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November 04, 2009
50 books in 50 days
It’s time to admit I have a problem: Way too many unread business books. I have a stack of 19 on a chair in my office. Another 27 on the floor behind my desk. At home, there are seven in a pile on the dining room table, 15 in a canvas bag behind the door in the den, and nine in a magazine rack next to the couch. Oh, in the trunk of my car is a box with 12 new books I just acquired.
In case you think I’m not paying my mortgage because I’ve squandered all my money on my books, I have to say (in my defense) that I got almost all my books for free. My husband is a business writer who reviews books, writes articles about their authors and uses them as research for books he writes. So I grab the ones I’m interested in after he’s done with them.
Still, “free” is taking its toll on me. These books are taking up space. They’re cluttering up my mind. They’re scolding me: “Why haven’t you read me yet?” They’re weighing me down.
Last night I resolved to stop the madness. My plan is to adapt a technique used by organizational consultants to help their clients de-clutter: It’s called “one and done.” I’m going to pick up each book once and read it/skim it to see if it has any value/relevance to me. If not, I’m going to pass it along or donate it. If it does, I’m going to shelve it on our office bookshelves. My goal is to go through 50 books in 50 days.
Along the way, I’m going to write a brief review of each book in this blog, on my LinkedIn page and on Amazon. That way, other busy people will benefit from my maniacal quest to solve my book overload problem.
By December 18, I plan to be smarter and neater. Look for the first review tomorrow. Wish me luck!
Posted by Alison Davis at November 4, 2009 01:58 PM
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Comments
Wow! That is bold, daring, dangerous (OK, maybe not dangerous). I was always inspired by your speed-reading, multi-tasking, exceptional-at-almost-everything abilities, and I look forward to reading about your reading. 50 in 50...I love it. And when you are done with those I have another 50 (250?) scattered around my home and office, ready to send your way.
Good reading,
Rick
Posted by: Rick Brush at November 9, 2009 07:31 PM