Professional Obsolescence

Making Time to Read – a Time Challenge

By Dr. Larry Baker

Are you approaching a state of professional obsolescence because your current Time Management strategy for reading the latest information in your industry, business and profession is allowing the information to pass you by? 

Is the stack of industry, business and professional magazines; newsletters; and technical reports sitting on the corner of your desk getting taller … And, how old are they? 

Is the need to keep up with your reading load losing out to daily issues, crises, routines and other work demands? 

Have you discovered that saying to yourself, "I'll get around to that stack some-day," does not work because "some-day" seems never to come when using your current Time Management system? 

If your responses to the above questions are affirmative, you probably have joined the majority of those in the past several years who have responded the same way to a question in my copyrighted Time Management quiz, Pre-Seminar Survey. Change in responses to the question, "What do you want more time for?" has been dramatic and alarming.For nearly 20 years, one word, FAMILY, was the most frequent response to that question. If the response, "PROFESSIONAL READING," appeared at all, it ranked no higher than fifth to seventh in the list of most frequent responses. By the mid 1990s, "more time for professional reading" was a need expressed, regularly; and, over the next several years, it moved up in the ranking, rapidly. Personal improvement became a greater concern. By the turn of the century, this simplest of Time Management exercises revealed that professional reading was bumping "FAMILY" out of the top spot in over eighty percent of the surveys conducted, a significant change. If not ranking first, it is usually second or third. Recent results are consistent with this change.

There are no Time Management activities that are panaceas to solve your reading backlog and keep you up-to-date; but, below, there are ten Time Management tools that can help. They are not Time Management Skills that are mutually exclusive, and one or more can be used simultaneously.

 
1. Be Selective - You are unlikely to have the time to read everything you want to read; so, do not try. Instead, apply what I call "Time Intelligence” to your reading problem."  Intelligence involves the ability to make finer and finer distinctions. Applying "Time Intelligence" to professional reading involves your making finer and finer distinctions about what is most worthy of being read, and what is least. If your most important professional publications are in the same stack as your least important, you are not distinguishing among them based on their value to you.

Divide your single stack into three stacks. In stack A, put the most important publications. In stack B, put the next most important: and in stack C, the least important. Then, rank order from top to bottom the publications in each stack based on their importance to you.

Starting at the top of stack A, decide how many you will attempt to read, routinely. If you can make more reading time available than needed for all items in stack A, select more by starting at the top of stack B, and so on to stack C. Do not be surprised if the demand for your time created by other important activities makes it impossible for you to read, routinely, every item in stack A, let alone B and C.

Applying Time Intelligence helps you select your most important publications, the ones you will attempt to read, routinely. There are options for those you choose not to read, routinely. File them chronologically for future reference, toss them out or discontinue them if they are readily available from a colleague or library service.

2. Use a Revolving "Read" File - Place selected magazines, newsletters, etc. in a "Read" file. Your challenge is to ensure each publication is read and taken out of the “Read” file or, if not read, revolves out of the file on a pre-determined date, and you choose the date. It can be one, two or three weeks after the item is placed in the “Read” file, or when the next issue of that item is received. 

When a selected publication is received, write in an upper corner of its cover the future date scheduled for its removal from your "Read" file, if not read. Then, place it in the back of the "Read" file; so, the oldest items will always be at the front.

Check the items in the front of your "read" file to see if one has the current date written on it. If so, you must decide what action

to take. Will you take the time to read it today at work or at home, this week-end or on a business trip that starts in a couple of days?  If there is no immediate window of opportunity to read it, you must decide to sacrifice the content of that issue to other more important activities. If you do not remove it as scheduled, you might just as well start accumulating another stack of un-read publications on the corner of your desk. You decide if a removed item, whether read or not, is to be placed in your bookcase, chronologically, with others like it, or is to be discarded.

3. Schedule Time to Read- Things that are scheduled are more likely to happen than if unscheduled. Your reading is no exception.
Schedule time to read during periods that are normally not highly productive. While brown bagging lunch in your office once or twice a week, car pooling, commuting by bus or train, or relaxing in the evenings and on week-ends are all potentially good reading times. Other good times are when waiting for meetings to start, when between appointments or when there is inadequate time to start another major project. The success from using scheduled reading time always depends on having some reading materials with you. If you are out of your office a large part of the time, carry some of your  "Read" file items in your briefcase.

4. Scan Read First - Scan read first so you commit no more time to an article, magazine or book than deserved. There are several levels of scanning. Practice all of them; you will discover which are best for scanning different types of reading materials. 

A. If there is an abstract or introduction, read it, first, to determine the value of the information to you.

B. Scan read subheadings to get the outline of the materials. Often, that provides enough information to decide if all, or part, of it is worth your time.

C. Read the first and last paragraphs of articles; the first should give you an overview of what to expect, the last a summary-conclusions; you decide if reading the paragraphs in between will be worthwhile.

D. Read the first sentence, the topical sentence, and lastsentence, the summary-conclusion sentence, of each paragraph to decide what to read in-depth. Look for key words that are consistent with your information needs.

