Right now, you do a lot of reading. In fact, you’re probably reading more per day than you did in college . You’re engaged every day in light communication with friends, relatives, and coworkers, over email, IM, SMS, Facebook, and Twitter.
But try and recall exactly three emails from yesterday—not just who they were from, but what they actually said. Think of three friends, and try to recall what they posted to Facebook or Twitter yesterday. Three IM conversations you had yesterday. You get the point.
If you’re all about the paperless, less-stuff life, you can read a book on your Kindle, iPad, Nook or PDF ebook on pretty much any screen you own. But commit a little time each week to actually reading—books, long magazine articles, journals related to your fields, anything. My day is Thursdays. Reading, actual reading, provides you with an intimacy with an author, familiarity with ideas, and lots of new stuff to talk about to friends, bosses, and potential clients.