Those overrated New Year’s resolutions.
My resolutions were worst.
Until I started up with systems.
Instead of goals. One of my resolutions.
Push experiments to the max.
With this blog I will experiment with series.
Motivation is at least as controversial as resolutions.
Yet even with a contrarian mindset.
I can’t resist to dig in big lists.
And see what gems I find.
The best list I could dig out is the big list from success.com.
Can 2.5 million unique visitors a month lie?
We both know the answer is: Yes.
But it’s still relevant what they read-most in 2017.
Here’s what I found
Two categories jumped out straight on me:
Book recommendations.
And routines.
Morning or daily.
Books are growth centered.
Routines are process / habit builders.
The rest spans over a larger spectrum of subjects.
Or are lists from the ‘N Ways to Do / Reach This or That’ genre.
I covered the top five.
Routines
There are three routines posts on the 17 strong list.
The first.
The author is Tom Bilyeu.
I am not into protein bars.
Neither into the unicorn game.
Apropos, not wishing for too big.
The second time I went to a super hardcore gym with me ex.
She asked me: “Hun, would you love me if I’d be that ugly and muscular as that gurl on the poster?”
I replied: “Babe, you’ll never gonna get there.”
She didn’t.
But I digress.
Tom starts with the holy trinity of productivity.
Sleep - Meditate - Work out.
Pushes reading.
Stresses setting priorities the right way.
On the downside.
Thinkitate is not a word that pleases my ears.
Another well-known version from another Tom.
The late Thomas Edison:
Never go to sleep without a request to your subconscious.
Tom saves the best tip for the last punch.
Not to read email for the first 5-7 hours of your workday is golden.
Overall you may not get your big aha moments.
But this post is solid.
By Mel Robbins is third from the top 17.
Covers Tim Ferriss’ impressive ‘Tools of Titans’.
Learning point:
You don’t have to be original to make it big.
This post is a crossover between book recommendations.
And routines that Tim’s based the book on.
The third ‘thing’ is the most unlikely you’ve heard till now.
Focus on your strength to become a superhero.
Plus points for covering Tim Ferriss.
And the fifth routine related post.
Not the usual short take away.
Pure long form heaven.
I love the final premise.
Which I share with my full heart.
Book recommendations
These took the other two spots from the top five.
Number two.
Again from Tom Bilyeu.
This guy knows his trade.
Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain (2011) by David Eagleman.
a subconscious part of your brain is constantly whirring away and wielding a tremendous influence on your thoughts, feelings and behavior. Instead of reality being passively recorded by the brain, it is actively constructed by it. David Eagleman
30 experts recommend it.
Phantoms in the Brain (1998) by V.S. Ramachandran
Hidden gem.
At least I couldn’t find another expert recommendation.
So here is the greatest irony of all: that the self that almost by definition is entirely private is to significant extent a social construct. V.S. Ramachandran
The Tell-Tale Brain (2011) by V.S. Ramachandran
Indeed, the line between perceiving and hallucinating is not as crisp as we like to think. In a sense, when we look at the world, we are hallucinating all the time. One could almost regard perception as the act of choosing the one hallucination that best fits the incoming data. V.S. Ramachandran
No time for books.
You can watch a TED Talk from Dr. Ramachandran.
Making a Good Brain Great By Daniel Amen
Another hidden gem.
With another TED taster.
To feel successful, you must be able to be honest about the things that are really important to you. Daniel G. Amen
The Female Brain By Louann Brizendine
From an experiment we also know that oxytocin is naturally released in the brain after a twenty-second hug from a partner- sealing the bond between huggers and triggering the brain’s trust circuits. Louann Brizendine
Not half bad as a starter list.
I add two books though as a bonus.
The twin of the Female Brain.
The Male Brain By Louann Brizendine
When men live alone and become isolated—which they do more often than women—their daily routines can become repetitive habits that get deeply engraved into their brain circuits. Soon, if someone disrupts their routine, they get irritated because their brain’s social-flexibility circuits are weakened from disuse. Louann Brizendine
And the book I am reading now.