 

5. Share the Reading Load - If you have co-workers or know others who need to read the same publications as you, divide the reading load among the group. Here is an example: Suppose there are ten people wishing to share the reading load. Also, suppose there are five publications arriving monthly that all ten should read. On a five person rotation basis, each month five of the ten will each read one of the publications from cover to cover and highlight the information believed important to individual members or to the entire group. Only one in the group has to take the time to read a publication in its entirety.The other nine can scan read each highlighted publication and decide, individually, if there is a need to read any of it more thoroughly. This approach helps, even if there are only two people sharing one publication.

Think how time and knowledge are leveraged by this approach. Each member of the group has to make a significant commitment to only one publication every other month. An individual does not have to read the same publication each time, unless choosing to do so and it’s acceptable to the others.

Some involved may express the concern that a reader might miss something important to them, or to all in the group. Handle that this way. Ask them if they believe those sharing the reading load have so little knowledge of the subject matter that they would miss more than 10-20% of what is important. Most will agree that is not likely. Then, suggest, if any of those involved are not now reading the materials, that missing maybe 10-20% is much better than their continuing to miss all 100%.

6. Use Outside Readers - This is a take-off of number 5 above. If you and others wish to have your publications read and highlighted, but have reasons not to participate in sharing the reading, look to outside people for help. Share the cost of hiring an undergraduate or graduate student, or several, studying your field or profession to read and mark the publications for you. Another source of qualified readers is retirees from the same industry, profession or department. Many retirees will enjoy an opportunity to continue making an important contribution and having an ongoing relationship with old colleagues.

Retirees, like students, can be hired on a contract basis, and retirees may expect little, if any, compensation. If your company can not handle the cost, sharing it among several people can be a good investment.

7. Listen Instead - Learning by listening can be just as powerful as learning by reading. Also, there are many times when you can listen, but not read. If you drive to and from work each day; exercise; or walk, jog or run daily, you could have several minutes to several hours daily, to listen to information dealing with your industry, business and profession. Check on the availability of recorded materials from your industry, business and professional associations. Many popular books are recorded and available to rent or purchase. Your public library may surprise you with the recorded materials available for the asking. As more people turn to audio recordings for education and entertainment, you can expect a broader variety of recorded books, magazines and newsletters to choose from. Many may be available as downloadable E-products.

8. Use Travel Time - Business travel offers numerous opportunities for uninterrupted quiet time. Anticipate what your "wait" times will be and what non-work hours will be available to stay on top of your reading. Time spent waiting for and riding in taxis; sitting in airline clubs, departure areas and flying; and waiting for appointments can be valuable reading time. Rather than being bored with evenings in hotel rooms and boring TV shows, make a commitment to read for a couple of hours.

To make the best use of travel time for reading, it takes planning and scheduling. Think in advance about how much travel time you will have and will want to use for reading and what books or other publications you need to take on your trip. Remember, travel can be exhausting; and a relaxing conversation or needed nap can be just as helpful as reading; the right mix works best.

9. Use the Internet - Use your computer to access data bases, books, magazines, newsletters and thousands of other reading materials. Having libraries from almost anyplace in the world at your

fingertips is a phenomenon of the last several years. Today, your computer can help you focus your search for specific information, reduce your search time and give you more time to read.Use search engines to surf the internet to explore its multiple sources of industry, business and profession based information.

10. Combine Travel, Text and Technology - Combine today's connectivity resources so you can have almost immediate access to many publications and documents while traveling by ground and air. With the right combination of technologies, you can learn from materials available only in print by listening instead of reading. You will have almost the same control and flexibility as when using your computer at your office or listening to a tape recording. The difference is, you will be listening to a synthetic voice read the text that appears on your computer screen, not a real human voice; and, you can quickly and easily adjust to the voice.

Believe it or not, you can drive and use print materials without taking your eyes off the road; and here is how. First, you must have purchased the use of some of the new connectivity technology that’s available. As you read on, you’ll understand the technology needed.

Connect your portable computer to your cellular telephone while at your home or office, or while parked in your car (safety first).Surf the internet to locate magazine articles and other documents you want to read from library services or your company's Web Site. After downloading selected items to your computer, punch a couple of keys on your portable computer; and the synthetic voice module on your computer will begin reading the print materials to you (Every lap-top computer should have this synthetic speech program. All of the technology needed to turn driving time into reading time is available.

Use the phone service provided on commercial airplanes to access print documents on the internet. If you choose not to read, or are working with confidential information that requires your computer screen to be unseen by fellow passengers, a headset plugged into the computer will allow your synthetic speech software to read the information to you.

All of your time is precious time. You cannot afford to waste it. Don’t sacrifice important reading time in favor of other lower priorities. To stay current with your industry, business and profession, it will take your commitment to make time for the most important documents you have to read to avoid professional obsolescence. The above 10 Time Management Tips, used singularly or in combination, can help you stay current. Give them a chance by giving them a try!

Above, Dr. Baker has provided you 10 useful time tips for only one Time Management issue, time to read to avoid professional obsolescence. Imagine how many additional Time Management tips he has for other time related issues and problems. Learn how to discover your current Time Management strengths and weaknesses and learn new Time Management strategies, tools and hundreds of time saving tips. You can have all of that while beginning to make the best use of your time within the next hour!