I was interviewing for a new role recently and the interviewer asked me a really good question. As it happened, I’d been reading a marketing book earlier that day and was able to use something from the book in my answer.

When I came off the call, I was amazed at my luck: How INCREDIBLE that I happened to read the exact book that I needed to answer that exact question!

Then the penny dropped:

• He could have asked me 1000 questions that the book could have helped with.
• I could have read 1000 books that might have helped with that question.

What’s the moral of the story? There are at least three morals I can think of:

• Reading makes you more informed.
• Reading makes you more employable.
• Everyone should read books.

Reasons I stop reading books and how I get started again

Every couple of years I go through a reading crisis. I realise that I haven’t read any marketing/business books in several months and I have to talk myself back into the habit.

Why? I’ve always loved reading. So why do I stop?

1) I forget that reading and working are two different things

I make this mistake all the time. I think that if I’m reading a book about marketing then technically I’m working…and if I’m working then I should be doing something for work.

This mistake impacts me in two ways: either I finish my work for the day and think “I’ll read a chapter of X book now” and my inner voice immediately replies “if you’re going to do that, you might as well use the time to edit that piece of copy that needs your approval”. 99% of the time I will do the work task instead.

Alternatively, I’ll get to the end of a long day and think “I need a rest and reading is not resting – it’s the same as working”. Usually what I need is a walk or something to eat and then I’ll be ready to spend 30 minutes reading. But I don’t do it.

Solution: I have to actively remind myself that working and reading are two different activities. The second one just happens to be very important to the future success of the first one. So read the book.

2) I feel like reading should be a leisure activity

When I was a kid, I once tried to read two story books at once. They weren’t very good books and I got the storylines and characters completely confused. I never did it again. After that, I was baffled whenever someone told me they had “two books on the go”.

It took me a long time to figure out that if you read two completely different books, you won’t get them confused.

As I write this, I’m reading Atomic Habits as my business/marketing/leadership/personal development book. I keep a notebook and pen beside me as I read and I expect to make notes. I’m also reading Rupert Everett’s memoir To the End of the World on how he made The Happy Prince, his film about Oscar Wilde. I don’t make notes. I don’t make any promises to myself on how many pages I’ll read at any one time. I just read it and enjoy it.

Solution: Recognise that there are different types of reading, serving different purposes – and you absolutely can read more than one book at once. Read two books if you want, but definitely read the book.

3) I’m scared I might learn something that will require a significant change of plan

This fear is particularly ridiculous but I’m going to be brave and share it anyway. I’m a very transparent team leader. I have no problem at all with admitting I was wrong and we need to have a rethink.

But what if I set out on a certain course with my team and then I happened to read a book that told me we were going down the wrong path? It’s fairly obvious that what looks like the ‘safe’ path here (e.g. remain oblivious that you’re doing the wrong thing) is actually the more dangerous one. But it is a genuine fear of mine that reading will somehow make me more erratic.

Solution: Put this into perspective by planning for the worst-case scenario: OK, this book might tell you you’re completely wrong. And if it does, you will have a choice of actions – you can either ignore the book, take it onboard as a learning for next time, or adjust your immediate plans. The latter two are both perfectly good options. So read the book.

4) I’m feeling overwhelmed

90% of the time when I stop reading it’s because I’m feeling overwhelmed at work. And I’m going to cut myself some slack here because it’s understandable – if you’ve got a million things going on in your head, then adding new ideas from reading seems a bit counter-productive.

Solution: Read something that isn’t about marketing tactics. Focus instead on something about leadership or personal development. But read a book.

5) I’m worried I’m going to start the wrong book

I could win an Olympic gold medal in buying books. I even have a special shelf for ‘books I’m going to read next’. But I often get paralysed when it comes to actually choosing the book I’m going to start. This tends to be worse if I’ve just finished a really useful book – what if I choose a duff follow-up?

Solution: Ask yourself: which of these books is most likely to teach me something useful at this moment in time? If that doesn’t work, just close your eyes and pick one. And then read the book.

6) I feel under pressure to learn everything from every book

This one is made up of two sub-problems: I feel under pressure when I’m reading a book that I’m not learning what I should be learning. And then once I’ve read the book, I worry that I’ve missed the key learnings. The latter becomes an issue when someone mentions the book and summarises the main theme and I either don’t remember that at all or had picked out something entirely different.

Solution: Firstly, just chill out. If you pick up one useful thing from any book, it was worth reading it. Secondly, keep notes. But remember; the things that you note down today might not be the same things you’d pick out if you read the book in 12 months’ time. This is totally normal and acceptable. Also consider making notes of the author’s conclusions – that’s your safety net from missing something important. And then write up all of your notes and keep them somewhere accessible. I use this blog for accessible note-keeping but you could use Dropbox or any online repository.

I’ll add to this as I think of more. In the meantime, what stops you reading? And how do you get yourself back on track?