Monday
Apr242006
Double your income in a year ... by reading!? An update on reading for learning, plus a current list with brief comments
Monday, April 24, 2006 at 2:06AM
Reading "Meta" Thoughts
As I mentioned earlier (see How to read a lot of books in a short time) I've been reading like a madman. Why? First, to understand how David Allen's work sits in relationship to preceding efforts (part of my self-defined Master's Degree in Personal Productivity), and second to simply see what happens. (I tell people I'm mixing into a stew pot everything that catches my attention [1]; I don't know a) what it will taste like, or b) if it will even be edible - read value -> income - but that's what my current path seems to be.) I wanted to share a few ideas regarding the economic and intellectual value of reading non-fiction, and to give a quick update on what I've read, because I've had some "what are you reading" requests from readers.
First, something provocative: In his book Time Power: A Proven System for Getting More Done in Less Time Than You Ever Thought Possible [2], Brian Tracy encourages us to improve ourselves by reading an hour a day in our fields, expose ourselves to lots of ideas (i.e., possibilities). More specifically, he gives us his Guaranteed Formula For Getting Rich:
Related to this is Tim Sanders' encouragement from Love is the killer app (one of my favorites) to READ BOOKS!!. He suggests an 80/20 ratio - 80% on books, rest on articles and newspapers. (He has much more on reading, including a four-step program to make knowledge work for you, which he breaks into aggregation, encoding, processing, and application.) One thing I love from his book is the idea of talking what you're reading:
The last thought before listing my recent reads is that I'm satisfied with both a) the scanning technique of Jason Womack's that I describe in my How to read post, and b) the idea of "if you are recommended it more than once, read it," which has really paid off. (This is a specific example of the listening to your environment strategy.)
Recent books
I'll finish up with a list of what I've read so far, plus a thought or two that stood out from each. Note: In the last few months I seem to be averaging about 10 books fully read and summarized per month. This is about 1/2 or 1/3 of the ones I receive (i.e., a good percentage doesn't make it past the scan stage - something I may have to think about).
As always, I love to hear your reading suggestions!
References
As I mentioned earlier (see How to read a lot of books in a short time) I've been reading like a madman. Why? First, to understand how David Allen's work sits in relationship to preceding efforts (part of my self-defined Master's Degree in Personal Productivity), and second to simply see what happens. (I tell people I'm mixing into a stew pot everything that catches my attention [1]; I don't know a) what it will taste like, or b) if it will even be edible - read value -> income - but that's what my current path seems to be.) I wanted to share a few ideas regarding the economic and intellectual value of reading non-fiction, and to give a quick update on what I've read, because I've had some "what are you reading" requests from readers.
First, something provocative: In his book Time Power: A Proven System for Getting More Done in Less Time Than You Ever Thought Possible [2], Brian Tracy encourages us to improve ourselves by reading an hour a day in our fields, expose ourselves to lots of ideas (i.e., possibilities). More specifically, he gives us his Guaranteed Formula For Getting Rich:
Invest as much in your mind each year as you do in your car." "The average driver spends $600 per month on his car... In the first year of practicing this formula, you income will increase 25 percent to 50 percent, or more, and your entire career will take off.I love it! I've shared this with friends, who uniformly react very positively, or very negatively. Sadly, in my case we have only one car (a '95 Geo Prism), and our monthly expenditures aren't steep. Thus, I felt good having negotiated ~$200/month in wish list purchases with my wonderful wife.
Related to this is Tim Sanders' encouragement from Love is the killer app (one of my favorites) to READ BOOKS!!. He suggests an 80/20 ratio - 80% on books, rest on articles and newspapers. (He has much more on reading, including a four-step program to make knowledge work for you, which he breaks into aggregation, encoding, processing, and application.) One thing I love from his book is the idea of talking what you're reading:
When you talk about a book, it forces you to know it inside and out.(I now try to keep a list of books in my head for conversations with new contacts.)
The last thought before listing my recent reads is that I'm satisfied with both a) the scanning technique of Jason Womack's that I describe in my How to read post, and b) the idea of "if you are recommended it more than once, read it," which has really paid off. (This is a specific example of the listening to your environment strategy.)
Recent books
I'll finish up with a list of what I've read so far, plus a thought or two that stood out from each. Note: In the last few months I seem to be averaging about 10 books fully read and summarized per month. This is about 1/2 or 1/3 of the ones I receive (i.e., a good percentage doesn't make it past the scan stage - something I may have to think about).
