Fiction Reading - Waste of Time

I have a bit of a confession to make.  In truth, I'm not a big fan of reading.  I know, I know, if someone who is talking to us about maximizing our potential is not a fan of reading, what the heck kind of advice is he giving?  It's not that the actual act of reading bothers me, it is instead that I've rarely found topics that interest me enough to sit through hours of silence.  That said, let me put the disclaimer out there that reading in general is better than most hobbies or habits.  What I'd like to discuss involves maximizing your time in an efficient manner.

Everyday, millions of people are reading books that run the gamut of topics.  I personally believe that some of the topics are more helpful in your life than others.  For one, I think most fiction books are a waste of time.  Don't get me wrong, fiction writing has been used throughout history as a source of social change, cultural enlightenment, and thought provocation, but most fiction books don't do this.  Yes, they may take you to another world, experience another life, or think slightly different, but you can chalk this up to the same experience you would get watching a soap opera or movie.  In fact, you could probably watch about 10 movies for the time it takes to read one book.  Case in point, the 50 Shades of Grey series or the Twilight series.  These collections of books or entirely for entertainment reasons.

This brings up another topic...Entertainment.  All work and no play make P-Money insane, so don't assume I'm telling you not to have fun.  Without fun, life is miserable.  What the more fundamental question I'm asking here is how much entertainment time do you need, and why not try accomplishing two things with one act by using your entertainment to better yourself.  Let's take sports for example.  Some may argue that joining a local soccer club is a waster of time, but the exercise you are getting could allow you to live a better and longer life.  This same type of reasoning goes for books as well.  Instead of reading "Breaking Dawn", why not try to read a biography about an interesting person and learn from their life's story.  My favorite genre of books are the "skills" books that teach you new ways of doing things with your life.  Just think about all the learning you could do if you read one of those books!

My goal isn't for you to feel guilty about reading for pleasure, but if you are going to read trash, at least limit it to no more than an hour a day.  That way, you get to prolong your fun, and yet you can still use your remaining time to do things with your family or read something else.

I've probably angered a few of you with my views, but too bad!  I'm sick and tired of people telling me they're so happy there child is reading, but it turns out they are reading trash.  In the end, quality of reading far outweighs quantity.

Wonderful Moment of the Day: A perfect September day!