There is value in reading for sustained periods of time, and we should all be reading more like this, but in the midst of busyness, take 15 minutes instead. I find reading essential to the quality of life. While being busy may detract from that quality, reading adds to it. Therefore, don’t read to be busy but rather read because you are busy.

Ask someone why they don’t read, and the likely answer you will receive is a variation of, “I am too busy” or “I don’t have the time.” I don’t appreciate that answer. I certainly understand it, but I still do not like it because the answer implies that reading merely adds to the busyness of already hectic lives. My perspective is different; I would say reading done well does not increase busyness but instead decreases it.

Now, because you’re a reader, you appreciate authors who utilize logic and order to convey arguments. Therefore, you know that the last paragraph is irrational. I’ll admit that, but I’ll stand behind a critical principle: reading neutralizes (or at least stabilizes) busy lives. Therefore, the answer to busyness is not to read less but to read more.

Reading Encourages Relaxation

There is a reason that so many people utilize reading as a tool for relaxation. A busy lifestyle is not often characterized by excessive activity only. Instead, it is also associated with additional aspects such as stress, tension, and anxiety. Reading offers a reprieve, an opportunity to disengage.

Long-term stress and anxiety are unhealthy, often leaving residual effects for the long-term if they continue at sustained levels. By instilling habits of reading into our lives, we create natural breaks to the busyness and thus the unhealthy effects of it. Hence the need to read more, not less.

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