One Top Tool to Help Business Leaders Think Critically

Entrepreneurs and other leaders know they need critical thinking to improve their strategies for their business and improve their productivity. The little-known secret to the sauce is… drumroll please… reading.

As you know I’m a big fan of reading, and July 30 is National Paperback Book day. A great day to start a reading habit if you don’t already have one!

Reading improves productivity

You might think that just putting your head down and working without breaks is productive, but that’s not the case. It’s tiring for your brain, and you end up making worse decisions than you would if you came at the problems with a rested and recharged brain. 

Want to be productive instead of busy? Certain activities recharge your brain. Fun hobbies, time with friends and family, sleep, nutrition, movement, etc. Reading is much better for your brain than doomscrolling or reading emails.

Many business leaders think they have to read only business books. Not true. I think a lot of business books are substantially the same anyway, but fiction actually provides benefits too. If you’ve read my stuff before, you know that reading fiction improves empathy, and leadership requires empathy since the days of top-down command-and-control are gone. Nonfiction doesn’t help you increase empathy.

It turns out from a recent study that it doesn’t really matter what you read, it’s the act of sustaining attention over a longer period of time that really drives home the benefits of reading. Are you one of the many Americans who complains that you’re constantly distracted and can’t sit still for five minutes? Reading can help you deal with that too.

When you think you don’t have time

Unless you’re working 14 hours a day, you have time to read. (And if you’re working 14 hours a day, you need to stop so you have time for recharging your brain, including reading.) How much time do you spend watching TV? Start cutting that back by half an hour to get in some reading time.

Remember, it doesn’t have to be anything weighty or self-improvement-oriented. The book can be a genre that you enjoy. Mysteries, thrillers, and spy novels are a huge part of my own reading. Simply because I enjoy them!

Some people read emails on their phone in bed. If you want to be productive and get some sleep, stop doing that. The blue light from your phone keeps you awake, and what exactly are you accomplishing? 

If there’s a major crisis, are you doing anything about it at bedtime? No, you'll probably just stay awake worrying about it. So what’s the point? Also, a bad time to scroll through social media. You’re not connecting with anyone, so there’s no point - you’re not getting the social interaction that you need for your brain to be recharged.

Instead, pick up a book. Physical books don’t emit blue light. If you prefer e-readers, you’ll find they don’t either. Audiobooks work on long commutes, while you’re doing chores, and that kind of thing. I don’t listen to books myself, but if you do they’re better for nonfiction and business-type books.

How to pick a book

Don’t worry about reading to “improve your mind”. You’ll get that whether you pick up the latest bio from a so-called guru or a Western. So choose one you like.

If you haven’t been reading for a while, think about the kinds of movies and shows you watch. If you’re big on true crime, guess what - there are a LOT of true crime books out there! Romcoms? Pick up a romance novel.

It may have been so long since you read a book that you’re really not sure what you’d enjoy. Go to your local library and ask the librarian. They’ll have good suggestions for you - that’s what they do. 

And you can get the books for free. That may not seem like a big deal if you don’t read much, but trust me, when you’re at the point where you read several a month, you’ll need some free books from the library! You can also check out audiobooks for free.

How to get back into the habit of reading

I found a great suggestion in the article I mentioned. I read a lot, but sometimes I don’t read for a little while like a month or two. It doesn’t bother me because I know I’ll start again soon. But if you haven’t done it for a while, you might need a few hints. Or you might feel like you’ve hit a reading “slump” and want some suggestions for getting out of it.

One is to reread a favorite book. For this purpose, it doesn’t matter if it’s a children’s or YA (young adult) book. Just something you enjoyed, and preferably is short. Even if you loved Tolkien's Fellowship of the Ring, that is a looooooong book, so maybe try a shorter fave. It’ll help you remember how pleasurable reading can be.

You can also set your book next to your phone or computer. When you’re tempted to start scrolling through social media, the book is right there for you to pick up instead. Social media, despite the name, doesn’t deliver any benefits that socializing with other people actually gives you. Better to read something fun than fall down the rabbit hole.

Recap:

Read what you like, because you get the benefits whether you’re learning about business or enjoying a particular genre that speaks to you. Stop scrolling through social media or your emails and read for a bit instead.