Build the spine of your business this International Book Giving Day
Every year, International Book Giving Day is designed to encourage people to get stuck into their favourite books. Often, we only think of books as works of fantasy that help us escape from our everyday lives. However, the benefits of reading for decision-makers in the business world are undeniable, and they can have an overwhelming impact on a business owner’s reality.
It is said that to become an expert in a particular field, you need to read 50 books a year on that topic for five years – roughly translating to one a week1. Geraint Thomas, a local business coach from ActionCOACH Bristol, supports many clients in the region, and being an avid reader himself, he knows just how much reading can benefit a business owner’s development.
“If you look at the standout leaders of the worldwide business community, they all dedicate time for their own development through reading,” Geraint explained. “You may think you don’t have enough time for this, but by committing to just an hour a day – half an hour in the morning and another in the evening – the results within your business will be huge. It all comes down to how reading affects our bodies and how we, as humans, operate.”
Here are Geraint’s top five benefits of reading for business leaders:
• Promotes mental health. By opening a book, you allow yourself to be invited into a world that diverts you from your daily stressors. Reading can relax your body by lowering your heart rate and easing the tension in your muscles.
• Improves memory, focus and concentration. Reading not only improves your brain’s connectivity but also improves attention span, focus and concentration. Books with strong structures encourage us to think in a sequence, so the more we read, the more our brains are able to link cause and effect. All great attributes for a business owner.
• Provides a brain workout. Reading regularly helps your brain to stay in shape by offering a workout in multiple complex cognitive functions. Research also suggests that reading can help reduce the risk of developing dementia, as those that read later in life have a 32% lower rate of declining mental abilities2.
• Improves expertise. One of the most obvious advantages is how knowledgeable you will become as a result. By spending one hour a day reading, at the end of the year you will have finished around 50 books. To become an expert in your field, it is estimated that you need to complete over 1,820 hours of reading – which amounts to one hour a day for five years. Break segments down into digestible chunks and you will be an expert in no time.
• Enhances sleep. Combining all four of the benefits above will help to enhance sleep. Getting a satisfactory amount of rest will help you tackle the challenges of business ownership with a fresh mind and body.
Geraint is launching a virtual BookCLUB on 1st March to support the business leaders of Bristol and the surrounding area. For the first session the group will be reviewing “7 Strategies for Wealth and Happiness” by Jim Rohn. Business owners who have the book can attend the first session for free, but if not then as part of the club ActionCOACH Bristol will send you the book - to find out more and book your place, visit https://bristol.actioncoach.co.uk/events/
1 The Trapper, 2020, Eliminate Your Competition
2 Fisher Centre for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation, 2017, Research Paper