How I Created a Tiny Escape in the Middle of My Workday

Have your lunch breaks stopped feeling like actual breaks? If this is the case for you, I know exactly where you are. I was recently right there with you.

By the middle of the day, my brain felt overstimulated, and without even thinking, I’d open my phone and start scrolling. A few minutes later, I’d somehow absorbed random opinions, ads, notifications, and way too much information that I didn’t even care about in the first place.

Meanwhile, the hobbies that used to make me feel calm and grounded slowly disappeared into the background of everyday life. I still loved reading, but I felt too mentally distracted by the end of the day to really sit down and enjoy it. So instead of trying to completely change or create some perfect routine, I started doing something smaller.

I began spending my lunch break reading. Just 15–30 quiet minutes away from my phone, my coworkers, and the constant noise of the day. And honestly, it became one of the best parts of my day.

I'm sharing a few tips that can help you slow down, take a pause, and return back to work refreshed and feeling like yourself again.

The Midday Reset That Actually Felt Realistic

I think a lot of women assume reading has to happen at home in a perfectly quiet environment to “count.”

But some of my favorite reading moments lately have happened sitting in my car with my lunch in my lap. Nothing fancy.

Just:



• an iced coffee
• a parked car
• a few pages of a good book
• or an audiobook playing while I decompress for fifteen minutes before going back into the chaos

That tiny pause started feeling less like “trying to read more” and more like finally giving my brain somewhere softer to land for a few minutes.

Some Days I Read. Some Days I Listen.

One of the biggest things that helped me reconnect with books was letting go of the idea that reading had to look a certain way. Some days I bring a paperback in my tote bag.

Other days my brain feels absolutely fried by noon and listening to an audiobook feels way easier than focusing on physical pages. Those days, I’ll sit in my car, lean the seat back slightly, and let someone else tell me a story for a little while.

Honestly, audiobooks have become one of my favorite ways to slow down during busy seasons of life. Especially during weeks where my attention span feels like it was personally attacked by the internet.

Lately I’ve been gravitating toward:

• comforting fiction
• memoirs
• cozy mysteries
• immersive audiobooks that feel calming instead of overwhelming

A Few Things That Make My Midday Reading Ritual Better

None of these are necessary, but they make the whole experience feel more comforting and easy to stick with.

My Current Favorites:

• a large insulated tumbler for iced coffee
• wireless earbuds for audiobooks
• a lightweight tote bag that stays in my passenger seat
• a Kindle for easier daytime reading
• a simple car phone mount so I’m less tempted to mindlessly scroll

Why This Habit Helped More Than I Expected

The surprising thing is that this habit didn’t just help me read more. It helped me feel calmer during the day. Scrolling during breaks usually left me feeling more overstimulated, distracted, or mentally cluttered. But reading — even for ten quiet minutes — felt different.

It slowed my brain down in a way that felt genuinely restorative. And I think a lot of women are craving that feeling right now. Not necessarily a huge life overhaul.

Just a few quieter moments inside busy days.

If You’ve Been Missing Reading Lately

You do not need an elaborate routine to reconnect with books. You probably don’t need more discipline either. It could just be a chapter during your midday reset, or an audiobook during a quiet drive or on a walk around the parking lot. It's just about those precious uninterrupted minutes that belong only to you.

That still counts. And honestly, it might end up becoming one of the best parts of your day.

If you’re trying to reconnect with reading in a softer, more realistic way, there’s plenty more waiting for you at The Booked Together. From cozy reading ideas to gentle daily rituals and bookish lifestyle inspiration, we’re building a space for women who want reading to feel comforting again — not like another thing on the to-do list.