Leveraging Book Clubs

There are always more books than time for me.  I really enjoy reading.  Personally, I have a preference for classic fiction.  Professionally, I have a preference for reading in book clubs.  Lately, I’ve noticed my stack is growing and my time spent reading is limited. When I stopped to reflect why, I’m recognizing that the lack of book club opportunities is a direct relationship.

What I gain from being a part of professional book clubs:

1. Decision. I will sometimes delay starting reading because I’m trying to decide which book is best to read next.  Yes, I will analyze and delay this for the amount of time it would have taken me to just read the book. If I’m in a book club, the decision of which book is made.
2. Focus. When I’m in a book club, I know I have a responsibility to read the book. To be able to participate fully, I focus on reading only that book. Otherwise, I will easily, mix up content etc.  In addition, we often approach the meetings with 1-2 chapters at a time.  I can focus in always get in 1-2 chapters in the time allocated versus feeling overwhelmed by finishing the entire book.
3. Discussion. I’m an extrovert. I gain a deeper application by talking through the concepts, discussing questions, etc while I’m reading a professional book. If I’m reading at the same time as others, that means we can discuss what we are reading while we are reading it 🙂
4. Action. Often, in these clubs, inspiration to experiment occurs.  What could we try? What could we implement? What could I do differently? Sure, I would love to tell you that this always happens when I read and it mostly does – the difference is whether I feel any sense of accountability for telling others what I’m inspired to try.  Once I do that – I’m all in.

What have you gained from book clubs with colleagues?