Welcome Back
Welcome back to The One Problem podcast. I am Avil Beckford. This week's problem: I used to love reading, now it feels like work. Sound familiar? Reading is important, we all know that.
Why Reading Starts to Feel Like a Chore
A great book can genuinely change how you think, how you decide, how you lead. But somewhere along the way, reading stopped feeling like a gift and started feeling like another item on your to-do list. Here's why that happens. Mortimer Adler and Charles Van Doren wrote a classic called How to Read a Book. They said there are 3 reasons you ever pick up a book: entertainment, information, and to deepen your knowledge on a topic. Today we're focused on nonfiction, so we're really talking about those last two.
And if reading feels like a chore right now, the answer is usually simple. You don't have a clear reason for why you're reading, and you may not be reading the right books. So let's fix that today.
The Real Cost of the Wrong Books
Look at your bookshelf right now. All those unread books staring right back at you. You probably feel obligated to get through them someday. Maybe because you spent good money on them. But here's a better question for you: How much will it cost you in time to read books that don't actually help you right now? Think about that for a second.
Using the Eisenhower Matrix to Sort Your Books
We're going to use the Eisenhower Matrix to sort those books. Take a minute, picture 4 quadrants. Top left, urgent and important. Top right, not urgent but important. Bottom right, not urgent, not important. Bottom left, urgent but not important. We're only focusing on the top two.
Quadrant One: Read These Now
Top left, urgent and important. These are the books you should read now. How do you know which ones qualify? They're directly tied to a decision you're making, a problem you're solving, or an opportunity in front of you right now. These books would support an active project. They'll address a challenge you're in the middle of. Reading them lets you take action or make a better judgment call. Those books go to the top of your reading pile.
Quadrant Two: Schedule These
Top right. Not urgent but important. These books are easy to ignore, but they're the ones that build you up over time. They're aligned with your long-term goals, your vision, your growth as a leader or entrepreneur or business owner. They deepen your expertise. They develop foundational thinking. And they come recommended by people you trust. The value compounds, just not overnight. Schedule time for reading these books. They won't scream at you, so you have to protect space for them.
Your One Action Today
Now go back to that bookshelf with fresh eyes. Pull one book from your urgent and important pile. Write one sentence. Why are you reading this book? What problem will it help you solve? What decision will it help you make? That one sentence changes everything. Because now you're not just reading, you're reading with a destination in mind. When you approach a book that way, it stops draining you, it starts working for you.
This has been The One Problem podcast, and see you next week.
Next Steps
Wondering what to do next, you can do all of:
If you want access to my Bookish Notes, please consider joining the wait list for my membership site, the Institute for Applied Knowledge.
This post contains affiliate links and The Invisible Mentor® may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. For more details, see here. Thank you so much for your support!