As always, I love to hear your reading suggestions!
- Blink : The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcom Gladwell - A bunch of interesting stuff, but a bit verbose (Gladwell is clearly brilliant, though). Got my attention: Damage to the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (behind the nose): plays crucial role in decision making. If damaged, causes suffering trying to make decisions. A GTD connection?
- The Strangest Secret in the World for Succeeding Today by Earl Nightingale - Great audio tape from way back. Got my attention: We become what we think about.
- Love Is Letting Go of Fear Gerald G. Jampolsky - Very nice book. The Big Thought: To perceive the world differently, we must be willing to change our belief system, let the past slip away, expand our sense of *now*, and dissolve the fear in our minds.
- Love Is the Killer App : How to Win Business and Influence Friends by Tim Sanders - Great book. The Big Thought: It's very good to intelligently and sensibly share your intangibles with your bizpartners - your knowledge, network, and compassion.
- Time Power: A Proven System for Getting More Done in Less Time Than You Ever Thought Possible by Brian Tracy - Mentioned above. Here's a goodie: The success formula that never fails: T x R = P ("talent times relationships equals productivity").
- Organize Your Office! Simple Routines for Managing Your Workspace by Ronni Eisenberg - A ton of ideas, but relatively unrelated. Tips for working with an executive assistant:
- physically open all mail
- train to process mail (take 1-2 weeks)
- crates file folders for mail passing: urgent, to do, to approve, to sign, to read, to file, to toss?
- color code urgent ones (red = urgent, etc.)
- create index at front of file with >1 item
- teach if background info required, then pull
- return items in same folder to assistant
- physically open all mail
- How to Have a 48-Hour Day by Don Aslett - Only a few take-home goodies I found, including the idea of keeping a frontlog, not a backlog.
- Freakonomics : A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Steven D. Levitt, Stephen J. Dubner - Lots of ideas. I love this quote:
The risks that scare people turn out to be very different from the risks that kill people. And they are also different from the ones that cost us money. Emotion is the enemy of rational argument. And emotion is more potent that other emotions.
- Nightingale-Conant's Insight Audio Cassette Series, tape one - four shows (Brian Tracy, Zig Ziglar, Jack Zoofelt, Ernst Nightengale), all mostly great. From the last, a definition of success: loving what you do, and being happy with your choices.
- Fish! A Remarkable Way to Boost Morale and Improve Results by Stephen C. Lundin, Harry Paul, John Christensen - Another great book. Four ingredients: Choose your attitude, Play, Make their day, Be present.
- The Organized Executive: A Program for Productivity--New Ways to Manage Time, Paper, People, and the Electronic Office by Stephanie Winston - Lots of good stuff. Here's a favorite quote:
The real cause of a paperwork crisis is a problem with decision-making: picking up the same piece of paper five times and putting it down again because you can't decide what to do with it. ... The key to paper management is processing: that is, channeling each piece from your in-box to its appropriate destination.
- The Personal Efficiency Program : How to Get Organized to Do More Work in Less Time by Kerry Gleeson - Really useful stuff, with a lot of GTD overlap. I've really internalized his ideas about work, and that we're not trained in how to do it efficiently. For example:
Although most of us have been formally educated to work in our professions, few of us, especially white-collar workers, have been taught how to work efficiently and effectively. Too many white-collar professionals have no idea how to organize themselves or how best to process their work. They may understand how to draw an architectural plan, write a clever ad, or negotiate a deal, but they can't effectively organize their week or cope well with interruptions and unexpected new opportunities and priorities.
- Organized for Success : Top Executives and CEOs Reveal the Organizing Principles That Helped Them Reach the Top by Stephanie Winston - An OK book, though I do respect Winston quite a bit. I like her organization "laws," including Organizing Law #1. Relentlessly process all papers and emails, personally or through an assistant. She's also the author of the TRAF system (see How to process stuff - A comparison of TRAF, the "Four Ds", and GTD's workflow diagram).
- The Business of Consulting: The Basics and Beyond by Elaine Biech - Quite a few things to consider when starting your own consultancy (a tad overwhelming at this point, I have to say). Here's something to wrap your mind around: If you are just starting, consider offering 100% satisfaction guarantee.
- How to Study and Make the Most of Your Time by Bob Kizlik - Not a book, but hey - good stuff anyway. This seems to be a standard college approach to studying: Use SQ3R: Survey, Question, Read, Recite, Review.
