Time to Read

"What books are you reading right now?"  When I ask this question, I normally get one of two responses.  Active readers will tell me about the latest book they are engrossed in and often share the lessons they are learning.  Inactive readers will look at me with a blank stare.  When I ask why they aren't reading regularly, the most common response is "I don't have time."  In this post, I hope to address that excuse with a well-worn solution that still bears repeating.

The first question that must be addressed is, "If reading is so important, how can someone on a busy schedule make time to do it?" One of the easiest ways I've found is to set either a length of time to read or a minimum number of pages.  For example, if a person reads 10 minutes a day every day, they will have read 3,640 minutes in a year. That's the equivalent of 60 hours.  If you read as little as 25 pages an hour, that's 1500 pages or five 300 page books in a year.  Not bad for someone who hasn't read in a while.  

If a person instead chooses to read just 10 pages a day in a good book, that's 3650 pages in a year, or twelve 300 page books.  Imagine the effect of reading twelve great books in a year, especially if you put what you've learned into practice.

Where does the time come from?  The main way I've found to create time for reading is to change my TV habits.  I hate to say it, but on demand services like Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu can be reading killers.  Especially if you start binge watching programs.  So, what about taking 10 minutes of TV time and turning that into reading time?  You could read during the halftime show. Better yet, how about 30 minutes, the length of a typical sitcom?  Do that every night and you'll gain 182 hours of reading time each year.

Another time I've found to read is in the restroom.  It may not sound glorious, but it allows a few minutes each day.  Just don't take too long or people may start banging on the door. If you ride public transportation, use that time for reading.  What about Facebook time?  Could you spare 10 to 30 minutes each day off of social media to read a good book?

Setting up a particular time of day to read is also helpful. For example, I like to read right before I go to bed. My house is quiet and I can focus on my book.  Others wake up early to read or read during lunch.

Even the busiest people can find down time in their day that can be used for reading.  It may mean altering schedules or giving up some habit, but the benefit is worth the sacrifice.

Six days you shall work...

"Six days you shall work and the seventh shall be a Sabbath to the Lord your God.  On it, you shall do no work.." Exodus 20:8-9

It's Sunday night and I've done it again.  I've spent an entire day without doing any work.  That may be normal for some, but for me, it is an accomplishment.  For years, I worked seven days a week.  I would put in my regular schedule Monday through Friday, work around the house on Saturday, and spend at least two hours every Sunday preparing for the week ahead.  It was exhausting.  

Then, one day during a Sunday sermon, the pastor was talking about having a day set aside each week for no work.  It should be time to rest and focus on our relationship with God.  As a Christian, that made sense. In fact, the Bible says in several places that we should work for six days and have one day of rest or a Sabbath day.  The pastor used the illustration of a rancher he knew who did not do any work, including go out and feed his animals, on Sundays.  He told the pastor that although it didn't make him richer, it didn't hurt him either.  

So, about a year and half ago, I made the decision that I would take one day a week totally off from work and use it for worship, reflection, rest, and family time.  At first, it was difficult.  I was always worried that I would not be ready for the coming week.  At about six pm Sunday evening, I would start to get nervous and want to go do some prep work.  But, I made myself relax and stop worrying.  And, like the rancher, it never hurt me.  If I needed to finish something, I always seemed to get it done early Monday morning when I was well rested.  

My typical Sunday now involves worship until around 12:30 pm, followed by a nap, and family time.  I usually try to get out of the house in the afternoons and walk through the woods with my son. I'm in bed by ten and fully rested for the week ahead.  

For those who feel like they just have to work every day, here is my plan to make it easier to take that day fully off.  I just spend a little more time at work during the week, possibly go in for a few hours Saturday morning, and be sure my week is planned out before I go to bed Saturday night.  Doing this allows me to relax and know that I'm ready for the week ahead.   

Am I legalistic about this?  Of course not.  If I was, I wouldn't be writing this post on Sunday night.  But, I do know that in the Bible, God tells me to take a day off each week and I know that He wants the best for me.  Jesus says that the Sabbath, or day of rest, was made for man and not the other way around.  Plus, it just makes sense.  

Blogging into 2015-Day 2: In just ten minutes....

Over the past two years, I've had the privilege of observing numerous teachers and classrooms.  Many of these observations last no more than five to ten minutes.  Yet, for those few minutes, in effective teachers classrooms at least, there is more occurring than one can successfully document.  In just a few short minutes, teachers can make numerous instructional decisions, vary activities several times, and interact one-on-one with every student in the classroom.  In one ten minute span, I watched a colleague teach a mini-lesson, use quick formative assessment to gauge understanding, start a group activity to reinforce the lesson, and then visit each group asking probing, higher order questions. All the while, they were monitoring every other group from a distance and silently correcting behavior with just a glance.  This is not a one time event, but a daily occurrence.  

Effective teachers read their students needs and make adjustments as necessary.  They are attuned to what is happening in the class and fit the lesson to the students, not the other way around.  They are protective of instructional time and use it wisely.  A strong teacher can pack what feels like hours of learning into just one ten minute stretch.  I would challenge anyone in any other business to use ten minutes as effectively as a great teacher.  I bet you can't.