Too Busy to Read? How 10 Minutes Solved My Unread Book Problem

I spend my days helping healthcare organizations and middle-market companies optimize their operations. I literally wrote a book about time management and host a podcast called The Habit Architect where I interview people about building better systems. 

And yet, I had a shelf full of business books I'd never finished and evenings that felt like chaos in slow motion. 

Turns out, teaching this stuff doesn't make you immune to it — but it did make me ruthless about finding what actually works when you're already running on fumes.

Before Headway: Evenings in slow-motion chaos

Evenings were a mix of email catch-up, loose ends from the day, and a general sense of "where did the time go?" It was like chaos in slow motion. Busy, but not productive.

There's a particular kind of exhaustion that comes from being busy all day without feeling like you've actually moved forward. The kind where you look at your calendar and see back-to-back meetings, then look at your inbox and realize you've been treading water. By evening, the plan was always the same: catch up, tie up loose ends, maybe finally crack open one of those business books gathering dust on the shelf.

Except that never happened. I've got a shelf full of business books with the best of intentions, but zero completion rate. They sit there like expensive paperweights, reminding me of all the learning I'm not doing. The gap between wanting to grow and actually having the bandwidth to do it just kept widening.

Why I finally tried Headway after years of unfinished books

That shelf of unread books became impossible to ignore. Something had to give. I wasn't going to magically find three extra hours in my day, and waiting until retirement to finish reading wasn't exactly a growth strategy.

That's what made me decide to try adding Headway. Headway gave me a way to get the value without waiting until retirement to finish reading. It wasn't about replacing books entirely — it was about finally accessing the ideas I'd been meaning to absorb for years.

My actual routine: 10-Minute evening walks with Headway

Here's how it actually works in my life: I throw in my earbuds on an evening walk. It's my reset button: move my body, de-stress, and pick up a few ideas that expand my perspective.

Ten minutes. That's it. Not a morning routine, not a lunch-break hustle — an evening decompression that doubles as learning. The walk was already happening (or should have been happening) for my sanity. Headway just made it productive without making it feel like work.

Because digital distractions are everywhere. Ten minutes feels like a sprint I can win every time. Longer sessions? That's when I lose momentum. This isn't about becoming a productivity robot — it's about finding a rhythm that actually sticks when you're already running on fumes.

How book summaries changed my next-day decisions (and taught me French)

Can I describe one time when using Headway really set the tone for my next day? Several times, honestly. I'll have a decision from the day still rattling around in my head, then I hear a different perspective from a book summary. It helps me approach the next day with more thoughtfulness, not just reflex.

That's the shift that surprised me. I wasn't looking for some overnight transformation — I just wanted to stop feeling guilty about those unread books. But something happens when you consistently feed your brain new frameworks, even in small doses. You start seeing patterns. You make connections between a summary you heard last week and a problem you're facing today.

Is there a specific book summary or idea from Headway that stayed with you and influenced your day? Yes. I've been wrestling with learning French, not exactly easy in your 50s. Apps and tutors hadn't stuck. Then I heard the summary of 'Fluent Forever.' It flipped how I approach language learning. "Merci beaucoup," as they say.

That's the thing about mind expansion, fast. If I had to read all those books cover-to-cover, the impact would lag. This way, I learn what's useful right now. If it really clicks, then I'll dive into the full book. Headway isn't replacing deep reading — it's the filter that helps me know which books deserve my full attention.

What changed: Better sleep, sharper mornings, and real growth

How do my mornings feel different now compared to before I started this habit? Lighter. The walk and learning flush out the frustrations from the day before. I sleep better, and when morning comes, I'm sharper and ready to go.

That's not hyperbole. The evening chaos isn't gone — emails still pile up, loose ends still exist — but I'm not carrying the same mental weight into the next day. The ten minutes with Headway create a boundary between "today's mess" and "tomorrow's fresh start."

How does this small habit fit into the rest of my daily life — work, family, or personal growth? It's all about growth and perspective. Whether I'm leading at work, spending time with family, or chasing personal goals, the ideas I pick up feed all three.

A concept about decision-making improves how I lead my team. A framework about communication changes how I show up at home. A strategy for learning helps me tackle that French vocabulary. It's not compartmentalized — it bleeds into everything because perspective always does.

My advice if you think you're too busy to learn

What would I tell someone who feels they don't have time in the morning to learn or grow? I'd say, "You're right — you probably don't." That's why you need a system. Ten minutes with Headway in the evening and you'll be a better leader, partner, and community member if you carve out that small slice.

Not in the morning. Not when you're already behind. In the evening, when you need to reset anyway.

The question isn't whether you have time. The question is whether you're willing to spend ten minutes differently than you're spending them now. Because that shelf of unread books isn't going to read itself, and chaos in slow motion doesn't magically resolve without a circuit breaker.

Headway became mine.

Ready to make the most out of your evening walks with Headway?

If Michael's story sounds familiar — the unread books, the evening chaos, the gap between wanting to grow and having the bandwidth — Headway might be worth ten minutes of your time.

What makes it work for busy professionals:

1. Fits real life. Book summaries in 10-15 minutes, designed for earbuds and walks, commutes, or that small window before the day derails.

2. Substance without the time debt. Get the core frameworks from business and personal development books without the 8-hour reading commitment.

3. A filter for deeper reading. Headway helps you identify which ideas resonate enough to warrant buying the full book.

4. Progress you can sustain. Ten minutes feels like a sprint you can win every time. Longer sessions? That's when most of us lose momentum.

The shelf of unread books isn't going anywhere on its own. But the ten minutes you're already spending scrolling? That's your circuit breaker. Download Headway today to get started!