When you think of reading in the summertime, the idea typically pictures some fiction romance or thriller novel or a long-awaited favorite magazine read in a comfy spot at the beach. For those who are crazy busy most of their days, it’s quite luxurious to actually make time to mono-focus and lazily read this kind of material at leisure. I know, because I have done that in the past. Summer reading SHOULD be this easy and relaxing.
However, this year, I have been so busy that my business reading has piled up, maybe because I’m interested in a lot of things or because I’ve ordered more books online than I actually have time for. Whatever the reason, I just know I am feeling more motivated and eager to read my non-fiction material than a novel or magazine.
And that’s okay. I’m reminding us all that WE are the masters of our own reading universe! In order to be productive in that universe, there are some important factors to consider (feel free to adapt the idea to your favorite vacation spot):
- Take Yourself Out of the Action – Where you read this non-fiction material will directly correlate with how well you’ll concentrate, how fast you’ll be able to read and how much you’ll understand. For example, setting yourself up further away from the sand volleyball net will result in more concentration than if you sat next to it.
- Taking Notes? – Since you may want to highlight or write notes in the reading material, reading in a beach chair without a writing surface might be a challenge. If this is the case, try not to bring things that will need noting or see number 3 below.
- Choose Best Book, Page and Font Size – Try to be selective about the page/book size and weight of the material (no one wants a large heavy book to rest on the stomach), if there is an ability to fold it back or not, and how large or small the print is. As I get older, I prefer larger dark font with some spacing on a page. But that’s just me. There’s nothing more tedious than trying to read non-fiction with few or no paragraph breaks.
- Reading on Screens May Need Sun Cover – If you’re reading on an iPad, Tablet, Kindle or other device outdoors, plan ahead by bringing sunglasses, a brimmed hat and/or umbrella to off-set the outside brightness with the inner brightness of the device.
- Avoid Being Interrupted – The tendency to be interrupted and/or day-dream are both strong realities. So, don’t expect to get a ton of non-fiction reading done unless you’re on a remote desert island with no one around to distract you.
I do hope many of you reading this are going to read your fiction this summer as that’s so fun and appropriate for summer! And if you do decide to read your non-fiction, keep the above guidelines in mind. Though I will miss my novels this summer, I’m happy to know that there’s always more time after to get the entertaining stuff read.
ENTER NOW