Bill Gates has a website dedicated to reading. He regularly updates it with his reading recommendations and book reviews. He has written five books and will release his next one in 2025. Oprah Winfrey runs a book club and shares her suggestions in different genres on her Instagram page, which has an impressive following. She has written more than seven books so far. Elon Musk grew up amidst books and used to read up to ten hours a day in his younger days. Barrack Obama has written four books so far.

Before television took centre stage in the world of entertainment, books and music enjoyed this reputation for the longest time. Our society has always needed sources of entertainment. As humans, we have an intrinsic need for social interaction. Entertainment in any form gives a temporary escape from the routine of our regular life and aids new bonds and connections. Moreover, it also allows for an internal catharsis as they can evoke a wide range of emotions.

As technology invaded our lives and our attention spans grew shorter, we lost the habit of reading. These days, most of our reading is limited to snippets that flash on our mobile screens, or that rushed early morning glance at the newspaper. However, as the world becomes increasingly uncertain and unpredictable, there is a need to go back to basics to assess and pivot ourselves.

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Stimulate your intellect

You may have achieved the best possible role in your organisation. However, there is always a next step. As you go higher up on the corporate ladder, the opportunities shrink, and you have to challenge the ecosystem to make newer prospects for yourself. However, after you have worked for decades, you may face burnout or a lull. When you read, you expose yourself to a world of opportunities. When you write, you challenge your intellect all the more. To present your ideas, you need to think of an idea you want to convey to your readers, study it in detail to be able to share knowledge and prepare a structure to maintain the readability of your piece.

Self-discovery and expression

You are much more than your work. Unfortunately, as we grow older, we start associating our self-worth and identity with our work. Some of us start questioning our sense of being outside work and take a long time to figure it out. When we read and write frequently, we also subconsciously put ourselves on a path of discovery. Writing can help you find your voice and define who you are. Moreover, it can give you more clarity about your own thoughts.

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Document the milestones 

Do you remember the details of the day your child was born? How did you feel the day you finally got your long-due promotion? Research says that memories are changeable. As you retell the story or learn new information about the event, your memories change. When you write down your thoughts and feelings, you ensure you preserve those moments for the time to come.

Enhance your emotional well-being 

Both reading and writing require your active participation. Writing needs it all the more because it is an act of creation. As you create, you immerse yourself completely into the act and bring your wandering mind to the moment. It can be a great way to calm your nerves and relieve your stress. 

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Final Thoughts

Even in the world of LLMs, words and your language matter. Developing language to be able to communicate our thoughts, ideas, emotions and feelings has been the greatest evolution journey. It is innate to our existence and words yield a power mightier than actions. Preserving it is not only useful for our personal effectiveness but is also our obligation to the future generations.