- Free to Succeed: Designing the Life You Want in the New Free Agent Economy by Barbara Bailey Reinhold - Quite a few good thoughts from an impressive local author. Here are her 10 essential strategies for the new free agency economy:
- learn to tolerate ambiguity
- forget the old identity
- forget job descriptions and bosses
- button the wallet and stash the credit cards
- take back time
- save time for relationships
- develop skills or find help
- remember the bigger picture - look at trends in your own and related fields
- get a gang - support group, networking group, board of directors
- find a coach. someone who understands free agency, is informed about your field, and builds your confidence
- learn to tolerate ambiguity
- What Should I Do with My Life? by Po Bronson - Interesting concept, couldn't make it through. I like the idea of thinking about whether you're comfortable with the inevitable cocktail party question ("What do you do for a living?")
- How Full Is Your Bucket? Positive Strategies for Work and Life by Tom Rath, Donald O. Clifton - Another great book. There's a nice summary at Filling Kids' Emotional Buckets.
- The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century by Thomas L. Friedman - Interesting and important, but couldn't finish it. I like the idea of untouchables: people whose jobs cannot be outsourced. He lists four categories: Special (only a few people - CEOs, stars, sports), specialized (knowledge workers whose skills are always in demand and not fungible), anchored (most Americans - work that must be done in a specific location, involving face-to-face contact), and really adaptable. More in the wikipedia.
- Time Management for Unmanageable People : The Guilt-Free Way to Organize, Energize, and Maximize Your Life by Anne Mcgee-Cooper - I remain skeptical - I think Allen's system applies, but I'm surely biased. I do like the various dimensions she provides for thinking about how we work - two opposite ways of viewing time (monochronic and polychronic), and two ways to approach life, time, and work (convergers and divergers).
- Taming the paper tiger at home by Barbara Hemphill - I have trouble separating her concepts from her product (software that mixes reference and action - a GTD "no no"). However, I've definitely internalized her idea on clutter and decision-making:
Paper clutter is postponed decisions; paper management is making decisions.
- Sham : How the Self-Help Movement Made America Helpless by Steve Salerno - A welcome, questioning voice on the world of life coaching. Made me realize that I'm not interested in certifying myself with one of the current coaching organizations, or taking the professional organizer track. (Can you see an atheist doing feng shui?)
- Networking - The great new way for women to get ahead by Mary Scott Welch - My first introduction to the positive world of networking, so I have a soft spot for it. I use this almost daily to introduce myself: "I'm calling at the suggestion of ____, who thought you might be willing to talk..."
- What They Don't Teach You At Harvard Business School by Mark H. McCormack - A nice book with lots of ideas. One I use daily: Always introduce yourself if you're not 100% sure they know your first and last names.
References
- [1] Allen says Pay attention to what has your attention.
- [2] I like books that have a Big Thought (as defined in Love Is the Killer App). Sadly, this work seems to be more of a quasi-related mixture of principles, steps, tools, techniques, and formulae. I very much respect Tracy's work (Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time is next on my list), but I can't recommend Time Power.
Reader Comments (22)
Thanks, Matt. Though now I feel guilty because your post (and, thus, my increased knowledge) is FREE ... and I drive a BMW :)
Cheers.
What an ambitious and fun plan. I'd be curious to see what pops into your head after all that input. I really enjoyed Your Money Or Your Life by Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin.
It talks about life, money, and the tradeoffs you make to get it. For instance is doubling your salary any good if you double your expenses and increase your work hours by 20%? Turns out sometimes we spend so much time getting things we barely have time to actually enjoy them. (Know anyone with a very expensive and idel boat in their yard that never seems to make it to the lake?)
Anyway, I'll keep checking back as I see you are buklidng a great list for those of us looking to GTD and get a mental boost @ the same time.
-james
Thanks, Anonymous - we're doing great. The car is alternately a badge of honor or an eyesore. I recently upgraded my programmer "wardrobe" to business class, and I suspect someday soon the car will be next. BMW? Hmm....
Thanks very much for the comment, James, and for the pointer to [ Your Money or Your Life | http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0140286780/qid=1145922132/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/104-8085125-4087950?s=books&v=glance&n=283155 ]. Amazingly, it's sitting on my shelf, ready to be read (a workmate lent me a copy). Great timing - and I'm in complete agreement. I'd much rather focus on the important things in life, rather than trying earn more more more.
