The one book you need to reset for 2022

When Jamie told me the intention for this month was going to be “reset,” I got so excited because if there’s one thing I love it’s a new beginning. As a perfectionist, there’s few things to me as filled with potential as a blank page, a Monday, a first step, a new year. Can you tell I’m hopeful 2022 is going to be—if not amazing (and probably not great to be honest) —at least new, and who knows maybe even… good?

For this post and this series that I’ve so loved doing on the M.T. Deco blog, I’m taking this reset as an opportunity to reset how I recommend books. Rather than an entire list of books, we’re going to take M.T. Deco’s past wisdom to simplify and focus on just one for the foreseeable future. Why? Because I didn’t meet my book goal last year. I know, I’m as devastated as you are pretending to be for me, thank you. As you may know I’m normally a prolific reader, in 2020 I read 54 books but last year I read “only” 29. So, going into this year (with a lower goal of 36) I want to focus on quality over quantity. 

Many people think that resetting means throwing away progress. Instead, I find that it's an opportunity to do the sort of time travel you never get in real life. You get to take all that you’ve learned and go back to square one smarter, wiser, and more patient, ready to see new insights and learn new lessons. 

Which is why, for this month, I am rereading and re-recommending Jenny Odell’s How To Do Nothing: Resisting The Attention Economy. Buoyed by a recent blip in popularity on TikTok I’ve seen How To Do Nothing more and more in the hands of influencers, culture reporters, stressed out parents, and the extremely online in general. However, don’t let the beautiful floral cover fool you. This is not a self-help book with a 12 step program to cut down your screen time, it’s a thoughtful philosophical examination and critique of our relationship to the attention economy. After all, as Odell quotes in her book “To [break a habit]... you have to be aware of it, motivated to change, and have a strategy for replacing it.” 

As someone who works in tech, content creation, and in the Gen Z space, much of my job relies on me being on my phone. Unfortunately this means I’ve gotten in the habit of ignoring my screen time because I can write it off as work. As I look to reset my digital habits this year I’m excited to revisit this book, reread my highlights and make a few more.