How to Read How-To and Self-Help Books: Getting Real Results from the Advice You Get

by Janne Ruokonen

Despite trying hard, many people do not get the promised results from how-to and self-help books. They go on blaming either themselves or the advice, neither of which is really at fault. This first-ever guidebook to how-to books shows how to get maximum results from any self-help program or method. Positive and realistic, it will help you
- Find and use the best personal development advice
- Understand why you may have failed before
- Learn what really works and what doesn't
- Avoid the common self-help pitfalls
- Make sense of gurus and their ideas and methods
- Discover how ordinary people achieve extraordinary results

285 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Douglas Lord · Rating 5 out of 5]

First-time author Ruokonen, a personal development consultant and avid consumer of all things self-help and how-to, offers refreshingly direct advice on taking advice. In an encouraging but not warm and fuzzy tone, he makes clear how to distill one's life or a daunting activity into manageable, concise steps. "Do not focus solely on your goals," he writes. "Instead, focus on the steps that you must take in order to achieve those goals." Though sometimes a bit staid, this book is chock-full of common sense, e.g., "the only shortcut that exists is to stop wasting time on shortcuts and start doing what really works." Differentiating self-help (self-improvement) from how-to (steps in learning a new activity, like cooking), this is an especially insightful companion to other self-help books.

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[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Ok, I didn't read it per se, because I'm on a tight deadline, I super-skimmed it and took notes for a presentation I'm doing on exactly this topic! Unreal! Who knew a book like this would exist and yet....here it is. Wonderful book, super practical, I highly recommend it to people who read how-to and self-help books, which includes you and everyone else who might not be and really should....this book will tell you why. Awesome!