Why You Can't Read Books When You're Working

—The Importance of Time Management from a Career Consultant's Perspective—

Kaho Miyake's "Why You Can't Read Books When You're Working" delves deeply into the relationship between the modern labor environment and reading. The issue of "not being able to read books," which is the theme of this book, is directly linked to how we spend our time and the nature of our work. As someone who has worked as a restaurant manager in the food service industry and now faces the career paths of many people as a career consultant, I feel strongly that how we use our time is directly linked to the richness of our lives is true.

Modern People Dominated by "Busyness"

We are all chased by busyness. Especially in environments like the food service industry, where irregular shifts and long working hours are the norm, we are pursued by daily tasks and our own time is increasingly taken away. When I was a store manager, I also constantly felt this "sense of being chased by time." Even if I had a little free time after work, I was too exhausted to even pick up a book. Isn't this something that many people in the food service industry experience?

As Miyake's book points out, the [phenomenon of not being able to read books] is not just a lack of time, but a problem of our "consciousness toward time" and our "priorities in life."

Career Is Not Just "Work"

As a career consultant, I notice something while facing many clients. It is that a career includes not only "work" but also "private life" and "self-growth". What I felt through this book is the importance of the perspective of viewing both as an integrated whole rather than thinking of "work" and "private life" separately.

Time Management and Self-Growth

What Miyake emphasizes in this book is that **"time is the most valuable resource."** From a career consultant's perspective, this is also a very important point. Many people tend to forget to value their own time when they are overwhelmed by the work in front of them. However, in order to aim for self-growth and career advancement, consciously securing your own time and planning how to use it is essential.

For example, workers in the food service industry are often troubled by shift systems and irregular working hours, but even within that, it is possible to make reading a habit by utilizing short breaks or commuting time. What I would like to propose as a career consultant is to have the consciousness of "using even fragmented time for self-investment". This is also based on my own experience of how I secured time for self-growth while spending busy days as a store manager.

The Balance Between "Career and Private Life"

What Miyake's book teaches us is that reading is not just a hobby, but an important means to promote self-growth and introspection. In particular, what I feel as a career consultant is that the knowledge and perspectives gained through reading can be applied not only in work situations but also in private life. Even amidst long working hours and shift systems in the food service industry, you can gain new perspectives and ways of thinking through reading in order to reclaim your own time and build a rich life.

Let's Use Our Time as an "Investment"

Finally, what I would like to propose as a career consultant is to view "time as an investment". The time we have is limited, but how we use that time changes our lives and careers significantly. As Miyake's book shows, by reclaiming our own time and using it for "self-investment," including reading, we can make both work and private life more fulfilling.

Even for people working in the food service industry, it is difficult to have their own time while being busy, but consciously choosing actions that lead to self-growth even in short periods of time is extremely important for long-term career formation. This is also something I constantly feel as I face clients every day as a career consultant.

When You Can't Read Books, Re-evaluate Your Career

Reading "Why You Can't Read Books When You're Working" made me realize once again the problem of "how we use our time" that we are facing. Regaining the balance between work and private life and valuing your own time enriches our careers and, by extension, leads to the fulfillment of our entire lives.

This book is a volume that will trigger a re-evaluation of how you work and how you spend your time. I hope that even in your busy days, you will realize the importance of your own time and gain hints for building a better career and life.