Many episodes of MPU—and especially Focused—touch on the importance of daily routines for both productivity and health. With that in mind, I thought this article might be of interest to some. In it, I share how my wife and I have taken a different approach to how we spend our evenings. Perhaps something in our experience will be helpful to others.
The article begins with this quote from Cal Newport:
Put more thought into your leisure time … when it comes to your relaxation, don’t default to whatever catches your attention at the moment, but instead dedicate some advance thinking to the question of how you want to spend your “day within a day.— Cal Newport
Enjoy War and Peace! I needed three months for it when I read it. But I enjoy Tolstoi and went on to Anna Karenina as well.
I had the feeling of being more refreshed from “quality leisure” than from going straight to the TV or similar “fast” (as in fast food) leisure. Mine was a game called DotA.
The only thing where I think different is the healthy cookie. My approach is to choose my sins deliberately in moderation. But when sinning, I just enjoy the unhealthy version without remorse.
How do you manage to deeply read when you have a job that involves a lot of reading. I love to read but after a mentally exhausting day more mental energy does not sound leisurely to me.
But I’ve discovered, as have many others before me, that the hardest part is the “first step.” The same goes for exercise. If I can make my tea and open the book, I’m good to go with my reading. I devote 30-45 minutes (occasionally an hour) to the reading. My evening, assuming I don’t have a school function to attend, goes like this (my calendar is blocked for the following):
4:00 arrive home
4:00-4:30/5 eat dinner and watch the local news (sports and weather). I never watch cable news–it’s awful.
5:00-5:30/5:45- read
6:00 relax
8:30 to bed
Next day:
4:30am up and get ready for work
5:00-5:30 Drink LOTS of coffee, Bible reading and prayer
5:30-6:30 work, post to MPU forum
6:30 head to the office
7:00-9:30 deep work
9:30-4:00 meetings etc
As you can see, I’ve interrupted my routine to post this response. Now, back to deep work.
Bottom line, it is “simply” a matter of discipline, which is hard when you are tired. I just try to take those first steps, make tea, grab a cookie, and open a book. If I do that, I find that I’m not too tired to read.
an act of faith 
.