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Get your ass into gear reading

post #1 of 18
1/18/07 at 1:34pm
Thread Starter 
So I get distracted easily and kinda suck at prioritising what matters most. Lack focus, whatever you want to call it.

Curious if anyone has any recommendations for get-your-ass-into-gear reading.
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post #2 of 18
1/18/07 at 1:44pm
Life-choice wise or exercise-wise?
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post #3 of 18
1/18/07 at 1:50pm
Thread Starter 
yeah life management type thing. boxing coach takes care of the exercise these days Seven Habits/First things First kinda stuff that I should generally scoff at on general principle but that may actually have some merit
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post #4 of 18
1/18/07 at 1:54pm
best

http://www.amazon.com/Execution-Disc...e=UTF8&s=books

also anything by dave allen

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_b/...o.x=13&Go.y=11

and

http://www.amazon.com/Eat-That-Frog-...e=UTF8&s=books
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post #5 of 18
1/19/07 at 8:09pm
It probably stems from deeper philosophies then simply lacking time management techniques. I found my interest in reading those topics stemmed simply from the question, how do I honestly want to live? I still don't know myself. Reading "Getting things done" at least facilitated me keeping track of my appointments and deadlines.
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post #6 of 18
1/19/07 at 9:14pm
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

An extremely intelligently written book. This is definitely not a quick fix, short term solution.
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post #7 of 18
1/19/07 at 10:35pm
Jack Welch's books, Straight from the Gut and Winning, are both recommended. They both deal with his personal life, but I suppose you can gleam from them principles on how to effectively manage life and business.
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post #8 of 18
1/19/07 at 11:12pm
this is a great thread. i'm having the same problems m@t. the last 6 months have pretty much shown me that i live a directionless existence. and while i'm not so sure that reading a book will be the fix, i need something to kick my ass into the next gear. i'm open to any suggestions.

-Jeff
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post #9 of 18
1/20/07 at 3:03am
since you work with a boxing coach you might try a life coach, or personal effectiveness coach, same thing different title. ...granted, i have no idea what the life coach supply is like in VN.

...

i've heard about "Getting Things Done", it sounds interesting. anyone have insights?

for general thought-provokingness, there's a book i've read titled "A Year To Live". It's got a slightly 'out-there' vibe sometimes, but in general it might make you think about priorities. (Basic premise: living the next year of your life as if it were your last.)

/andrew
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post #10 of 18
1/20/07 at 4:05am
Quote:
Originally Posted by faustian bargain
i've heard about "Getting Things Done", it sounds interesting. anyone have insights?

for general thought-provokingness, there's a book i've read titled "A Year To Live". It's got a slightly 'out-there' vibe sometimes, but in general it might make you think about priorities. (Basic premise: living the next year of your life as if it were your last.)

/andrew
David Allen's Getting Things Done is one of the best "how to organize my life" books I've read. It's really helped my personal productivity.

As for direction in life here's a few that have inspired me:
Not Fade Away Peter Barton
Mountains Beyond Mountains Tracy Kidder
Let Your Life Speak Parker J Palmer

As mentioned before Seven Habits of Highly Effective People is quite good as well, although his writing can be overly complex at times.
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post #11 of 18
1/21/07 at 5:53pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Aaron
As mentioned before Seven Habits of Highly Effective People is quite good as well, although his writing can be overly complex at times.
The problem I have with 7 Habits is that there's a fair amount of religious talk in there - it seems to me if you're enough of a believer for it not to bug you, you should be able to get direction (however misguided ) from your beliefs. There's also a lot of examples about relating to your spouse and kids, so I think it's less relevant for the average quarter-life crisis sufferer.
Quote:
Originally Posted by gamelan
this is a great thread. i'm having the same problems m@t. the last 6 months have pretty much shown me that i live a directionless existence. and while i'm not so sure that reading a book will be the fix, i need something to kick my ass into the next gear. i'm open to any suggestions.
The books mentioned will help you get done what you already want to do, but if your life is lacking direction and a prioritisation mechanism, then procrastination isn't your problem. You should be reading philosophy!
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post #12 of 18
1/21/07 at 8:05pm
I've found that reading books about where I want to end up works well. The one that really got me going was actually pretty cheezy: Ben Metzrich's second, Ugly Americans. Makes living in Asia sound more than a little glamorous, but you've got that piece down better than I have
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post #13 of 18
1/21/07 at 9:03pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by tiger02
I've found that reading books about where I want to end up works well.

Yeah, the self-help books (i.e. 5 steps, 7 steps, etc.) don't do it for me. I do much better when I'm inspired by others' stories, even if their stories are total crap or puffery. For example, Trump's books are a very easy read and bloated with his ego, but they get you thinking in the right direction.
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post #14 of 18
1/22/07 at 9:35pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jared
The problem I have with 7 Habits is that there's a fair amount of religious talk in there - it seems to me if you're enough of a believer for it not to bug you, you should be able to get direction (however misguided ) from your beliefs. There's also a lot of examples about relating to your spouse and kids, so I think it's less relevant for the average quarter-life crisis sufferer.
Everyone needs direction, even very pious people. Seeking a relationship with the Divine has permeated every human society since our inception. Many of the major institutions, or the people that run them, throughout human history have been influenced by religion. I'm not a particularly religious person, in fact I find a lot of the practices of modern organized religion antiethical to my beliefs, but it is important to understand where the majority of the world's population are coming from and how they relate to the world. Covey's books are good for that, just way too many confusing graphs and charts. A P.S>I'll also third that I find reading inspirational stories way better than the 7-Steps-to-Happiness self-help crap.
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post #15 of 18
1/22/07 at 9:39pm
What about drinking?
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