I am a reader! To be honest, there are also seasons where I have no time to read and seasons where I am constantly looking for the next book. We just finished a peak season and things are slowing down, so I am reading again!
I am big on self-development books, everything from business to health. I am a health-nut, so I love learning new bio-hacks for better health. A healthy body and mind feeds productivity #truth, and increase your knowledge.
To be the best version of you in business and in life, I believe education should be ongoing. On the blog today I am sharing 5 Recent Books I have read along with how I create actionable steps from the information I have learned while reading.
Books I Recently Have Read –
Lower Your Taxes – BIG TIME! 2019-2020: Small Business Wealth Building and Tax Reduction Secrets from an IRS Insider by Sandy Botkin 2 reviews and zero social media presence, yet this was one of those books I walked away with so many notes. I will actually share below on this book and how I take notes and more on this book.
The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich by Timothy Ferris Really made me consider where I am expending my energy and how I am using it the most effectively. This one has been out for 10 years! Being an entrepreneur is not as easy as people think, “Oh you have full control of your time that makes it so easy.” Yes and no, it is a blessing and a curse and requires you to have hard boundaries and be very self-motivated. Really just made you really consider the idea of freedom of entrepreneurs when it came to time management.
Genius Foods: Become Smarter, Happier, and More Productive While Protecting Your Brain for Life (Genius Living) by Max Lugavere & Paul Grewal M.D. – A good book overall that explains the nutritional value of food and what you should or should not be consuming and why. So many fads and trends that really shouldn’t be. Our buying behavior also is fueled by informed marketers who are hiding ingredients. I will never look at food the same with this knowledge.
Crushing It!: How Great Entrepreneurs Build Their Business and Influence-and How You Can, Too by Gary Vaynerchuck. If you are wanting to create influence with what you, do you should read this book. I was so inspired while I read it. To me, meeting and surrounding myself with other entrepreneurs or motivated people is inspiring. So this book left me wanting to level up my business and my influence to help more people! Gary Vaynerchuck is well known for hustle and entrepreneurship. But I can’t get a read on him. I know very very little about his home life and that leaves me wondering if his work is his home life. Of course, this is just my opinion thrown in there, I guess I always wonder about balance with such a high performer. Mad respect for the knowledge he shares and what he does though. Love his no bullshit attitude.
Sleep Smarter: 21 Essential Strategies to Sleep Your Way to A Better Body, Better Health, and Bigger Success By Shawn Stevenson – This one was very eye-opening and when I really started prioritizing my sleep more. I can literally feel it. I am so in tune with my body at this point. I still need to implement more action steps from this book; mainly, I need to cut off the technology at a certain point and set a steady sleep routine. It’s a work in progress, friends! I am picky about needing my 8 hours of sleep, but it is as much about the quality of sleep as the quantity.
Alright now, let’s talk about how I read. Do not just believe everything you read, you have your own base of knowledge and experience. I am not kidding, I will read a lot of times and say, “Nope that won’t work for me, I don’t agree.” The point is to read with an open mind and constantly be relating it to your business and life. What can apply? Should I do this? Could this help? Does this make sense? Could I do this but in a different way?
I create a note using Evernote for each book I read. As I am reading I write down takeaways I want to remember or actionable steps. For actionable steps, I add a goal deadline.
Here is a screenshot of some of my notes from. Lower Your Taxes – BIG TIME! 2019-2020: Small Business Wealth Building and Tax Reduction Secrets from an IRS Insider by Sandy Botkin
Hope this helps you! Keep learning friends!
KD
