Recently I realized that I’m not reading as many books as I used to. And that’s a problem because when I’m not reading, I feel like my mind isn’t as sharp and my business doesn’t evolve to the degree that it should.
I think that’s the main benefit for me when it comes to reading books — they help me evolve both personally and professionally. And we either evolve or die, right? Right. So, needless to say, I’ve doubled down on making reading a priority again.
Here’s one idea that works for me to help me get back into reading consistently. I read multiple books at a time and put each book in a place in my house where I might be sitting for 10 or more minutes at a time. That way picking up the book is convenient, and I can knock out a paragraph, a page, or even a chapter at a time. This is also a great way to decrease my screen time since I have a book right there for me to pick up and read instead. Super convenient.
Here are the four books I’m reading now and where they are placed. I’m about 30% through with each of them so far, but I recommend them all just as they were recommended to me.
1. The Cold Start Problem by Andrew Chen
What It’s About: “A startup executive and investor draws on expertise developed at the premier venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz and as an executive at Uber to address how tech’s most successful products have solved the dreaded ‘cold start problem’ — by leveraging network effects to launch and scale toward billions of users.”
2. The Wealthy Gardener by John Soforic
What It’s About: “A heartwarming series of stories and practical wisdom on entrepreneurship and wealth in the vein of Rich Dad, Poor Dad, written by a financially independent father for his ambitious son.”
3. The Ultimate Sales Machine by Chet Holmes
What It’s About: “What if you could create the finest, most profitable, and best-run version of your business without wasting precious dollars on a thousand different strategies? Legendary sales expert Chet Holmes says you can. All you need is to focus on 12 key areas of improvement — and practice them over and over with pigheaded discipline.”
4. Reclaiming Conversation by Sherry Turkle
In addition to having books in predetermined spots, I have a floater book that I take with me on trips.
What It’s About: “Renowned media scholar Sherry Turkle investigates how a flight from conversation undermines our relationships, creativity, and productivity — and why reclaiming face-to-face conversation can help us regain lost ground.”
It’s a simple tip, but putting my books in proximity to where I will be has helped me make progress with reading them. Hope you find it helpful, too.
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