With all the predictions of a paperless society, shouldn’t paper-bound books now be a thing of the past? Yet bookstore browsing and shopping is still going strong. What happened with the digital reading idea?

A few of the hindrances included the simple idea that the computer was for work, not for pleasure, and that it seems ergonomically incorrect. Add to that the fact that we read 30% to 50% slower online (K-link to email reading techniques) and the complete transition from paper seemed doomed to remain a prediction rather than a reality.

However, while we will never completely give up paper, things are changing, making the switch seem more likely in the near future. Two factors predominate at this point:

As you search for more ways to manage your time effectively, these changes can add to your overall productivity. The next step I’m anticipating, as I write this on a Continental Airlines flight, is for airlines to switch over to the systems that allow you to use your portable devices even at take-off and landing. I still need a newspaper or book for those blocks of time as I travel to present our time management training seminars in different parts of the country.