Books: The Feeling of Guilt

Have you ever started reading a book only to be bogged down by dwindling interest....like two fifty pound cinder blocks tied to your ankles while trying to tread murky, brown water?  A pang of guilt however, will not let you set the book aside.  It must get better you think.  So you plod on a little longer.  But now you have another emotion to contend with - jealousy.  As you pretend to be engrossed with your present book, the stack of unread books sitting on the shelf begin to watch you...and you know they're looking.  Soon you're just reading words in the book that lost your interest early on...and soon those looks become sharp and pointed.

I have wrestled with this dilemma many times over the years.  And the reason that I cannot simply cast the boring book aside is a few times, not many, but a few times, the book changed course and did become interesting.  I have found if I abandon the book but still keep it in view of my reading chair, I still feel guilt.  For me, it's best that I either give the book away or box it up...with others that can keep much better company than I.

Now, if you want to stir up a whole other set of emotions, try choosing which book to read next out of your stack.  It might be best to place your stack out of view or cover it with a towel...for there is nothing worse than a set of scorned books...or is there :-)

Comments

[Glenn (Customer Service Experience) Ross]

There are two kinds of people. People who divide people into "two kinds" and people who don't.

So being the former, let me divide business authors into two kinds. Those who know their topic AND can make their books interesting--and those who know their topics but are ineffective communicators.

I set monthly goals. These include at least one business book. Then each week I set aside at least 3 blocks of time to read. For those books that become boring, I begin to speed read looking for diamonds in the rough (actionable data).

Bottom line: Because I've made it a written goal, it's easier to focus and get through to the end. Because it's on my "next actions" list at least 3 times each week, I can break it into chunks and stay focused for that long.

Regards,

Glenn