Your next seven days, one chapter at a time

You can follow these steps in order or choose a single prompt. A notebook can help, but you do not need to prepare anything before beginning.

1. Choose one book you already want to read. Put it somewhere you naturally pause, rather than somewhere that makes you feel guilty.
2. For the first two days, read for ten minutes. Stop mid-chapter if that makes returning easier. There is no catch-up requirement.
3. On day three, write down one sentence in your own words. What did you notice: an image, a rhythm, an uncomfortable idea?
4. For the next two days, revisit a passage before moving forward. Notice whether the voice has become more familiar.
5. At the weekend, decide whether to continue, pause or change books. A reading practice should leave room for honest choices.

Begin with a piece from the journal

• The pleasure of reading a page twice
• A reading ritual that survives a busy week
• When a book is not the right book for now