A feel bad lack of productivity
At the beginning of the year, I set myself a goal — To read 50 books before 2025 rolled around.
I have attempted this before and fallen short; two books remained unopened when I ran out of year. But this time is going to be different. And it is going to be different for two key reasons.
The first of those reasons is that I am reading strategically and with a greater level of focus this time around. To ensure that I can maintain the required momentum, I am reading a fiction book AND a non-fiction book simultaneously. PLUS I am listening to an audio book when traveling by plane, train or automobile.
The strategy is paying off. As I write this, there are still a few days of January remaining and I am already seven books down.
But this is not a speed-reading challenge, which brings me onto the other reason why this year is going to be different. This time around, I am reading intentionally and with real purpose. I am spending time with the books and the authors; I am luxuriating in their tales; and I am enjoying the company of the characters within.
In addition to all that, I am taking notes. Lots of notes. Whether I am reading in the traditional sense or sucking the story in through my ears, I have with me a notebook or a batch of note cards on which I am scrawling words, sentences and…
