photo credit: moriza

As I prepare for a summer vacation, I am reminded of the time-honored tradition of “beach reading” — that glorious opportunity to read whatever we want to read, uninterrupted and guilt-free.

While I don’t want to tamper with a good thing, I got to thinking about why we bottle up our reading time for a rare and tiny window once a year. Could we do this kind of thing year ‘round if we really wanted to?

During the course of an average work week, we all read a lot of things: newspapers, magazines, online blogs and news sites, and the latest books for our professional fields. (Let’s not forget emails, tweets, and links from friends and co-workers!) It’s worth doing a quick analysis of your reading process to find out if you really are enriched by what you’re getting from that time.

I’ve discovered at least one hour of time that is eaten up by bad habits and aimless wanderings that I now direct toward reading for pleasure. Currently I’m reading Michael Pollan’s In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto. It is wonderful to discover I do in fact have the opportunity to stay current on issues of personal value to me, and not just time for world reports, business models, and which celebrity landed on the other’s face at the MTV Music Awards.

Honoring your personal interests is a critical component of being the most effective and balanced person you can be. Take time this summer to plan how you will bring beach reading into your life 52 weeks a year!