Because you read so much till now.
7 Secrets of Persuasion By James C. Crimmins
To understand the art of persuasion, you can turn to cognitive science for guidance in dealing with the unconscious “lizard” mind.
Understanding neuroscience is too important to miss.
From persuasion.
To manipulation.
To fake news.
You can’t miss these from your brain armor.
Take one and start reading.
Now.
Number four on the list is.
A compilation from the Young Entrepreneur Council.
I could only add some data.
So the listing is based on the number of expert recommending it openly.
I have found two distinct groups again.
Let’s start with the hidden gems group.
In reverse order.
Least number of recommendations first.
Then finish with the blockbusters.
Hidden Gems
- 0-1 recommendations
Double Double: How to Double Your Revenue and Profit in 3 Years or Less by Cameron Herold
if you’re communicating with others only to tell them how you want things done, you’re not x,+,communicating effectively. Cameron Herold
How to Have a Good Day: Harness the Power of Behavioral Science to Transform Your Working Life by Caroline Webb
As a result, studies have found we can reap immediate intellectual and emotional dividends from investing in exercise and sleep, or even from taking a moment to breathe deeply, smile broadly, and stand a little taller” Caroline Webb
The Traveler’s Gift: Seven Decisions That Determine Personal Success by Andy Andrews
Best quote from the book.
Those who are critical of my goals and dreams simply do not understand the higher purpose to which I have been called.
See my latest blogpost along the same lines.
The Code of the Extraordinary Mind: 10 Unconventional Laws to Redefine Your Life and Succeed on Your Own Terms by Vishen Lakhiani
Behind every problem, there’s a question trying to ask itself. Behind every question, there’s an answer trying to reveal itself. Behind every answer, there’s an action trying to take place. And behind every action, there’s a way of life trying to be born. Vishen Lakhiani
Habit Stacking: 97 Small Life Changes That Take Five Minutes or Less by S.J. Scott
In other words, our willpower works like a muscle and it weakens throughout the day, since it’s used constantly. We all have a limit to our willpower, and once we’ve reached the limit, it becomes very difficult to focus.” S.J. Scott
Soros: The Life and Times of a Messianic Billionaire by Michael T. Kaufman
Divisive personality.
Mixed reviews for the book.
How to Be a Power Connector: The 5+50+100 Rule for Turning Your Business Network into Profits by Judy Robinett
Skill is fine, and genius is splendid, but the right contacts are more valuable than either. Judy Robinett
A handful of recommendations
The Ultimate Sales Machine: Turbocharge Your Business with Relentless Focus on 12 Key Strategies by Chet Holmes
Brutal but to the point quote.
The one who gives the market the most and best information will always slaughter the one who just wants to sell products or services. Chet Holmes
11 expert recommendations
The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It by Michael E. Gerber
If your business depends on you, you don’t own a business—you have a job. And it’s the worst job in the world because you’re working for a lunatic! Michael E. Gerber
11 recommendations
SPIN Selling by Neil Rackham
My objective is not to close the sale but to open a relationship. Neil Rackham
A golden oldie.
14 expert recommendations.
The 46 Rules of Genius: An Innovator’s Guide to Creativity (Voices That Matter) by Marty Neumeier
There is no great genius without a mixture of madness. Aristotle
46 expert recommendations.
This mental isn’t it 46 experts recommending 46 Rules of Genius.
Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success by Adam M. Grant
If we create networks with the sole intention of getting something, we won’t succeed. We can’t pursue the benefits of networks; the benefits ensue from investments in meaningful activities and relationships. Adam Grant
116 expert recommendations.
The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich by Timothy Ferriss
Two best quotes:
What we fear doing most is usually what we most need to do.
People will choose unhappiness over uncertainty.
Timothy Ferriss
228 expert recommendations - bravo Tim.
Take away
So, you want to be productive not just motivated?
Concentrate on your morning routine.
Starting is hardest.
And process rules over goal setting.
Read more.
Read faster.
What are you doing or reading to psych yourself up for 2018?