A Free Source of Useful Information That Most People Don’t Realize Exists

If you’re an information addict like me who likes reading books, blogs, watching Youtube videos, etc. I’m going to teach you a useful source of information that you may or may not already know.

It has been staring us in the face all these years; you’ll be surprised once you know what it is. Ready?

Book reviews in Amazon or Goodreads.

Yes that’s it.

Want an example? Look here.

It’s a review of the book I Will Teach You to Be Rich by Ramit Sethi that is written by a smart gentleman.

I’m not sure about you, but I find that review very informative. It doesn’t mean, though, that I’m not interested anymore in reading the book. For all I know, reading reviews like that (which has a positive rating) makes me want to read the book.

So, what are you waiting for? Want to learn something today? Read a review of a book on a topic that you’re interested in. There’s a chance you’ll learn something new. Good luck reader!

When Reading Becomes a Form of Procrastination

I like to read, and I do it a lot. I read books, ebooks, and blogs. Recently, I asked myself a question. When does reading become another form of procrastination?

Some fluff (you can skip to next section if you want)

I heard someone saying, “How can reading be a form of procrastination? Reading is a worthwhile activity. It’s much better than watching TV and playing video games.”

I understand what you’re saying pal.

Teachers tell us to read. Self-help gurus also tell us to read. Even celebrities that don’t read but want to look good tell us to read.

“So, how come you said that reading is a form of procrastination?”

Life isn’t all about reading you know. Students go to school. Employees go to work. Parents take care of their kids. Animals eat or are eaten. Trees, well … grow.

Oh shoot! Am I rambling again? This post is starting to sound (or read) like those fluffy blogs that I don’t want to read even if someone pays me to read them.

It’s time to switch to no B.S. blogging mode.

When does reading become a form of procrastination? (Straight no B.S. answer.)

Procrastination is when we’re not doing what we’re supposed (or want) to do; we can be procrastinating without being idle, for example, when we do a lighter activity (such as reading) to substitute for a more difficult activity (such as [insert difficult activity here]).

Are you reading instead of writing blog posts? … yes? Then you’re procrastinating.

Are you reading instead of jogging outside? … yes? Then you’re procrastinating.

Are you reading instead of spending time with your kids? … yes? Then you’re also procrastinating.

5 step solution

1. Realize that life isn’t all about reading.
2. Limit your daily reading time (for example, two hours.)
3. Read only what is necessary (or what you can’t resist).
4. Make a todo list, including the task that you’re supposed to do.
5. When the time comes to do the dreaded task — just do it.

Easy, isn’t it?

Blogger’s note

Writing can be a therapeutic tool (gosh, it sounds like that I need therapy). At first, I wasn’t sure if I’ll publish this post. It was supposed to serve as a reminder for myself; just in case I read too much again, ignoring other tasks.

But since other people may find it useful, even if it’s only one person (who knows it might be you), I decided to publish it publicly.

Photo credit: Danielle Scott from Flickr.

Is Your Writing Getting in the Way of Your Reading?

Experts in the craft of writing says that to become a good writer, one must both read a lot, and write a lot. But what if your writing is getting in the way of your reading? (or the other way around) Can we make a compromise?

Reading and writing for me

Before I became a blogger (and writer), I was reading books at the rate of 2-3 books per month. Right now, though I still read books, I’ve realized that I’m now reading fewer books than before. The simple reason is I write (a lot) more now.

Though, I can cut-off other activities such as surfing the internet and playing video games, I simply won’t do that (for now). No matter what authors or educators tell us, life is not all about reading and writing — we got to experience life’s other joys, too.

That said, I owe a lot to reading, though. For all I know, if I haven’t read the books that I have read, I couldn’t have written more than half of the blog posts in this blog, simply because I wouldn’t have the ideas to begin with.

Ways to read more and write more

Reading is important, but so is writing.

Now, the question is, how can we have more time for reading and writing?

I can think of a few ways:

1. Cut-out time spent on other activities.
   
   Ouch. Does that mean we need to cut back on leisure activities, such as playing games and going to parties?

   If we are really that serious about reading and writing, then I suppose we should make some sacrifices.

   The good part is it doesn’t need to be done daily. We could simply pick-out days of the week when we wouldn’t do other activities, aside from reading and writing. In my opinion, cutting three days a week is the bare minimum.

2. Have writing days, and reading days.
   
   If you’re a blogger who blogs 3 times a week that means using your non-writing days as reading days.

   But, if you publish blog posts every day, there’s still a solution. That is, you can write 2-3 posts on some days, then publish those posts on separate days.

   Though, you need to pass up on this method if you prefer writing every day.

3. Use idle time for reading or writing.
   
   For instance, if you commute to work, you can bring a book or pen-and-paper (or tablet) with you. In 10 minutes, you can write a paragraph, or read a few pages. It may not be much, but over time it will add-up.

   In my experience, reading is easier than writing on a public place — only because writing demands more energy and concentration from me, but that may not be the case for other people.

Those are 3 workarounds I can think of. No. 1 are for people that are serious and ready to make some changes; no. 2 are for people who like to organize their activities; and lastly, no. 3 are for busy people who want to make use of their time productively.

If you’re really hardcore you can implement both 1 and 3 simultaneously, just remember to take it lightly on some days, or else you’ll burn-out, and probably lose your enthusiasm for reading and writing, not good.

Summary

Reading and writing both takes time. If you like to do both, then you need to strike a balance. Either cut on other activities; write on some days, while reading on others; or make use of idle time, either for reading or writing.

Image credit: from Flickr by Ron Mader