How to Carve Out the Time to Read in a Busy World

Introduction: How to Carve Out the Time to Read in a Busy World

How to Read a Book

“Korean CEOs read an average of two to three books per month, which was slightly lower than what their counterparts at western companies who read on average 1,000 pages per month,” says a research report by Samsung Economic Research Institute (SERI) documented in Korea Economic Trends, NO.333, August 7, 2004. Assuming that the average book is 200 – 250 pages in length, western CEOs read four to five books each month.

Another unrelated study by the Institute for Policy Studies and United for a Fair Economy indicates that, “in 2017, CEOs in the United States took home an average of $18.9 million, 350 times the take-home for typical American workers . Thirty years ago, chief executives averaged only 30 to 40 times the average American worker paycheck.”

Is there a connection between how much you read and earning potential? Can you afford not to read in a 24/7 world where the ability to apply knowledge is KING?

UPDATE: First published in April 2009

Earl Nightingale in his audio program Lead The Field, quotes Louis Shores, a librarian, poet, social activist, and maverick educator as saying:

“Each of us must find his own 15-minute period each day for reading. It’s better if it’s regular. The only requirement is the will to read. With it, you can find 15 minutes, no matter how busy the day. That means you will read half a book a week, two books a month, 20 a year and 1,000 in a lifetime.”

But in the age of rapid change, reading half a book a week is simply not enough. How about reading a book a week which is on par with western CEOs? Allocate 30 minutes each day for reading instead of the 15 minutes that Louis Shores recommends.

If you learn how to become a skilled reader you can read more than a book each week. This is possible because you will be reading books and sections that are relevant to you. You will be practicing selective and strategic reading.

Have you read?

Become a Skilled Reader: Read More of the Right Books in 2019

How to Spot Important Information in a Book

Finding time to read

There are 365 days in a year, which means that you have 8,760 hours every year. If you sleep eight hours each night, there are 5,840 hours when you are awake. Subtract 2,080 hours for a 40-hour workweek and you are left with 3,760 hours to use however you choose.

Couldn’t you take 130 of those hours to invest in your professional development? That’s just half-an-hour a day, five days a week. Wake up 30 minutes earlier or go to bed 30 minutes later to carve out your reading time.

I mentioned above that if you practice strategic and selective reading, you will learn how to read intelligently. This allows you to read the book faster if you can easily recognize what important information in a book.

In Better Than Good, Zig Ziglar mentions a University of Southern California study, which revealed that

“If you live in a metropolitan area and drive 12,000 miles a year, in three years’ time you can acquire the equivalent of two years of college education in your automobile… As a result, you can get the type of education that will equip you more effectively for what you are doing.”

Based on the research results, Zig Ziglar came up with the concept of “Automobile University.” Today, the concept could be called “Mobile University” since so many people use public transportation for their long commutes. Commute times can be used for reading or listening to books.

Look at each day, how much time is spent waiting: doctor’s office, checkout lines, delayed flights and so on. Those precious minutes could be spent listening to or reading a book

When going on road trips with family and friends, instead of listening to only music and talk radio, also include a few audio programs that everyone can enjoy.

Final Thoughts: How to Carve Out the Time to Read in a Busy World

Any professional can find at least 30 minutes each day to dedicate to reading. Make sure that you always have a book with you for the unexpected delays.

Excerpts from the workbook Journey to Getting It.

Have you read?

Building Intellectual Power One Book at a Time
To Read or Not to Read, Now That’s the Question

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