Rekindling an old love

Rebooting is a biweekly newsletter about how we can use technology to take better care of ourselves.

My kindergarten days were spent trying to earn points in an ultimately unjust system. Ms. Barry sought to inspire a generation of passionate readers by rewarding us with Bee Sticks— popsicle sticks bedazzled with bee stickers— every time we finished a book or did some sort of good deed. Without it, I never would have fallen in love with Redwall and all its tiny rodent warriors, nor developed an unrelenting fear of Slappy the Dummy from Goosebumps that I admittedly still can’t shake.

You could trade in a few Bee Sticks for a piece of candy, save a little more for a neat toy, or go for the grand prize of a kids meal from Burger King (complete with a slice of pie) and lunch with Ms. Barry. Being a persistent talker and a die-hard BK fan, I blitzed through my books, racking up Bee Sticks in pursuit of my tasty prize.

When the time came to cash in my pseudo-currency, I realized I was about five sticks short, a calculation I simply couldn’t have mixed up. That same day, the class goofball who was always getting into trouble, Darian, plopped my Bee Sticks on Ms. Barry’s desk and got everything I had worked for, all without having to slog through one too many Animorphs books. It eventually got worked out, but even that momentary kick in the teeth was enough to shake me of my passion for reading for a while.

It doesn’t always take a slimy tyke crushing my dreams to knock me out of my reading groove, though. Sometimes I get bogged down with work, relationship woes, or getting suckered into playing fetch with my pup for two hours after work. I hardly read any of the books I set out to in 2019 because I spent most of the year in a gnarly depression. Getting out of those ruts is hard, but every time I do I’m reminded of the delight I get from reading, from diving into thoughtfully crafted worlds, to tearing up over a story of a bipolar man’s first manic episode. Over the past four months, I’ve tried to bring that joy back into my life, and my Kindle has been the best tool in keeping me on that path.

I’ve had a Kindle Paperwhite since 2013, and it’s been my favorite gadget since. My phone is great, but its battery usually sucks and I end up wasting too much time with apps and games that don’t serve much purpose while neglecting the things that matter, like that Slack message I should’ve replied to or a reminder to go fill up the parking meter. Those distractions make my phone a miserable place to try to read, despite the beauty of keeping my library in my pocket. My Kindle, while not as pocketable, is still pretty portable, and having a sanctuary just for all the books I’m dying to read makes my reading time feel more intimate, and I’ve found I generally remember more of what I read when I’m not tempted to check what’s going on elsewhere.

Kindles wouldn’t be any good without a few books loaded on there. You could buy everything on your reading list, but that gets pricey. I mostly use Libby, which lets you borrow ebooks through the library. I’ve found that I’m able to churn through books more quickly, and the three-week limit keeps me diligent. It doesn’t hurt to save a few bucks, and I can always pick up a copy of my favorite books from a local bookstore whenever my shelf is looking a little barren.

Kindles are also a great way to blitz through your Pocket or Instapaper queue without any distractions shouting in your face. Instapaper Premium has this integrated, and there’s Pocket2Kindle for all the Pocket users out there. You can set up custom “digests” to get a set number of articles delivered as often as you’d like, either by date added or randomly depending on your mood, and they’ll be ready for you to pick up at a moment’s notice.

As great as that is, delegating all of my reading to one device means it can be a real bummer when I leave it behind, especially if I’m on the two-hour train into LA or stuck in the doctor’s office, so I need to make sure it’s always on me. I fell in love with fanny packs this year, and I carry mine everywhere, complete with my trusty Kindle so I’ve got all my favorite page-turners on hand whenever I get the itch to escape my woes for a bit.

I love reading, but ADHD gives me a predisposition to neglecting my responsibilities and passions in favor of deep dives into Wikipedia and taking on side projects to avoid doing the things I actually want to pursue. By giving myself a consistent stream of books and articles to read, and an easy way to make sure it’s always nearby, I’ve been able to rediscover my love for reading, and start cutting down on my ever-expanding list of Must Reads.

In the News:

Video chatting before first dates is actually not a terrible idea (Mashable): It sounds weird at first, but I actually tried out something similar late last year. Neither of us were Harvard grads, and we weren’t paying hundreds of dollars for an Elite Dating Experience, but we did live a state apart and wanted to get to know each other before I made another trip down for Christmas. Things didn’t work out, but our two FaceTime dates were a nice way to end a night, and it was a welcome reminder that a quick call is as good a way as any to get to know someone. Plus it helped knock out some of the first date jitters.  So maybe if you’re really into someone, but don’t have time this week to meet up, try a quick 15 minute FaceTime call to break the ice before grabbing a beer. 

You live your life online. Don’t forget your manners (The New York Times): Online etiquette is a funny thing. One wrong bit of punctuation can shift a conversation, and even knocking a couple y’s off your “heyyy” might send the wrong message. While general guidelines are useful in your online interactions, it’s important to keep in mind that these rules change depending on who you’re talking to and what you’re talking about. So, maybe don’t use the pondering emoji in the midst of a serious talk about boundaries with a partner, and don’t keep a casual tone with a landlord who’s repeatedly emailing you for money you’ve already paid. 

Something Nice:

You Need a Budget: My birthday's tomorrow, and I'm lucky enough to go into my 28th year debt-free for the first time since 2016. That's largely thanks to You Need a Budget, a service that plugs into all your bank accounts (be mindful of your security), to track your transactions and help you reach your financial goals. The longer you use it, the easier it is to see where your money’s going vs where you want it to go, and the service has plenty of useful courses and presentations to help you better manage your finances. Its price tag might seem like a bit much, but as long as you stay diligent, you’ll save more than you paid in the long run.

As always, if you have any questions, feedback, or just want to say hello, feel free to drop me a line on Twitter.

My thanks to Medea Giordano for editing this issue.