That said, I thought the comparison of spending on learning vs. spending on cars was sweet. (Although I'd prefer it to be instead of spending on cars, at least in our case.)
Thanks for reading, and for the comment!
(Here's a comment from [ James Ledoux | http://www.jamesledoux.com/blog/ ] that went to a duplicate page.)
What an ambitious and fun plan. I'd be curious to see what pops into your head after all that input. I really enjoyed Your Money Or Your Life by Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin.
It talks about life, money, and the tradeoffs you make to get it. For instance is doubling your salary any good if you double your expenses and increase your work hours by 20%? Turns out sometimes we spend so much time getting things we barely have time to actually enjoy them. (Know anyone with a very expensive and idel boat in their yard that never seems to make it to the lake?)
Anyway, I'll keep checking back as I see you are buklidng a great list for those of us looking to GTD and get a mental boost @ the same time.
-james
Thanks very much for the comment, James, and for the pointer to [ Your Money or Your Life | http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0140286780/qid=1145922132/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/104-8085125-4087950?s=books&v=glance&n=283155 ]. Amazingly, it's sitting on my shelf, ready to be read (a workmate lent me a copy). Great timing - and I'm in complete agreement. I'd much rather focus on the important things in life, rather than trying earn more more more.
That said, I thought the comparison of spending on learning vs. spending on cars was sweet. (Although I'd prefer it to be instead of spending on cars, at least in our case.)
Thanks for reading, and for the comment!
Hi Matt,
Nice list. However, you may have too many variations on the same theme! You might want to diversify your reading a little. Two important works worthy of study: 1.] Mastery, by George Leonard, 2.] The 80/20 Principle, by Ricard Koch. I have both available. E-Mail your mailing address and I will ship them out (postage paid by me, you keep the books). The "big thought" in these two shall remain a surprise, yours to uncover. Guaranteed to disrupt your current thinking. Disruption=Success. I have a new program of recycling my "books of interest" to those I trust will read them. I use the "Cornell" note-taking system. Hence, neither of these books have been written in. I always keep my notes...sorry. I only recycle personal "mission crital" works. Books that are worthy of "analytical reading", (cite, Mortimar J. Adler). Good luck and much success in your quest. Davey B. Moyers, II
dbmoyers2@comcast.net
Hi Davey. Thanks a ton for (as I take it) the suggestion to step back, evaluate overall mix, and diversify as indicated. Very helpful.
Mastery, by George Leonard - Great timing - just arrived!
The 80/20 Principle, by Ricard Koch - Was on my list, now bumped up.
E-Mail your mailing address and I will ship them out. - Thank you very much for your generous offer.
Disruption=Success - I agree and welcome it (to some degree, of course).
[ Mortimer J. Adler | http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/ref=br_ss_hs/104-8085125-4087950?field-keywords=Mortimer%20J.%20Adler ] - Any in particular you'd recommend? "How to Read a Book" came up in an earlier post, but I think you're talking more about "How to Think About the Great Ideas," "Six Great Ideas," etc.
Thanks very much for reading!
"The Personal Efficiency Program : How to Get Organized to Do More Work in Less Time" by Kerry Gleeson really got through to me the importance of weekly planning. “Organizing Your Home Business” by Lisa Kanarek has lots of good information even if you don't have a home business. For life-changing thoughts try "The Four Agreements" by don Miguel Ruiz.
Thanks very much for the recommendations, Arty. I agree on the Gleeson book - He's got some good ideas. I'm looking forward to checking out the other two (someone actually gave me the second one a few weeks ago!):
[ Organizing Your Home Business (Made E-Z) | http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1563825155/qid=1146143679/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/104-8085125-4087950?s=books&v=glance&n=283155 ]
[ The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom (A Toltec Wisdom Book) | http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1878424319/qid=1146143686/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/104-8085125-4087950?s=books&v=glance&n=283155 ]
Hey Matt! First thanks for the comments on my blog. Appreciate it! Second, I'm totally with you on reading the business books. I read a lot as well, mostly business and productivity books. (I do keep leisure reading by the bedside to relax my mind before getting some zzz...) I also subscribe to Soundview's Book Summaries (www.summary.com) and listen to them on my iPod on the drive into work.
You also gave me an idea for my site - a Reading List. Thanks!
Hey, Jason. I enjoyed your blog - you're welcome. How do you like Soundview's Book Summaries? I would be concerned that they wouldn't cover what *I'd* cover, i.e., that there'd be some relatively minor point that wouldn't click for others, but might be important to me. Probably not a big deal, though.
