*I am all about the work of Brooke Shaden right now. She created this image!
They say you know when you’re in the flow when the magic happens: you’re meeting people into the same things you are, you’re suddenly presented with fortunate opportunities, you come across strangely relevant reading material, books and podcasts. Let alone the teachers you want to follow, the blog articles you’re bookmarking, virtual summits you’ve signed up for and retreats you’re planning on attending.

Suddenly you feel like Nick and Steve Butabi in the Hottie Overload scene in Night at the Roxbury.
(Anyone?)
Finding your way into the flow is exciting–it means you’re on the right track. It’s a tantalizing thread leading from one juicy treasure to ten more, and each one of those leads to ten more, etc.
This is exactly where I’ve found myself lately. A Course in Miracles, EFT, sacred feminine studies, tantric buddhism–I mean hinduism–I mean both! Goddess worship, asana alignment, yoga and food, ayurveda. I want to find my sprit guides, my animal guides, my enneagram and archetype. I want to analyze my ancestral wounds, my creative blocks, my attitudes about money. Do I meditate on my sacral chakra or Saraswati? Somatic psychotherapy, Yoga Sutras, integrative psychology–oh my! There aren’t enough hours in the day to listen to the lectures, videos, guided meditations and pep talks that each have their place in the multitude of browser tabs I have open right now–and I need all of them open right now.
Inhale. Exhale.
While going through my 200-hr certification, my teacher encouraged us to not go overboard on the note-taking. “The knowledge will always be here,” he would say. “The things that stay with you are what you need right now.” Which is why continual study is so important.

So relax.

Get excited and don’t hold on. Read the books, listen to the lectures, but do it leisurely. Just as with everything else, grasping will only inhibit the process. Allow yourself to marinate in the information. Allow yourself to put the book down for now, or (gasp) not finish it.

Employ some resources.

Like your library! I’m lucky enough to have access to Colorado University’s catalogue through the Boulder Public Library, which means I can acquire all the super nerdy books and specialized journals my heart desires. I save lectures to listen to on YouTube, and never underestimate the power your bookmark toolbar in your browser. My Pinterest, Goodreads and Amazon Wishlist act as a running archive of everything I want to get my hands on eventually.

Devour Intelligently.

This means doing one thing at a time. I have this horrible habit of starting 5 books at once. I’ll juggle them for a while, but do I ever finish any one of them? No. Shocker, right? We’re all about multitasking when paying partial attention to many things gets none of them done. Read one book at a time. Or two max. (I keep one non-fiction and one fiction going, just to give my brain a break from one or the other). That being said, listen to lectures or audio books as you make breakfast or go to work. Marianne Williamson or Abraham Hicks always lights a fire under my ass for the day! Make it a choice to read before bed or on public transportation instead of popping in headphones. One thing that has drastically made a difference in my time management is realizing when I’m stuck on the internet, then thinking “I could be reading right now.” Or meditating. Or doing yoga. Or taking a walk. Whatever.  Be smart about sneaking in what you want to consume and you’ll be surprised at what you get done.
Inhale. Exhale. Let’s get to work.