Are you reading a lot? I do- after all these ads in my feed that tell me, "Elon Musk reads 10 hours a day" or "Bill Gates reads 50 books a year", and I can hardly argue that they're not successful. Until recently, I was convinced that reading more about my job interests and the usual Times bestseller list features were essential in helping me grow and learn.

And then I noticed something: It can fuel your inaction. Instead of going for your new idea or sit down, reflect and work out what you really want from your job- or which job you want! - you stay in what I call "the loop of constant self-improvement".

Typical sentences: "I will do more research on job XY to see if it is for me, I have to read more about this market to see if we should invest in it, I absolutely must read about mindfulness...."

And before you know it, you're in the loop. Yes, you learn more, but ironically, you know less about what you want and where you want to go.

Some people avoid that soul searching by immediate action and constant projects- you might have heard about those stories. But a person with a book? What could be wrong with that? 

Here are three questions to check if you are reading too much:

1. How much of the advice you have read in books have you put into action? Can you name 5?

2. How many changes have you seen in your life since you read your last three books? Rate them- were these changes worth reading the books?

3. If you would stop reading self-improvement literature and articles for a month, do you think you would fall behind? Would your business suffer? How? And if it wouldn't, why don't you try to read less and put more of the advice into action?

Are you also reading too much? Are you "in the loop"?