When could a busy executive do his reading?

[Fritz58]

I'm a very busy executive. I scheduled my day so that my early morning starts with any computer work. Then I have meetings with my staff. Very short lunch. After lunch I scheduled time for customer meetings or unexpected staff meetings. I process at the end of the day (1 hour is scheduled though not always enough ). So the day is scheduled.

When could a busy executive do his reading: business books and magazines to develop the business, techniques and approaches? Does it worth it at all?

PS I do my personal reading during my commute as I have a personal driver.

[TesTeq]

Then I have meetings with my staff.

Make a book one of your staff members and schedule regular meetings with a book.

[Fritz58]

That is too simple I thought of using contexts approach as advised by GTD.

[enyonam]

That is too simple I thought of using contexts approach as advised by GTD.

I have the same challenge Fritz! I do not know the answer but I can tell you I have tried the context route - even tried @Read-Professional, @Read-Intellectual (for just general stuff I want to learn about) and @Read-Personal. Didn't work really well yet. I just don't make the time for those contexts. So I don't think there is a substitute other than making time in your schedule ... maybe one of those mornings @computer should be split between @computer and @read-professional. Or maybe give one of those commutes to @read-professional instead of @read-personal.

No point putting things in a context ... if you never get to that context. You've got to make time to get to that context. And you will know best when that time should be.

[AE Thanh]

In your spare time

Reading before bed is great and on weekends when you have some time. If you're really busy during the week then trying to squeeze it in is not effective (from my experience). Especially when you want to read business books, self-help, magazines, etc because you need to be able to focus without any interruptions and restraints.

Try to do it on weekends and before bed. Or, if you want to step it up, go to bed earlier, wake up earlier and read right after breakfast before you do any work.

[TesTeq]

Reading before bed is great and on weekends when you have some time.

When I see my bed I immediately fall asleep...

[alessia.maggi]

In a similar problem with professional reading...

For the time being I'm simply trusting that the critical reading for current projects will get done as the projects advance (at some point they get stuck for lack of reading, so the @Read-critical context does get accessed)... not really ideal, but it works for now ...

As for non-critical reading to keep myself on top of the novelties occurring in my field, well... I've near on given up on getting any of it done ... at least right now.

And as for reading in the evening after work : my neurons are so fried by that time that it's not worth the effort (so say nothing of the detrimental effects on my quality of sleep)...

[cfoley]

I'm not sure how easily this would transfer to your corporate culture but I know one lecturer who divides all the papers from the relevant journals between his research students. At the weekly group meeting, they all have to present the highlights from their allocation.

It works well because all the students stay on top of all the literature and the lecturer gets his reading done for him!

[Printdesigns]

Breakfast is a good time to read.

I try to get up early and prepare a decent breakfast that sets me up for the day. I can spend up to an hour early in the morning catching up on reading before the kids invade our kitchen getting ready for school.

Train was always a good place but I commute by car now to the office.

[shane_k]

If it's that important to you then here is what I would do if I were you.

I would add to my list of areas of responsibility "business improvement" because that is why you want to read right?

To improve your business practices. For example, if you read something in a business book that you could implement in your business that would cut costs, improve efficiency or maybe increase employee retention, etc.

The reason I would list that in the areas of responsibility first is so you have a stake in the ground that you can review and be reminded about in the future.

Then you are just going to have to schedule in a block of time for it.

That is the easy part.

The hard part is commiting to that block of time.

For me it was the opposite. i was and still am in a way a workaholic. I had to literally block in "fun and relaxation time"

It wasn't easy at first keeping up with my commitment to that time but it was important and an area of focus and responsibility that was seriously lacking