All year round, virtually every day, it’s work, work, work. And a lot of the people I know in business read only business books. They’re trying to get an edge, trying to learn how to be better at what they do. That’s laudable.
But when you’re on vacation, let that urge for self-improvement take a rest as well. Read something fun. Read a mystery. Maybe a good thriller. I highly recommend some good science fiction (if you contact me, I’ll make some recommendations). Even a good biography or history can be fun, if you’re not a biographer or historian. Just read something that is a departure from your daily life.
Your goal is to rest your mind at the same time you’re resting your body. By focusing on something new, you’ll allow the other thoughts and problems to circulate back in the deep recesses of your mind, give your sub-conscious other things to chew on, and provide new information and insight for your tired brain. That’s what it craves. And I predict that you’ll be more likely to come up with the solutions to problems, or at least new approaches, when you return to work.
My vacation reading includes the latest from James Lee Burke (a mystery), Gateways (a science fiction anthology and tribute to Fredrick Pohl), Adam Gopnik’s Through The Childrens’ Gate, and Rudy Rucker’s As Above, So Below: A Novel of Peter Bruegel. Yes, I’m a voracious reader, but vacation is a time to sit on the beach and really enjoy a stack of good books (in between swims, body surfing, and walks up and down the beach).
Even if you don’t leave your home, take some time, a mini vacation, and read something that isn’t specifically designed to be “good for you.” I think you’ll discover that even the most trival piece can be rich and have payback far beyond the enjoyment you receive from it.
