One Hundred Mornings

Last weekend, my husband and I drove into New York City for college tours at Barnard College and NYU. During the hour-and-a-half ride, we listened to a coaching call from an entrepreneurship program he joined. The coach was explaining how to build a social media presence for business owners who don’t use it regularly.

“You go live for 100 days,” he said. “Every day. You could be at the gym, on a walk, sitting at home, or here at your desk. It doesn’t matter what you’re doing. The point is to let people get to know you.”

As he coached people, I found myself thinking about what I’d do if I followed his advice. What do I care about enough to show up every day and talk about?

My answer came easily.

I read over a hundred books a year. Mostly classics, fiction, fantasy, and romance, with a healthy amount of self-development, memoir, sci-fi, and YA sprinkled in. If I were to build a social media following, I’d read. I’d talk about why everyone should read more, and how they can actually do it.

Reading improves memory, focus, and critical thinking. It strengthens your ability to concentrate (without turning you into a passive screen zombie). It boosts problem-solving, lowers stress, slows your heart rate, and loosens your shoulders. It increases empathy by letting you step into someone else’s world. It sparks creativity. It offers escape. It makes you feel, think, and dream differently.

I began the 100-day challenge on Instagram (@e.j.mall) to wake up and read live on camera every morning at 6 a.m. EST.

It’s been one week.
Here’s what I’ve learned so far:

It’s not hard to wake up to do something you love.
The hard part is going to bed earlier. I tried negotiating this into a 90-day challenge, but my husband pointed out (correctly) that I shouldn’t start by changing the rules. Fair. Ninety days is my usual “trial period” of three months, and then I evaluate. What’s ten more days?

Sometimes no one joins me live.
And that’s okay. My original goal was to follow through, regardless of the audience. If no one watches and nothing “grows,” I haven’t lost anything other than a bit of sleep. Either way, it’s worth it: I get uninterrupted reading time, practice being uncomfortable, and a clearer sense of myself and the platform.

Reading in thirty-minute blocks feels strange for a binge reader.
I’ve never timed myself, and it took me a week to finish a normal paperback this way, as I normally inhale books in a single afternoon. It felt slow, but maybe it’s normal and just paying attention to it is what’s weird. Time will tell.

Mornings go smoother when the setup is simple.
Sweats. Auto-brew coffee. Book. That’s it. The fewer steps between me and the live button, the harder it is for my sleepy brain to argue.

I don’t talk.
I answered questions once at the end of a session, but for the most part, I just read. I’m curious whether that will shift.

I like waking up to a book instead of a scroll.
It sets the tone for my whole day.

That’s it for week one.

So far, this challenge feels less like “content creation” and more like building a tiny morning ritual in public. I’m curious to see what it turns into. Maybe nothing. Maybe something surprising. Maybe a new habit I keep long after day 100.

For now, I’m setting my alarm for tomorrow. Coffee at 5:50. Book in one hand and hitting the live button with the other at 6.

Let’s see where this goes.