BBB - Best Business Books

   As we close out this year and think about the new year, it's a great time to think about your own development and learning.

   I really enjoy audiobooks.  While SciFi is typical favorite, I also mix in business and self-development titles.  I've been keeping a list of my top self-development books and had been meaning
to share them here... and now here they are!

   This list is not exactly in priority order, however my favorites are definitely at the top.  So, more or less, the first third of the list is 5-star books, middle third 4.5-stars, and the final third are 4-star.  These are all great books, regardless of where they are on this list.

   Here we go...

• Start With Why – Simon Sinek
• The 5 Levels of Leadership – John C. Maxwell
• The Chrisma Myth – Olivia Fox Cabane
• Pitch Anything – Oren Klaff
• What Makes an Effective Executive – Peter F Drucker
• A Whole New Mind – Daniel H. Pink
• Eat That Frog! – Brian Tracy
• Getting Things Done – David Allen
• The New One Minute Manager – Ken Blanchard , Spencer Johnson
• The Introvert Advantage: How to Thrive in an Extrovert World – Marti Olsen Laney, PsyD
• It’s Your Ship by D. Michael Abrashoff
• Multipliers by Liz Wiseman
• Just Listen – Mark Goulston
• Influencer – David Maxfield

The Need To Read

   I recently read a great article on summer brain drain on ParentsChoice.org's Read More. Play More. Learn More. blog.

   The article is mostly directed to parents, making the point that kids forget school topics over the summer and often need time to get back up to speed.  This can be remedied with fun, stimulating activities, like brain games.  The article links to some brain games from the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago.

   And, as the post points out, adults can also suffer from the same brain drain due to the inevitable schedule variations of the summer.

   But the specific article aside... what a great name and concept.  We could all read more, play more and learn more.

   We all need to exercise our brains.  Many people read articles and other material as part of their job.  But regardless of how in-depth, creative or technical that job may be, I think it's important to read and learn about other topics.

   So read.  Read blogs, and books of all kinds: non-fiction, historical fiction, mysteries, sci-fi... whatever you enjoy.  Read things in your field, but be sure to also read other info and read for enjoyment.  And, if you don't have time to sit down with a book, try audiobooks and podcasts.

   What are some of your favorite reading, educational or brain activity resources?

My Top 4 Everyday Apps

   I don't know about you, but I was not happy when Google announced that it would be pulling support of Google Reader on July 1.  Reader is tool I use all the time.  I have the RSS toolbar extension on Firefox on my computers set to default to reader so I can quickly add new sources to my feeds.  I regularly check reader on my computers and use the app on my mobile devices.

   So I was looking for a reader replacement.  CIO Online put together a nice list of alternatives.  After reviewing that list, I decided that feedly seemed to be the app that best met my needs.  I downloaded the feedly add-on for my browser(s) as well as the app for my mobile devices.  And that got me thinking... do I need the app on my mobile devices?  After all, mobile devices tend to become clogged with too many apps, and mine are no exception.

   And that got me thinking... what mobile apps am I really using?

Read With Your Ears

   I remember an old joke from when I was a kid. Someone would hold an item and say "look at this". Then when you reach out to take whatever they had, they would pull it back and say "you see with your eyes". That's only funny to a kid. But here's a different take on that... I read with my ears.

   I really love audiobooks. Since discovering audiobooks a few years ago my reading has gone way up.  I've read a bunch of books over the past few years including business books, science fiction, fiction, nonfiction/history, and all kinds of interesting things. But sometimes I'll mention that I just read a book, or I'm reading a book, but some people don't necessarily consider that "reading".