The Importance of Reading

I recently read the following quote from historian David McCullough: "The average American watches four hours of television a day. That's 28 hours a week. I also understand that the average American reads 250 words per minute. Therefore, if the average American would turn off the television set and spend those 28 hours a week reading, he could read all the poems of T.S. Eliot, all the poems of Maya Angelou, two plays by Thornton Wilder, including Our Town, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and all 150 Psalms in the Old Testament. That's all in one week."

Think what you could do with your life if you would spend more time reading and less time watching television. In a year's time you could read dozens of classic novels. You could easily read the whole Bible. You could change your life.

But maybe no television is too big a step for you. It could be that you need to take baby steps. So, here is what I suggest.

• While you are watching television, make sure that you have the remote control in your hand. Use the mute button whenever a commercial comes on. (You really do not want to change the flavor of pop-tarts that you eat anyway, do you?) There are about 15 minutes of commercials in every hour of prime time television. That is a lot of reading time, and you do not have to give up Desperate Housewives to get it.
• Always have a book on your lap. Never go anywhere without a book. Read while you are waiting for the doctor or the check out clerk. So much of our lives are spent waiting we ought to put that time to use.
• Do not spend too much time with magazines. Use magazines to stay up on current events and trends, but do not be consumed with them. In a few weeks (or months at the most) your magazines will find their way to the trash bin. Generally speaking, your books will not.
• Commit yourself to a certain amount of reading. Make commitments to read a set amount of time each day, and a certain number of books in a year. Making goals is a good way to increase your reading intake.
• Read from a wide range of genres. It is easy to get caught up in reading a favorite author, or staying with a familiar topic. But be sure to read biographies, mysteries, non-fiction and classic novels in addition to your favorite kind of books.
• Join a book discussion club. This will do several things for you. It will help you widen the scope of what you read. It will also help you to read more thoroughly and critically. Book groups and their discussions also cause the reader to enjoy the reading as he/she anticipates the debate that is ahead.
• Read some books that get good reviews, but are not very popular. Just because it sells a lot of copies does not mean that a book is worth your time.

One more word of encouragement; Reading is hard work. It can wear you down and be overwhelming. But, reading is one of the most rewarding and beneficial things that you can do. Commit yourself to reading and reading a lot right away.