What You as a Businessperson Should Read (and Why)
When was the last time you read a book? Actually sat down and read, without trying to have a productive day by doing something else at the same time?
Wow, it’s been that long, huh?
I know a lot of business owners who think they’re too busy to read books. (If you cut half an hour off your Netflix binge time, you’d have a half hour to read.) Or they don’t enjoy it, because they believe as a business owner they’re only “supposed” to read business books or self-help or whatever. If I had to slog through some business book for half an hour every day I too would probably binge watch a streaming show instead.
But one thing you might not realize is that reading can help you have a productive day. Even if the content has absolutely nothing to do with business whatsoever. [Insert “mind blown” gif here.] April 29th is Independent Bookstore Day and that might be a great day to reKindle (#sorrynotsorry) your love of reading.
Independent bookstores can be great resources for better time management through reading
Mainly because they’re places where you can put down your cellphone. Leave your laptop behind. Your brain needs breaks. Browse the shelves, or pick up a book and hang out in the cafe.
Most of the people who work at independent bookstores are readers themselves and may have some good suggestions for you if you don’t already have a book in mind. They often have shelves of the staff’s picks, which can bring new storytellers to your attention. Some booksellers will recommend books (not necessarily self-help ones either) to guide you through a situation you’re facing. It’s known as bibliotherapy.
And of course, when you buy from an independent bookstore in your community, you’re helping support a small business in your area. If you’re a small business owner, this is a great way to give back to others like you. Buy a book and a snack at the cafe. Then hang out with your new book for a little while.
When you’re away from home, you’ll probably find the siren song of laundry and other chores isn’t quite as loud, so you can focus on your reading. You may find some other people to chat with too.
Reading (at home) can help you have a productive day at work
Many people complain that they can’t stay focused for very long anymore. That’s due to the constant distractions in modern day America. I have some suggestions for removing distractions if you want to take a look.
But reading can also help you (re)learn to focus. Get comfy with a book you’re interested in – that’s key. If it’s boring you’re going to have a hard time with it. Let’s face it, most business books are bo-ring. They might contain valuable information, but let’s face it, a lot of them don’t. Or it’s just warmed-over pablum you’ve already read a million times before.
They’re just not that fun to read. Self-help can also be incredibly boring, or you find a lot of weird language that just doesn’t sit right.
I’ve seen advice saying you should read biographies to steal the secrets of the successful, and I can say I’ve never read a bio that had such secrets. I really don’t understand this advice at all. But if you enjoy reading biographies, have at it.
If you want to be able to claw back the ability to focus, the key is to read something you enjoy. Don’t like bios? Don’t read ‘em. Biz books are boring? Don’t read ‘em. Dislike romance/mystery/sci-fi/literary fiction/whatever? I think you know where I’m going here.
Once you’ve picked a book, put your phone down. That’s mostly why you’re so distracted in the first place. Also, if you haven’t been reading in a while, turn off the TV. It’s hard to focus when you have all that noise in the background.
Grab your fave drink and/or snack and pop your book open, or turn on your ereader. If the chapters are short, make sure you read a few before giving in to the urge to stare at a screen. If they’re longer, you might finish a chapter, or get to a good stopping place.
There are two things about reading that are key for better time management skills and having a more productive day at work. One is the ability to focus. If you can concentrate on one task at a time without getting distracted, you’ll get a lot more done. Reading is also a break for your brain, away from problem-solving and strategic thinking and all those other “thinky” work topics.
So what should you read for productivity?
An interesting (though entirely false) idea that a lot of entrepreneurs and others in business have is that non-fiction is somehow superior to fiction. It isn’t necessarily. Just because you can learn someone’s system for organizing from a book or be urged to “work hard!” as a secret of success from a nonfiction book doesn’t mean there isn’t merit to reading fiction.
You may have noticed that when people talk about modern leadership they don’t talk about the old command-and-control systems, but instead, inspiring others to follow them. It’s less about IQ than emotional intelligence. There’s also the fact that the landscape has shifted when it comes to employees and you need strategies to retain your talent, which in many cases involves them feeling recognized and valued within the organization.
In other words, empathy is now considered a key skill for business leaders. Interestingly, in studies people don’t show more empathy after reading nonfiction. Let’s face it, if you’re reading biographies of “Chainsaw Al” Dunlap and Jack Welch, you’re getting a whole lot of top-down leadership content that just doesn’t work in the modern world.
But you know what does tend to increase this key leadership criterion in people? Fiction. That’s right, you could be a better leader by tossing that old-school management book aside and picking up some fiction. You experience the world through someone else’s eyes, which is what empathy is all about.
Reading authors who aren’t in your demographic also helps, but you can still cultivate empathy even when you’re reading fiction by writers who are similar to you, because everyone’s different.
But I promised to tell you what to read!
If you enjoy mysteries and whodunits, then read… mysteries and whodunits. Though if you haven’t read any for a while, know that there are a ton of categories. Cozies, psychological, noir, historical, Dark Academia… the list goes on.
Like spies & always catch the new Bond flick? Read a… you guessed it… spy novel. These also tend to work well for history buffs if you’re a fan of the time period.
If you like love stories, say your favorite channel is Hallmark/Lifetime/OWN or similar, read romance. Again, there are a lot of subcategories.
Trekkie? Sci-fi. When I was younger (this was back in the 80s) I hated sci-fi. The ones I read had stories were exactly the same but set on some kind of weird planet and the hero was always a guy and women or female-like forms were always window dressing for the dudes. However, there are some modern authors that twist sci-fi, make it interesting, and some even have female main characters!
And so on. You like it, you read it. Doesn’t matter what it is. Give your brain a break and enter a different world.
Recap (tl;dr):
Reading will actually help you improve your time management skills and give you a more productive day. Just read what you like, not something you’re “supposed” to like or that will “exercise your mind”. Your brain will be exercised, but it doesn’t have to be educational material. Set distractions aside so you can focus (and if you have a problem with that I can help.)