Category: Self Improvement

1. Read ASAP! · Book Review Actions · Book Reviews · Psychology · Self Improvement

BR 81: Ready for Anything by David Allen

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Comments: Top class productivity book from the master. David Allen delves into the ‘why’ behind time management. He also cushioned the (expected) staid flow of content with tons of inspiring quotes. I loved it!

I loved this book it had lots of simple ideas to streamline our productivity and workflow with a focus on ‘why’ rather ‘what’. In his classic book, Getting Things Done, David Allen focused more on the ‘what’ – practical tips and trips. This book focuses a lot more on the science behind it – how our brain works and how we can use this knowledge to alleviate stress and get things done!

3. SHELF it · Book Review Actions · Book Reviews · Psychology · Self Improvement

BR 80: 10 Natural Laws of Successful Time and Life Management by Hyrum W Smith

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Category: 3 – SHELF it (All Categories are 1 – Read ASAP!, 2 – BUY it!, 3 – SHELF it, 4 – SOMEDAY it)

Comments: A particularly good time management book that, for a change, is grounded in principles.

What to expect: I have blogged about Hyrum’s Prioritized Daily Task Lists here and here. And there is more to come. In short, this is an experienced time manager who believes (rightly so, in my opinion) that your daily task list should be indicative of your core values.

Add on Mar 16, 2016: I had long forgotten about this book but can see why I rated this highly. I think there have been better books since though.

3. SHELF it · Book Review Actions · Psychology · Self Improvement

BR 78: The Magic of Thinking Big by David Schwartz

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Comments: This book is a popular self help book but it didn’t have as much of an impact on me. I actually read it a few months ago but as I was about to pen down a review for it, I realized I remembered nothing. So, I had to re-read it to write this review.

What to expect: Lots of very very good ideas and suggestions. The only issue is Schwartz never uses stories to illustrate his ideas. There is a lot of ‘telling’ which is easy to forget. Nevertheless, many good learnings – a couple of them are here and here.

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BR 69: Don’t Take It Personally by Susan Granger

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Comments: A short and crisp walk take on why it’s important not to take feedback personally. Susan Granger focuses on the entertainment industry and takes us through many examples where actors have been written off long before their time. She shares many a success story that faced multiple stumbling blocks.

A simple book with a clear message.

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BR 68: Who Moved My Cheese by Spencer Johnson

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Category: 3 – SHELF it (All Categories are 1 – Read ASAP!, 2 – BUY it!, 3 – SHELF it, 4 – SOMEDAY it)

Comments: I can see why this is a classic. It uses a very simple-to-relate story (of 2 rats and 2 little humans and their quest for cheese – where cheese is equated to income/ success) to convey a powerful message. It deals with our natural resistance to change and how we could turn that around to an attitude that welcomes change.

3. SHELF it · Book Review Actions · Book Reviews · Psychology · Self Improvement

BR 54: Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill

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Comments: I’m not sure if I missed something here but I didn’t find this all time classic all that impressive. I wonder if one of the reasons it was ground breaking was because it was ahead of it’s time but most of the concepts didn’t seem new. The only novel idea I remember at the moment is Hill’s emphasis on control in personal (i.e. love and sex) spheres of life and how it can often make the difference between success and failure.

The book had a lot of stories about the richest men in US at the time told by a very patriotic American. Lots of simple ideas and concepts made it easy to get through.

This is an all time classic. So, I’m sure you will not regret buying it and reading it. I just didn’t find it as fabulous as I thought it would be.

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BR 53: The 8th Habit by Stephen Covey

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Comments: An okay book. I don’t think you’ll miss much if you didn’t read it. At the same time, that’s not to say it doesn’t have solid concepts. While this book is a continuation of the 7 Habits, it is less effective (in my opinion) and it felt like the start of a sequel series that wasn’t going to live up to the original (The 7 Habits…)

The 8th habit is about using your leadership to inspire others. A collection of many implementable ideas, stories and anecdotes make it a pleasant read.

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BR 52: The Greatness Guide by Robin Sharma

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Comments: A very very very good book. I rate it very high on inspiration, a tad lower on impact. But, it throws out tons of simple and actionable ideas that make it a fun read. In some ways, it is an eclectic collection of thoughts that form Robin Sharma’s recipes for greatness with lots of little nuggets that are actionable. Little nuggets that I acted upon were to start my day with reflections from yesterday and to ask for an upgrade to Business class every time I traveled. :)

Add on Mar 16, 2016: 5 years after reading this book, I have to say there’s something about this book that just worked like magic. Perhaps it was the timing (I vividly remember the flight on which I read it) but I took collection of ideas from the book to heart – e.g. waking up at 5am, meditating regularly and treating my body well.

1. Read ASAP! · Book Review Actions · Book Reviews · Psychology · Self Improvement

BR 51: You don’t have to be born brilliant by John Mcgrath

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Comments: Fantastic book. It is extremely high on impact and inspired me to no end to get disciplined and start designing systems to manage myself. This is the story of an Australian real estate entrepreneur who had the  lowest scores  in the Australian school system but ‘made it’ thanks to enormous amounts of self discipline.

It is, to me, the tale of a millionaire (not an obscenely rich one) who manages to focus on family and business thanks to tremendous amounts of focus and, of course, self discipline. I love the systems he’s got in place to manage himself.

Add on Mar 16, 2016: It was my first “systems thinking” book and had a huge impact on the way I approach life.

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BR 47: The 7 Habits of highly effective people by Stephen R Covey

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Comments: The 7 Habits is the best book I’ve read – judging by its impact on my life. It’s not a book to be ‘read’ – it’s a book to be ‘studied’. I liken it to a manual that gives you a new way of thinking about life. And your approach can make all the difference in the world. You can look at it as a book wherein you expect to find a cool concept or two to apply, and that’s what you’ll find. You can look at it as a book you’re reading JUST because a few others recommended it and expect to find nothing amazing, and hey, guess what – that’s what you’ll find.

Or you can read it expecting it to give you ideas that will change your life, and that’s exactly what you will find.

In this book, I found many a framework which has helped me think about life. The guiding framework of moving from being a kid -> being a “teenager” of sorts (independence) -> being an adult (interdependence) was powerful. Lots of very meaningful stories and tons and tons of wisdom.

These are 3 things that changed within me post reading the book –

1) Got me started on changing my mentality to one that believed in abundance and hence, gradually took me away from the ‘envy’ path to the ‘happiness’ one.
2) Got me to write my own set of principles to live life by and follow them.
3) Got me to start ‘responding’ to every situation rather than ‘reacting’ to it by drilling in the concept that I had full control over my response to any problem.

And lots more – but these are probably the 3 biggest areas of impact. Give the book a chance and I’m sure you’ll never regret it!

Add on Mar 16, 2016: Many years since I studied this book, all of what I’ve written here still holds true. An incredible book.