Spend some time each day reading a good business book, a business magazine, business section of your favorite newspaper or even a business blog (including those about personal finance, dividend investing, financial independence & early retirement (FIRE)).
Why should I read about business?
Reading a good business management book or a business newspaper is one of my favorite things in the world.
A business literature is a time machine, a worm-hole to different dimensions, a special magic that puts you into the minds and bodies of fascinating, successful and wealthy business people, a transporter that lets you travel the world to another country and other markets, a creator of new fantastic ideas for products and new ways of earning money. All in one.
I read about business because I love the experience of discovering good management practices, because it is a powerful teacher of what works in the business life, because it transforms me and how I manage my own life. We all know that business management can improve quality of life.
You can find this list of my favorite business websites In Business Press.
How to start reading more about business?
- Carve out the time. We have no time to read anymore, mostly because we work too much, we over schedule our time, we are on the Internet all the time (which does have some good business readings, but can also suck our attention endlessly), and we watch too much TV. So, watch less TV. Pick a time, and make it your reading time. Start with just 10 minutes, if it is hard to find time — even 10 minutes is lovely. Expand to 20 or 30 minutes later in the week, if you can drop a couple things from your schedule.
- Do not read because you should — read for joy. Find business books about exciting business stories of well-known companies, about famous CEOs and successful entrepreneurs who fascinate you (e.g. Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Jack Ma, Warren Buffet, Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, Michael Dell, Oprah Winfrey, etc.), about new markets abroad that you would love to visit. Forget the classics (unless you are excited to read them), or novels (it is not the real stuff but imagination talking).
- Do nothing but read. Clear all distractions. Find a quiet, peaceful space – libraries, book stores or quiet coffee shops are great). It is just your book and you. Notice but let go of the urges to do other things instead of reading. If you must do something else, have some tea or coffee.
- Love the hell out of it. You are doing this both to better yourself and for joy. Reading is magic, and the magic will change everything else in your life. Love the experience, and you will look forward to it daily.
- Discover amazing business books. There are a lot of them! I talk to other people who are passionate about business books such as my students or other business management lecturers. I will read reviews, or just explore an old-fashioned bookstore. Supporting your local bookstores is a great thing, and it is incredibly fun. Libraries are also amazing places that are underused — get a library card today.
I am not the world’s most prodigious business reader, and obviously I could read more in my free time. But I do read daily about what happens in the business world of companies, and I read with passion. I also teach and write about business management for a living.
Lots of people say they want to read more, but they do not know how to start. You wonder no more!
