In December, I read a couple of books that had some good tips worth sharing.

Think BIG and Kick ___ in Business and Life by Donald Trump and Bill Zanker was a good, quick read.  I have mixed thoughts about Trump.  On the one hand, I admire what he has been able to do business-wise and I like the way that he carries himself (confident, nicely dressed, etc.)  On the other hand, he definitely loses style points with me when he calls people childish names and verbally attacks women.  Call me old-fashioned, but I just don’t think that gentlemen should attack women in the way that he does.  Anyway, back to the book. The things that I like the most are that the book encourages the reader: to think big; to really count the costs of success; to follow their passions; to trust their intuition; to be prepared for "luck"; to overcome their fears; to build momentum and to stay focused.  The only two points that I disagree with are the ones about revenge (they encourage it "in spades") and pre-nuptial agreements (they encourage getting one - actually, I won’t say "they", I’ll say "Trump" because this is the one topic that Zanker remains silent about).  In any event "success leaves clues" and both of these men are successful in their own fields (Zanker is the founder of The Learning Annex) so it’s great to peak inside their minds a bit.

Another book that I enjoyed is the 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss.  This book provides some practicals regarding how to spend (moreso not spend) time at work.  It encourages readers to define what they’re seeking; eliminate time wasters; automate as many things as possible, and find ways to work away from the office.  I really liked some of the time saving ideas like only checking email twice a day (I must admit that I’m an email fan, so I’m going to put that tip into practice).  On a domestic note, Ferriss mentioned that he only does his laundry once every two weeks.  I so agree with that.  My family has two weeks+ worth of clothing so I only do laundry every two weeks also.  My husband thinks that when we move into a home with a washer/dryer in the future, that I will increase doing laundry to once a week (but he’s wrong on that point).  I also like how the book talks about automating things by outsourcing them.  Although that tip isn’t especially practical for me (I’m not going to outsource my child care to India!) at this point in time, it is good to have that knowlege on file for future business ideas.  Overall, the book encourages people to take breaks/enjoy life now and not to wait until retirement to do so.  I was so excited about that concept that after reading the book, I asked my husband if we could go away for at least one month this summer.  (As a teacher, he has the perfect job to do so.)  Unfortunately, that won’t be happening because he will be taking classes this summer.  As soon as he finishes school though, I’m bringing the mini-retirement/ extended vacation idea back up again.  I think that these are great concepts for families.  Now if I would only find a $50-$200 product that I believe in to sell online… (you have to read/skim the book to "get" that last point). 

A book that the men in your life might like to read is Quiet Strength by Tony Dungy.  My husband enjoyed it and we gave it to two other men who had expressed an interest in the book for Christmas gifts.

On the kiddie side, the top two books at our home were:
When Randolph Turned Rotten
and
The Shy Creatures (This is an especially cute story if you have children who tend to be on the shy side.)

Posted by Kimberly on 24 Dec 2007 at 02:41 pm | Tagged as: Books