12 Books - Author Led Business Book Group discussion

This is our official discussion for February.

Chapter 1 - Improvement and You

I am at my best when....

1. I get a good nights sleep.
2. I eat a good breakfast.
3. I use the treadmill each morning.
4. I create a to do list for each day.
5. I take short breaks ever 60-90 minutes.
6. I listen to peaceful music while I work.
7. I am focused on the task at hand.

What's on your list?

I am at my best when...
1. I get a good night's sleep.
2. I take time for pondering and planning
3. I set an intention for the day
4. I eat a good breakfast
5. I take time for a walk.
6. I consider my day and focus on my priorities.
7. I enjoy the people I work with
8. I choose to make it a great day.

Has anyone written out an ideal day lately? I did this long ago and it is still timely and very important to me.It does not concern my current job, but an ideal life that I had in mind then. And I do love my current job. What do you think of the idea of wrting out an ideal day? My days seem to be so interactive that much is determined by changing circumstances.

Anthony Robbins teaches that the best way to have a successful day is to define success so that most days are successful. How do you define successful?

Barbara wrote: "Has anyone written out an ideal day lately? I did this long ago and it is still timely and very important to me.It does not concern my current job, but an ideal life that I had in mind then. And I ..."
My approach is to write out two ideal days. One for work and one for nonwork as they are both different in content.

Barbara wrote: "Anthony Robbins teaches that the best way to have a successful day is to define success so that most days are successful. How do you define successful?"

Work - when I have completed the items on my list and I feel a sense of accomplishment.

Nonwork - I have completed what needs to be done and had time to relax and do something for me - read, golf, watch the Yankees, etc.

Barbara wrote: "Has anyone written out an ideal day lately? I did this long ago and it is still timely and very important to me.It does not concern my current job, but an ideal life that I had in mind then. And I ..."

I have never heard of doing this before reading this book. Sounds like a more detailed method of some of the visualization and "law of attraction" literature I'm familiar with. I like this a lot. It really makes it clear what you are trying to achieve and it focuses on emotions in addition to details.

I'm at my best when:

1. I wake up early to study or knock out a project or two
2. My goals are clearly defined
3. I'm healthy
4. I have confidence in my ability as it relates to the task at hand
5. I understand the why behind the what
6. I have the buy in of my wife and family

I define success as healthy, happy, and peace of mind.

This is in the front of my journal -
It is a successful day when:

I have made a difference.
I have completed one bold act that made me feel great
I have connected with others
I have taken care of myself
I have responded thoughtfully, without reacting.
I have taken time to celebrate, and
I have taken time to appreciate.

Oops #1 on the list above disappeared.
I have chosen the three most important things to work on and moved each of them forward.

With the MITs, I love having a partner to review goals, progress and get feedback and hopefully encouragement.

Casey wrote: "Chapter 1 - Improvement and You

I am at my best when....

1. I get a good nights sleep.
2. I eat a good breakfast.
3. I use the treadmill each morning.
4. I create a to do list for each day.
5. I ..."

Casey,

One that has been on my list a long, LONG time is:

...when I ask for help from a mentor or coach right before I'm going to need their help.

Barbara wrote: "Has anyone written out an ideal day lately? I did this long ago and it is still timely and very important to me.It does not concern my current job, but an ideal life that I had in mind then. And I ..."

Barbara,

Exactly why I keep writing them...all the time! I've probably written - since that day in the mid'90's HUNDREDS of ideal days. The key for me is not to limit/censor what I think I'd like to experience.

Just. Write. It. Down.

Jasonwomack wrote: "Casey wrote: "Chapter 1 - Improvement and You

I am at my best when....

1. I get a good nights sleep.
2. I eat a good breakfast.
3. I use the treadmill each morning.
4. I create a to do list for e..."

Great suggestion Jason. Thanks.

This is from Chapter 2 of the book. It represents a typical Monday-Friday workday for me. I work from home and my commute is upstairs to my office.

What do you do by 10:00 a.m.?

1. Wake up between 4 and 5 a.m. – no alarm.
2. Put on exercise clothes.
3. Walk on the treadmill and watch an old movie.
4. Check email and respond as needed.
5. Start the coffee (set-up is the night before).
6. Walk down to the end of the driveway and pick up USA Today.
7. Read USA Today as I watch the news and weather (muted for most of it).
8. Do the puzzles in USA Today.
9. Make breakfast for my wife and myself.
10. Scoop litter boxes.
11. Read at least two chapters in a book.
12. Take shower and get dressed for the day.
13. Go upstairs to my office.
14. Select Pandora station for background music.
15. Read online newspapers and trade sites (skim read for items of interest).
16. Scan social media for items of interest and use either Evernote or Pocket to save for afternoon reading.
17. Check email for updates and items that need response.
18. Update QuickBooks and write thank you notes if needed.
19. Start MITs (most important tasks) – normally sometime between 9 and 10 a.m.

What tools or assistance do you use to get things done?

