I do a lot of reading in a week. I read textbooks and articles for the courses I am taking. I read autism research. I read reports from other clinicians. I read education journals. I read books to my kids. You get the picture - lots of reading.
Then there's the list of books I want to read someday - books that people have recommended, books that I have seen on TV or in a magazine that look interesting, books that people have loaned me - lots of books I want to read.
In the business of life I always read the stuff that has to get read, but I don't often make time for the things I truly want to read. Sometimes I just want to read a gossip magazine, a great new novel, or something completely different from what I immerse myself in for work. There are a few times when I know I'll get time for fun reading - when I'm getting a pedicure, getting my hair colored (I'm not naturally quite this blond!), or when I'm sitting on an airplane. When my colleagues and I travel together, we all buy different magazines and then trade throughout the flight. It feels good to just sit there and read about shoes, jewelry, home decor, and whatever happens to be going on in Hollywood that week!
I have decided that if I don't make some time for reading the stuff I want to read, it doesn't happen. In her book The Seven Minute Difference, Allyson Lewis says that if we just read 10 pages a day, in one month's time we can finish an entire 300 page book! We all have time to sit down and read 10 pages - even if it's every-other day. So, I'm starting to carve out small times throughout the week to read things I want to read - not just the stuff I have to read. I'm encouraging you this week to do the same. Pull out something you have been wanting to read and commit to spend a few minutes each day reading. If you'd like to, post a comment to share what you're reading. Maybe you'll give someone else an idea for what they can read next!
Until next week,
Nicole
1 comment:
Nicole,
This is a great blog! I love to read and I do try to do "pleasure" reading every day. However I am a slower reader which means I don't get books done as quickly as I want to and because we are all reading so much for work I started listening to books on cd a few years ago. Because I travel about 45 minutes in my car each day I can finish most books in about 1 1/2 weeks. This has been such a great way to "read" a lot of the books that I want to, but just don't have time for. Right now I am reading/listening to James Rollins - The Judas Strain (it is part of a series that I have listened to). I did actually just pick up a book by one of my favorite authors that I plan to spend some time reading next week when I have a few days off - J.D. Robb - Creation in Death.
Erin
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