You also gave me an idea for my site - a Reading List. Thanks! I'd love to see it - I'm on the lookout for good books. Please let me know.
I'm a big fan of SoundView. Yes, you are not going to get the full detail of the book but there is enough content in the summaries (there is actually more in the accompanying written summaries) but there is enough for you to understand the author's intent. Authors sometimes read the summaries which adds validity to the summary from my perspective. Plus, if you are interested in the book, you can buy the book cheap from their website (not always cheaper than Amazon but sometimes is better than none). BTW, saw that you are a contributor to BlackBelt Productivity! Excellent!
Thanks for the SoundView review, Jason. Sounds neat.
BTW, saw that you are a contributor to BlackBelt Productivity! Excellent! - It's kind of you to notice - thanks!
Could you provide a definition of what is meant by a "frontlog"? (How to Have a 48-Hour Day by Don Aslett - Only a few take-home goodies I found, including the idea of keeping a frontlog, not a backlog.)
thanks,
Jeff
That's a great question, Jeff. I don't yet have a good answer, I'm sorry to say. The term seems to come up in library cataloging circles, but I couldn't find a solid definition there.
I did find a nice description in [ Writer's First Aid | http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/188971514X/ref=sib_rdr_dp/104-8085125-4087950?%5Fencoding=UTF8&me=ATVPDKIKX0DER&no=283155&st=books&n=283155 ], where the author quotes Aslett:
Go-Getters
High-producing writers don't have backlogs. They maintain a "frontlog," a list of things to do ahead. The list includes projects due several months away, speeches to be made, trips to be taken, items to budget for. This list is visible ... so that it stays in the forefront of my mind. "When you're always working ahead of yourself," Aslett says, "pushing things ahead of you rather than pulling them behind you, you have twice the control." You also need half the energy because there's no time pressure involved.
Eliminate the Time Pressure
(l) Create a frontlog. Make a list of your upcoming projects and deadlines. (Right now mine includes writing a speech and researching two books.) Keep the list in front of you. Keep materials pertaining to these tasks with you. ... I chip away at at the projects when I have a few moments here and there, with no pressure at all because I'm working ahead. Gradually the jobs get crossed off the list.
I need to give it more thought, with respect to GTD.
Do you have any ideas Jeff?
Thanks, Matthew.
My thought was that 'frontlog' could refer to 1 of 2 things:
1) Working ahead of yourself (upcoming projects, etc.), as you described and exerpted in your response above
2) a shift in your state of mind to re-define your 'backlog' as a 'frontlog'. ie you are exactly where you need to be. Similar to David Allen's comment to the effect of "...becoming comfortable with long next action lists...". A positive perspective on where you're at and not beating yourself for all the incompletes. Another dimension of having a trusted system, in that you trust that you are exactly where you need to be at any given point in time, and have made the best decisions you could have made all along, and will continue to do so as you execute your 'frontlog'.
Jeff
Jeff, I really like your second interpretation - a shift in your state of mind to re-define your 'backlog' as a 'frontlog'. There's a good follow-on post there... Thanks!
I recommend "Orthodoxy" by G.K. Chesterton. A genius, and quite witty - broadened my perspective on life quite nicely.
Gordon
Hey Gordon - Thanks for the recommendation - looks fascinating, and quite different from other books I've heard of. Thank you for reading.
Ha!... sometimes going through the blogs takes me to past posts and once in awhile an interesting point jumps out, such as your comment on
---
"Sham : How the Self-Help Movement Made America Helpless by Steve Salerno - A welcome, questioning voice on the world of life coaching. Made me realize that I'm not interested in certifying myself with one of the current coaching organizations, or taking the professional organizer track. (Can you see an atheist doing feng shui?)"
---
As an atheist who dabbles in feng shui (which I picked up in Boston by the way) and actively practices shamanism, I'd have to say yes... yes I can... just when you thought it was safe to make an assumption! ;)
Hi Doug. Thanks very much for your comment.
As an atheist who dabbles in feng shui (which I picked up in Boston by the way) and actively practices shamanism, I'd have to say yes... yes I can... just when you thought it was safe to make an assumption! ;) Again, my ignorance and assumptions are made bare. Thank you for the adjustment!
I think the issue of being a "spiritual" atheist is interesting. In my case I've worked with runes and tarot, which I use as tools for reflecting what's going on in my life...
Thanks for reading.