Do you ever start a book, get a couple of chapters in, put a bookmark in it, and then…

…that's it? It doesn't go much further.

The book just sits there on your bedside table, desk, shelf, pile, step.

You notice it everyday as it gathers a thin layer of dust and think, 'Ahh I should really finish that at some point.'

It gnaws away at you. But you never get around to it. 

You guiltily dive into other books that you're much more excited about. You indulge in a new read whilst the old one sits there, betrayed.

Well fortunately there's an easy fix to this problem:

Take out the bookmark.

Move on.

Allow yourself to not finish.

It's ok.

Slot it back into a gap on the bookshelf and let it fulfil it's other purpose. To look nice on the shelf.

You don't need to finish everything you start. If you're not feeling it, it's not interesting you or it's just crap, then ditch it. You'll feel so much better for it.

I'm not saying you have to and I don't want to encourage half heartedness. Reading can be a challenge and that's a good thing. Some stories or non-fiction books are worth pressing through to get to the good bits.

But just know that sometimes it ain't worth it. Also who cares. You're not reading for anyone other than yourself right??

The same principal applies to tabs on a browser.

I'll regularly open up articles from social media or an email, with the intention of reading them later.

Sometimes I'll start them and intend on coming back.

And then they sit there, sometimes for days on end. I'd love to close down the whole browser, clean up my desktop a bit but that article I was going to read, that Youtube video I was going to watch is still there.

I'm just not ready to read it right now…

Get rid.

It ain't gonna happen. And it won't matter if you don't shove that extra chunk of potentially-useful-but realistically-not-life-changing bit of information into your already bloated mind.

When you click that little x button, you'll thank me for it. Gone and quickly forgotten.

Because the thing is, you don't have to finish everything.

Reminding yourself of that is incredibly liberating.

It's possible to gain a bit of knowledge and an overview of something and then move on. 

It's also ok, to just not bother with something, even if it looked interesting or had rave reviews.

Books that everybody says are a must read. An article or blog that's being shared all over the shop.

You're never going to know everything about everything, so pick and choose. Get the gist of something if you must but don't punish yourself if it's not for you.

There's plenty more to read out there. Make time for that stuff instead.