My favorite books from August & September:
When by Daniel Pink
In this book, Pink explores the scientific secrets of good timing and provides tips to help readers succeed in work, school, and life. He looks at dozens of neuroscience and psychology experiments to reveal that perfect timing is more science than just plain luck.
A few interesting lessons:
The most productive naps are 10-20 minutes long. Anything under 10 minutes doesn’t really restore energy and napping over 20 minutes will have you feeling sleepy when you wake up.
People make major life changes after their (x)9th birthday (29, 39, etc) because they realize they are entering a new decade and reflect on their lives more than they would on any other birthday. For instance, people are more likely to run their first marathon at age 29 than any other age.
Get the book here.
The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman
Simply put, there are 5 languages that partners use to communicate their love.
Words of Affirmation: This includes compliments, words of appreciation and encouragement.
Quality Time: Focusing on your partner and giving them your undivided attention while doing activities together.
Receiving Gifts: Visual symbols of love and giving objects of deep emotional significance (gifts can be free, hand-made or store-bought).
Acts of Service: Doing things you know your spouse would appreciate (cleaning the dishes, cooking dinner, picking up the kids, etc).
Physical Touch: Holding hands, kissing, hugging, etc.
People usually have two love languages (there’s a quiz in the back of the book that you can take to find out your languages), and it’s important to remember that your two languages can be different from your partner’s love languages. Try to channel the language of your partner and ask them to do the same for you.
Get the book here.
Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus by John Gray, Ph.D.
Although many people view dating books as a waste of time, when an author has sold 50+ million copies I say it’s worth giving them a chance, and I’m glad I did. Gray does an excellent job of explaining the different styles of communication between men and women.
For instance, men try to fix every problem that they hear and rather spend less time talking about the issue, but women love to talk about their problems because it helps them think through the situation. Sometimes just listening to a woman talk about her problems is the solution!
This book dives into how men and women argue differently, how each side seeks a separate form of apology, and the unique emotional needs of each gender.
Get the book here.
Trillion Dollar Coach by Eric Schmidt, Jonathan Rosenberg, and Alan Eagle
This book shares coaching and leadership advice from the legendary Bill Campbell–the man who mentored Steve Jobs, Larry Page, Eric Schmidt, and many more visionaries. The book is filled with tons of great lessons such as:
Value people and make people feel valued
Give people room to debate
Build trust with everyone you work with
Your title makes you a manager but your people make you a leader
Be generous to those you fire
People who want to be coached seek criticism and feedback
And many more helpful lessons. I love this quote from Bill: “I don’t take cash, I don’t take stock, and I don’t take shi*t.”
Get the book here.
More book recaps from from August & September:
One Million Followers by Brandon Kane
Author Brandon Kane shares his story of how he got one million followers on Facebook and the strategies he used to get there. The book also covers tips on how to gain followers on Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube, as well as how to use social media ads as a growth hacking technique.
A few tips on how to grow your Instagram following:
If high-profile accounts (verified accounts or those with large followings) like or comment on your post, it will be shown to more people.
You need to have a good caption and relevant hashtags, but the most important part is to have a high-quality image.
Instagram favors accounts that engage with their audience and other people’s content.
Be consistent with your posts and try to provide value to your followers.
Lots of great advice in this book, if you’re building a social media following or want to advertise of a social media platform, give this book a read.
Get the book here.
Dataclysm by Christian Rudder
The author of this book is also the cofounder of OkCupid. He looked at the online dating profiles of millions of OkCupid users to identify how people truly act on the internet.
A few interesting takeaways:
Women usually desire men who is 1-3 years older than them while men, regardless of age, most desire women who are between the ages of 20-24.
“Women want men to age with them. And men always head towards youth.”
Women rarely message men, even the most attractive men only get about 2-3 messages a week while the most attractive women get 25+ messages a week.
Research shows that the more mutual friends two people share, the stronger their relationship will be.
Mutual friends = more time spent together with common interests and people.
Although this book did have a few eye-opening facts, when it comes to understanding men and women, I’d recommend reading Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus.
Get the book here.
The Heart To Start by David Kadavy
David Kadavy wrote this book to show readers how to overcome fear, self-doubt, and distractions to stop procrastinating on their creative projects and start their art. Through a combination of stories from famous artists and personal experiences, Kadavy provides readers with dozens of pieces of wisdom to guide them on their creative journey.
This book has a similar vibe to The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. If you enjoyed Pressfield’s work, consider reading this book.
Get the book here.
The Male Brain by Louann Brizendine
If you’ve ever wondered how the brains of guys differ from girls, this is the book for you. Author Louann Brizendine, M.D. shares scientific research that examines the changes in the male brain during infancy, childhood, adulthood, and beyond.
A few interesting takeaways:
The dorsal premammillary nucleus contains the circuits for territorial defense and aggression and is larger in male brains.
The amygdala is the alarm system for threats and danger and is larger in men than women.
The mirror-neuron system or the emotional empathy system is larger and more active in women. This helps explain why women tend to be better at reading emotions and understanding how other people feel than men.
Although I did learn several new facts from this book, I’d recommend reading The Female Brain instead. It’s a more engaging read and is by the same author.
Get the book here.
Do The Work by Steven Pressfield
In this book, the great Steven Pressfield identifies the predictable resistance points artists encounter on their creative journey and provides words of advice on how to overcome them.
A few interesting takeaways:
Start before you’re ready. If you wait for the perfect time, you’ll never start. Begin right now.
Do not judge the first draft. The first version of anything (book, app, song, etc) will always suck. It’s about getting it done, not getting it perfect. Editing will come later.
Keep working! Resistance, self-doubt, and procrastination will al try to stop you. Show them no mercy.
Failure equals growth. Perhaps you failed, but you’re still alive. Learn from your mistakes, find areas for improvement, and keep working towards your goal.
I did enjoy this book, but if you haven’t read any of Pressfield’s work you should definitely start with The War of Art.
Get the book here.
I Will Teach You To Be Rich by Ramit Sethi
This book is a no-BS guide that teaches people how to control their finances in order to live a rich life. The book provides proven get-rich-slow tactics instead of the ridiculous get-rich-fast schemes people try to sell.
Lessons from the book:
Find credit cards that reward you for your purchases and pay your bills on time to avoid interest payments.
Set up a no-fee, high-interest bank account and open a Roth IRA or 401(k).
Create a conscious spending plan that puts 50-60% of your paycheck towards fixed costs, 10% towards long-term investments, 5-10% towards savings, and 20-35% towards guilt-free purchases.
Instead of picking stocks, find target-date funds that diversified and will provide a steady return. The market gains about 8% per year so the earlier you start investing, the longer you keep your money there, the more time it will have to grow.
Lots of practical advice in this book, I’d recommend reading this book if you’ve never read any personal finance books. Also, check out Rich Dad Poor Dad.
If you’re interested in learning about personal finance or get out of debt and start investing, this is a great book for you.
Read more about the book here. | Get the book here.
Read on everyone! -Alex W.
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