Book Review: Rework

Rework by Jason Fried and David Hansson

In the words of Seth Godin, this book will make you very uncomfortable and that is a good thing.

I love this book!

It’s an out of the box view of how to start and run a modern business. With chapter titles such as Meetings are Toxic, Your Estimates Suck, Drug Dealers get it Right and Resumes are Ridiculous,  Jason and David have turned the business world on its head.

In the spirit of this book, I’m keeping this review short and simple. This book is easy to read, straight forward, honest and cutting edge. Buy it, borrow it, read it.

Book Review – The Power of Focus

2010-03-04 16.19.04

I recently began reading a book called The Power of Focus (Les Hewitt, Mark Hansen, Jack Canfield). The authors wrote the Chicken Soup for the Soul series as well, which has sold more than 50 million copies. This is a great book! I actually put all ten of my other books away and have been FOCUSING on absorbing the material in just this one.

It has definitely affected me in a positive way. It is teaching me how to focus on the most fulfilling things in life, give up some control, delegate more and develop great habits.

It is geared towards anyone in business, but I think it is especially helpful for entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs tend to be highly fragmented, unable to focus on a single thought or task. I am, which is why I started reading this book. It’s helping and I’m really enjoying it!

Audiobooks: No More Excuses Not to Read

Reading is important. I tell that to everyone. I read at least one book a week even though I don’t have the time. How you ask??

I recently discovered audiobooks on Itunes. They have a good selection and you can find more on Amazon as well. At first, I didn’t think I would enjoy listening to books rather than reading them. My mind changed quickly.

Listening to a book on your Ipod or phone is easy and convenient. It allows you to perform other tasks simultaneously as well, such as driving or working out.

I like to cycle often. Instead of listening to music during my workouts, I listen to books. Whenever I’m driving or doing a mundane task that requires little brain power, I listen to a book. It’s great and I’m learning so much!

I highly recommend it to everyone. You don’t have to worry about reading glasses, eye strain or books cluttering your shelves!

What's next to your bed?

Why Read One?? ;)

So I woke up this morning and kind of laughed when I jumped out of bed into a pile of books and magazines. At any given time, this is what the floor next to my bed looks like. It seems like the only time I have to read is around 3 am when I hop in bed. But I’ve set a goal to read at least 10 pages from 3 books or magazines per night, and it’s working!

I think it’s incredibly important to read…a lot! And don’t limit yourself to a single subject or genre. Read everything! Even if it’s something you’re not really interested in.

Now I’m not saying you have to read 5 books at a time. But due to my nature, I have to be doing 20 things at once or I just wouldn’t be satisfied. I feel like Johnny 5 sometimes…input, input, I need more input! (If you know what movie that’s from, then I embrace you as a fellow geek!) But that’s how you should approach life. Constantly exploring and learning. Especially if you own a business!

The livelihood of your business rests entirely on your ability to learn, adapt and move! Keep your head on a swivel and never stop moving!

My current reading list / pile next to my bed:

Super Freakonomics – Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
On War – Carl von Clausewitz
Blink – Malcolm Gladwell
 Death by Black Hole: And Other Cosmic Quandaries – Neil Degrasse Tyson
Built for Growth – Arthur Rubinfeld and Collins Hemingway
Fortune Small Business
Popular Mechanics
Popular Science
Make Magazine – Awesome!
Wired – Essential!

Try this…pick a book and tell yourself you’re going to read 10 pages a night no matter what! You can read more, but the bare minimum should be 10 pages. That will get you through a book every month which is a great start.