I read a fair amount even if not as much as I'd like nor all of the
books I'd like to read. A lot of what I read are blogs and online
articles related to technology. I currently have 5 books on my reading
list. All of them are technical books in PDF form. While its very
important for a computerist to keep up to speed with technology, it's
also important to keep the creative juices flowing in the brain.
In January, I picked up a kids book and read it. I read a majority of
it one weekend and didn't do any work or computer reading that weekend.
The following week, I felt a little more refreshed. Perhaps it was
getting a little extra sleep or taking a real break from computerist
material, but I'm sure reading helps.
I'm a big believer in reading being good for you. I mean exercise
is good for your body, right? Then why not exercise your brain.
Something about reading stimulates your brain, and reading different
material stimulates different areas of your brain. When I'm reading
tech material, I'm focused on understanding all the ideas being
conveyed. When I read for leisure, I don't have to focus on thinking
quite so much.
We've all heard how exercise helps both your physical
and your mental condition. Leisure reading helps your stress levels and
creative powers. Unless your like me with unlimited creative power, you
should take a break and read a book just for fun.
It important to keep up your creative thinking as a developer. Leisure reading is a good way to do that, and enhance your job performance. Besides, many overworked geeks need a little break sometimes. We encourage it among our team. Your reading list should be a dash of technical and a pinch of non-technical material.
-j