading. But maybe some of these things could help give some ideas or pointers to apply!

1. Set aside certain hours of the day

Bet you weren’t expecting that.. Just kidding, it’s the most obvious. I wake up 1-2 hours prior to my children and dedicate reading Scripture and my more academic readings. That’s the time I’m most mentally alert and I want to use that time to receive the more intellectual works.

My midday/nap-time reads are usually more literary and leisurely. Something that would inspire and spur me towards goodness, truth, and beauty while also being maybe a bit less weighty.

My evening/pre-bedtime reads are usually light-hearted and uplifting (only good thoughts before bed!).

An example from my current reads is as follows:

Morning: Scripture, Purgatorio, A Beginner’s Guide to the Divine Comedy

Midday: The Odyssey

Evening: The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion #6

2. Always be carrying…

books. I ALWAYS have a book with me. Carpool, doctors office, wherever I go I have a book.

Along with my books, I usually have my commonplace notebook and a pen/pencil to annotate, underline, copy a quote, etc. The goal is for these things to internalize and change me in wholesome ways.

3. Fill empty moments of the day with reading

Hear me when I say, please leave moments of silence of solitude. Our minds need moments to connect ideas and have actual thoughts.

But, if there are times that are freed up when I’d normally grab my phone or some other distraction, I aim to pick up my book. This goes along with #2, always have a book handy.

How do you find time to read? Do you schedule it out or go day-by-day?

I’m coming on my one year anniversary of when I began a personal curriculum and I was prompted to share. Maybe for my own edification, but mainly in hopes to spur others along on their own academic journeys.

I stumbled upon this idea of a self-taught Master’s level coursework & it completely took root. I’m going to share my personal coursework alongside some pointers to creating a personalized reading list as well.

St. John’s University in Annapolis, MD generously shared their Master’s in Liberal Arts reading lists online for all to see. So, pulling from that, I took a piecemeal approach and gradually customized my load over the last year.

It essentially works its way through the Great Books as a foundation for Western Civilization. This was appealing to me since I have huge gaps of knowledge from my own education.

A thing to wrestle with is the “why” behind dedicating your life to this endeavor, and yes, it is a lifetime’s endeavor. If & when these moments arise, I think back to what St. Jack had to say about reading the “Greats.”

My reading is not limited to the ancients works, however. I included classic literary fiction in my lists as well.

Where to start? I’d start with an area of interest and go from there! Read what YOU want to read. Many universities list their program readings on their websites. If you get to the point where you want to switch gears, have the freedom to do so.

If you’re interested in my personal curriculum, check it out here. For a list of Living Books then click here.

Let me know what you’re reading below!

Subscribe now