My grandfather used to say that once you stop learning, you start shrinking — a poetic warning I didn’t take seriously until I caught myself trying to Google “how to use Google Docs.” (Don’t worry. I figured it out. Eventually.)
Lifelong learning isn’t a luxury for the idle. It’s a quiet rebellion against stagnation, a self-investment, and sometimes, let’s be honest, the only thing keeping your brain from turning into applesauce between school drop-offs and overdue emails.
At The Atlantic Standard, we believe curiosity is a pillar worth polishing, whether you’re knee-deep in parenting, pitching investors, or planning your next move — be it cross-country or across the dinner table.
So, how do you keep learning when you’re low on time?
Here’s how I do it between carpool, content calendars, client calls, and the occasional existential crisis over Q2 projections:
💡 Whit’s Tricks for Squeezing in Lifelong Learning
1. Audiobooks in the margins.
Turn commutes, dish duty, or laundry into lecture halls.
(Bonus points if the kids overhear Adam Smith alongside Taylor Swift.)
2. One chapter per night.
Not a novel. A chapter. Even if it takes four weeks to finish something — that’s 12 books a year, my friend.
3. Replace 10 minutes of scrolling.
Set a timer. Read something nourishing before you let yourself doomscroll through real estate listings you can’t afford (yet).
4. Learn with your children.
Debrief their homework out loud. Watch a documentary together. Let them teach you for once.
5. Sunday reflection sessions.
Make space to ask yourself: What sparked my curiosity this week? What do I want to understand better?
📚 The Atlantic Standard’s Recommended Reading Shelf
Handpicked from our pillar themes — a mix of smart, stirring, and wildly satisfying:
🗳️ Politics & Society
- The Righteous Mind by Jonathan Haidt
- The Federalist Papers (yes, really — they hold up)
- Evicted by Matthew Desmond
💸 Economics & Entrepreneurship
- The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel
- The Lean Startup by Eric Ries
- Capital in the Twenty-First Century by Thomas Piketty
- Shoe Dog by Phil Knight (memoir + hustle = irresistible)
🥘 Cooking & Culture
- Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat by Samin Nosrat
- The Flavor Bible by Karen Page
- Dining In by Alison Roman (don’t fight me on this)
👩👧👦 Parenting & Family
- The Whole-Brain Child by Siegel & Bryson
- Hunt, Gather, Parent by Michaeleen Doucleff
- Simplicity Parenting by Kim John Payne
✈️ Travel & Curiosity
- The Art of Travel by Alain de Botton
- Vagabonding by Rolf Potts
- A Time of Gifts by Patrick Leigh Fermor
🛋️ Home, Design & Entertaining
- The Perfectly Imperfect Home by Deborah Needleman
- Homebody by Joanna Gaines (yes, really — there’s wisdom in the white paint)
- Everyday Entertaining by Elizabeth Van Lierde
❤️ Philanthropy & Purpose
- The Life You Can Save by Peter Singer
- Give and Take by Adam Grant
- Half the Sky by Nicholas Kristof & Sheryl WuDunn
Whether you read with your ears, your eyes, or while hiding from your children in the pantry — the key is start somewhere. Learning doesn’t have to be tidy. It just has to be steady.
Stay curious,
Whitney