1. Phone
2. Smart Phone
3. Desktop computer
4. Laptop computer
5. Tablet computer
6. Printer/Scanner/Fax
7. Pen/paper/notebook
8. Microsoft suite including Outlook
9. Google Email/Calendar
10. Google Alerts
11. Evernote
12. Pocket
13. Dropbox
14. iDone this (calendar program)
15. Bulletin board
16. Sticky notes
17. Highlighters
18. Filing cabinets with file folders
19. Photoshop
20. Adobe reader
21. itunes
22. YouTube
23. Wordpress

What's on your list?

Barbara wrote: "With the MITs, I love having a partner to review goals, progress and get feedback and hopefully encouragement."

I love that idea. I'm going to work on that.

Speaking of my current tools or system for productivity I am sharing below a link to a blog post I wrote last year that outlines my system and the tools I use as part of that system.

http://www.jacobspaulsen.com/personal...

Its not as comprehensive as Casey's list but it does put it all in context. Also, per Casey's list I'll be checking out iDone This.

Jacob wrote: "Speaking of my current tools or system for productivity I am sharing below a link to a blog post I wrote last year that outlines my system and the tools I use as part of that system.

http://www.ja..."

Interesting. I use Outlook in much the same way as you use Google. I will most likely migrate to Google one of these days, but I'm not ready yet. I like the fact that I can link the calendars between Google and Outlook. I will check out Splashtop - it sounds interesting. Have you found it to be a smooth interface?

1. pen, pencil, Clic Eraser
2. middle-tabbed manila folders (second position)
3. desktop with MS Office; [Outlook Task Queen]
4. landline with headset attached
5. printer and printer stand (with drawer for paper)
6. DragonNaturallySpeaking software
7. computer microphone/headset combination
8. dryboard with markers and eraser
9. month-at-a-glance 8.5x11 calendar

Barbara wrote: "Has anyone written out an ideal day lately? I did this long ago and it is still timely and very important to me.It does not concern my current job, but an ideal life that I had in mind then. And I ..."

I first heard/read about this idea when I was reading a website by Chris Guillebeau called The Art of Non-Confomrity. (http://chrisguillebeau.com/). It's a fairly wide ranging site but in a little e-book called World Domination that he wrote in 2008 he writes about describing your ideal day and working toward it, bit by bit.

That said, I just started this book and I really like this guy's writing style and that fact that, so far, he's writing about "just get started". No huge leaps into the abyss, no major changes to "get out of your comfort zone".

It'll be nice to get deeper into it.

Casey wrote: "This is from Chapter 2 of the book. It represents a typical Monday-Friday workday for me. I work from home and my commute is upstairs to my office.

What do you do by 10:00 a.m.?

1. Wake up betwee..."

By 10:00 A.M. I
Set an intent for the day
Say prayers
Do meditation
Read a good book
Write in my journal
Plan my day and prioritized
Eat a good breakfast
Drive to work with an audio book
Take a walk
Check Voice Mail
Do email
Tackle the hard one.

Casey wrote: "What tools or assistance do you use to get things done?

1. Phone
2. Smart Phone
3. Desktop computer
4. Laptop computer
5. Tablet computer
6. Printer/Scanner/Fax
7. Pen/paper/notebook
8. Microsoft ..."

Casey wrote: "What tools or assistance do you use to get things done?

1. Phone
2. Smart Phone
3. Desktop computer
4. Laptop computer
5. Tablet computer
6. Printer/Scanner/Fax

1.
7. Pen/paper/notebook
8. Microsoft ..."

1. Good books
2. Facebook
3. Cell phone
4. Work phone
5. Email
6. Microsoft Office products
7. Computer
8. Printer
9. Discussion
10. Automobile
11. Journals
12. Dayplanner
13. Notebooks with dividers
14. Pens
15. Highlighters
16. Dry Erase Pens

Casey wrote: "Jacob wrote: "Speaking of my current tools or system for productivity I am sharing below a link to a blog post I wrote last year that outlines my system and the tools I use as part of that system.
..."

I have liked Splashtop until mid last year when they started charging for service. I have moved on to a product that I feel is even more superior, equally compatible on all my devices, and still no-cost. Its called Team Viewer.

I understand the Outlook transition issue. Its hard to change and moving to Google requires changing a lot of habits and getting used to a totally different way of searching and doing.

Today, I remember all of the little tasks that usually get pushed down the road, my decision to march through them and the feeling of accomplishment I have now that they are done and out of my way. The other major task was preparing for a meeting. At the last minute it got moved to next week, but I am ready. And now I can add extra polish as I go through the week. Treated myself with a nice homemade dinner and tonight I will take time for a good book.

The final inventory in chapter 2 focuses on the things you could do to relax, rejuvenate and reinvest yourself.

My list:

1. Read.
2. Go for walk.
3. Play golf.
4. Watch the Yankees.
5. Watch a movie.
6. Spend quality time with my wife.
7. Work on my model trains.
8. Play with the cats (my office assistants).
9. Visit Washington, D.C.
10. Go out for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
11. Spend time with friends.
12. Listen to relaxing music.
13. Do yard work.
14. Watch the birds/wildlife in the back yard.

What is on your list?

