Drop Everything and Read

It’s an initiative in schools to encourage more reading. Especially in response to falling literacy standards.

Should the same initiative be applied to adults too?

I have no doubt that increased forms of media consumption including of course social as taken up time and attention, arguably away from reading and that is a real shame.

And I truly know that when I commit to a book, especially a good one, the rewards are astronomical and far outweigh any time spent scrolling news feeds.

Books have shaped my views on the world profoundly. I wouldn’t have taken the risks and career decisions going forward were it not for books like the Art of Possibility by Ben and Roz Zander or Linchpin by Seth Godin. I wouldn’t have the same sense of compassion were it not for Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy or Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout. I wouldn’t have the imagination I do were it not for Lord of the Rings or the pleasure of details in everyday life were it not for Proust.

Having taken time off, I’ve kicked started my reading again and from here on I will aim to do at least twenty minutes of reading a day.

Funnily enough the more I read, the more I want to read and the less time I want to spend online.

The profound rewards of reading are one of life’s great joys and despite the new landscapes that technology has provided, it’s worth reminding ourselves of that every once in a while.