My 3-Phase Daily Self Education Routine (+5 Tips to Build Your Own)
And why I make time for 3 types of reading: wisdom, expertise, pleasure
“Routine, in an intelligent man, is a sign of ambition.” - W.H. Auden
A part of me wishes I could tell W.H. Auden that I study for five hours every day.
But that’s never been the case.
I have neither the brainpower nor the time to engage in such Herculean efforts of self-education.
Even if I had the energy, I’m not so sure I would want to spend that much time staring at words. After all, I’m already a writer.
Instead, I spend around two hours per day engaged in self-directed study—reading, listening to lectures, processing notes, and reflecting on what I’ve read.
The only reason I’m able to hit that number on a semi-regular basis is that I schedule self-education into my daily routine.
While it’s more studying than the average non-student is doing, when you consider that some of my reading is in service of my professional writing career, my routine isn’t that extraordinary.
It’s certainly not as inspiring (or disgusting) as the 19-hour study sessions Jack London was putting in when studying for his college entrance exams.
Yet, despite its relative unremarkableness, my self-education routine still helps me achieve big self-education goals. And if there comes a time when I can only study for 30 minutes per day, I’ll still be able to lead a fulfilling intellectual life.
That’s true for 3 reasons:
I’m consistent. I might miss a day or two, but for the most part, I do my routine every day (weekends, I’m far less consistent).
My routine is intentionally designed. The 3 distinct phases help me make progress on specific areas of self-education that matter to me.
When I’m in a study session, I’m deeply focused on the task at hand. And just like in lifting weights, intensity of effort often matters more than time spent in the gym.
Today, I want to share my 3-part self-education routine and help you build your own.
What you’ll learn in today’s newsletter
Since many of you are striving to hit challenging self-education goals amidst work and family life, I thought it would be helpful to show you how I fit two hours of self-education into my daily life. (and how I spread those two hours across 3 distinct types of studying, each with its own purpose in my intellectual and creative life).
I’ll walk you through my current daily 3-phase self-education routine (and the reasoning behind each phase):
The Holy Half Hour (wisdom)
Evening MSRP Studies (expertise)
Bedtime Imaginative Reading (pleasure + creative nourishment)
Lastly, I’ll share 5 best practices for building your own personal self-education routine.
I don’t expect you to copy my self-education routine. We all have different levels of availability and unique learning goals.
But hopefully, after seeing my routine, you’ll have ideas you can use to build your own sustainable, intentional self-education routine that helps you read more, learn more, and consistently deepen and develop your mind, one day at a time.
My Daily 3-Phase Self-Education Routine
Phase 1: 8 AM—8:30 AM: The Holy Half Hour
Arthur Brooks, a Harvard Professor who studies happiness and meaning, spends 30 minutes every morning in what he calls The Holy Half Hour.
In a podcast with Tim Ferriss, Brooks describes The Holy Half hour as the 30-minute segment of your morning routine that is dedicated to a reflective and/or spiritual exercise that prepares you mentally and emotionally for the rest of the day.
A Catholic, Brooks spends his Holy Half Hour at mass with his wife. Other people might use the thirty minutes to engage in meditation, stoic practice, religious study, or prayer.
A book junkie, I spend it studying classic literature.
Reading a classic work like War and Peace first thing in the morning dovetails nicely with two of my other long-term self-education goals: 1) to become well-read in classic novels, and 2) to study the craft of writing.
But the major reason I do it is for the reflection, enlightenment, and wisdom.
Reading classic literature for wisdom
When you read classic literature, you are engaging in a conversation with one of the wisest minds in history.
Their well-crafted story prompts you to reflect on life’s biggest questions and guides that reflection by showing multiple perspectives, often through dramatization, dialogue, or, in Tolstoy’s case, intrusive narration where he adds moral or philosophical commentary.
While some authors may betray their stance on the question, for the most part, great artists leave it up to the reader to figure it out for themselves. During these reflections, the reader often arrives at conclusions that relate specifically to their own life.
Did War and Peace make me more generous?
A week ago, I read a scene in War and Peace where Pierre meets a freemason.
The freemason engages Pierre in a conversation about God and talks about what it means to lead a good life. He calls Pierre selfish and wasteful of his life.
All of a sudden, I was struck by the thought, “Am I being selfish in my life?”
I can’t quite remember my conclusion, but yesterday, as if my unconscious had been affected deeply by this reflection, I found myself cooking enchiladas for a couple of new parents so they would not have to worry about making dinner.
Did my reflection on the scene actually lead to this act of generosity? Who can tell for sure?
But either way, I’d argue that considering the question posed to me by Tolstoy increased my self-knowledge, which will help me act more deliberately and in line with my values going forward.
Literature allows you to live multiple lives
In addition to prompting reflection, classic literature helps us gain wisdom in another big way.
It allows us to live out scenarios and lives we’ll never experience. In reading these stories, we step into the shoes of the characters, transcend our single perspective, and, I believe, become wiser for it.
As C.S. Lewis wrote:
“In reading great literature I become a thousand men and yet remain myself…I see with a thousand eyes but it is still I who see.”
My holy half hour, classic literature study guidelines
Every morning, I spend 30 minutes reading a classic work of literature. Sometimes, if I have the extra time, I’ll read for 45 minutes or an hour.
The general aims of this session are as follows:
Sit at the feet of a great author.
Absorb their wisdom.
Bathe in a hot spring of awe for their artistic achievement.
Engage in heavy annotation.
Notice details.
Afterwards, use the work to prompt reflection on your own life.
I’m beginning to follow up my reading with a walk to chew on the story and then, once it’s digested, start to transition my mind into work mode.
