I have learned that short daily routines are powerful and effective for improving myself. A daily habit of reading one author or one subject for a period of time is a wonderful way to grow.
One year, I read A Year with C.S. Lewis: Daily Readings from His Classical Works. As I spent about five minutes with this great thinker each day, I was inspired to articulate faith in a clearer, more persuasive way. It didn’t matter that I had already read many of his books. These short readings were a steady dose of brilliance each day.
I have enjoyed other daily readings, such as Russell M. Nelson’s Daily Joy, and Clemency Burton-Hill’s Year of Wonder: Classical Music for Every Day. Each of these informed and inspired me and gave me a sense of accomplishment each time I read. Dopamine! Yay!
My daily dose of culture for 2026 is Shakespeare. So far, I have floundered to understand my daily readings, but when something makes sense, a mark is made on my heart. I think that I’ll be able to comprehend Shakespeare better as I continue to spend time with him.
I’m most successful if a new daily goal is brief so can be linked easily to my established routines. I learned somewhere that this is called habit stacking. Basically, the idea is to link a goal to something you are already doing. For example, I have an established morning routine, so I might choose to add a 5-10 minute goal during that time.
An ongoing goal of mine is to simply read one page each day. That gets me into a book, then I end up reading much more. It’s an overtly minimal goal, but it’s effective.
Small daily acts give a better picture of where I’m headed than the things I do occasionally, in the past, or plan to do someday. Brief minutes add up to a lifetime.