Interesting that Dave Kerpen last month talked about his ritualistic routine of sending thank you cards and now we are hearing it again from Jason Womack. Sounds like I better send more thank you cards.

Jacob wrote: "Interesting that Dave Kerpen last month talked about his ritualistic routine of sending thank you cards and now we are hearing it again from Jason Womack. Sounds like I better send more thank you c..."

I've started the past two weeks.

In business, I think thank you cards are very effective when the person least expects it for something he thinks is minor, but you thought it was very important.

Here is what I do when I feel if someone has provided an excellent service. A thank you is not sufficient.

I will ask the individual's manger's name and send him an email or mail telling him about how impressed I was of the service one of his employee provided.

This is better than thank you. It will get the individual the recognition where it counts, with his boss.

Casey wrote: "The final inventory in chapter 2 focuses on the things you could do to relax, rejuvenate and reinvest yourself.

My list:

1. Read.
2. Go for walk.
3. Play golf.
4. Watch the Yankees.
5. Watch a mo..."

Things I do to relax, rejuvenate and reinvest myself:
1. Read
2. Go for a walk
3. Read/write poetry
4. Connect with other people (This should be on the list 7-8 times)
5. Laugh
6. Journal
7. Geocache
8. Spend time at my pied a terre
9. Cook
10. Set goals, review goals, evaluate progress, change goals.
10. Nap

Jay wrote: "In business, I think thank you cards are very effective when the person least expects it for something he thinks is minor, but you thought it was very important.

Here is what I do when I feel if..."

Excellent Jay! Thanks for sharing.

I have been enjoying reading everyone's comments. Seeing people's lists has inspired me to read this book sooner rather then later....what intriguing things to reflect and write about.

I'm only on the third chapter but already feel like there is a lot for me to glean from "Your Best Just Got Better" (which is a genius title).

One thing I noticed is that there are a ton of great activities/self-reflection exercises that Womack recommends. I'm not doing them all as I read the book but I want to circle back around to them eventually. So I started noting "Activity" in the margins next to every exercise. That's already proven to be helpful and I thought I'd share this simple system.

I like the idea of working with nouns and then verbs. First you get the big picture, what you want to accomplish and then you work the inch stones that get you there.

Love this line on page 21 "if you can learn one or two new features of each of the tools you use, you can save time, by working smarter each day."

Jay wrote: "In business, I think thank you cards are very effective when the person least expects it for something he thinks is minor, but you thought it was very important.

Here is what I do when I feel if..."

Jay I like that. I will work that into my habit.

Jacob wrote: "Jay wrote: "In business, I think thank you cards are very effective when the person least expects it for something he thinks is minor, but you thought it was very important.

Here is what I do wh..."

Jacob,

Let me tell you a story when I once did that.

I sent a letter to a company called "Flushmate" since they really stand behind their product and the service rep (a very nice woman) who helped me once when I had to get my toilet working since I had guests visiting over the weekend.

With no questions asked, she Fed Ex'd me a reaplacement part overnight for no charge and I got the toilet working the next day.

I sent a nice letter to her boss and complimented the service rep and the company. They liked it so much that they sent me, as an appreciation, a small American flag with a nice stand that I can place it on my desk. I was so happy to receive that flag.

The last time I was so happy to receive anything was when I sent a letter to the Albania Embassy about receiving some information to represent them at the Model UN when I was in high school.

Couple of weeks later I receive a big package with all kinds of Communist propaganda material, including a thick autobiography from their dictator Enver Hoxha. It goes without saying that we were very well prepared to represent Albania.

Barbara wrote: "Love this line on page 21 "if you can learn one or two new features of each of the tools you use, you can save time, by working smarter each day.""

Barbara,

I "just" got off the phone with someone were I told them about this video: How I maximize productivity.
https://vimeo.com/55464076

On the phone she said, "I think you just saved me about an hour a day!"

Thanks for sharing...

Ariana wrote: "I have been enjoying reading everyone's comments. Seeing people's lists has inspired me to read this book sooner rather then later....what intriguing things to reflect and write about.

I'm only o..."

Hi Ariana,

I'd LOVE to see that list of activities...Would you share at the end of the book?

:)

I just started reading this book and I see Jason talking about energy in the introduction. The thing that caught my attention is when he is talking about energy. I believe we have less of this than time and how well we use it often determines our success at anything. I am still learning to do this but it is tough with so many distractions.

Which brings me to a story of Jack Benny, a great comedian, as explained by Roger Ailes in his book "You are the message.'

To keep this short, Ailes had booked Benny (in his later years) to appear on Mike Douglas' show. When Benny arrived he looked lethargic and Ailes was worried that Benny might not be well. He kept asking Benny if was fine and Benny would just mutter "yes." This did not allay Ailes' worry much.

When Benny's turn came to go on stage, he was like his old self: friendly, energetic and entertaining. He was cracking jokes like the way people were used to seeing him do.

Ailes learned a valuable lesson from this that we all have a limited amount of energy and it is better to save it for things that count rather than wasting it on frivolous stuff.

One of the thing that comes to mind when Jason talks about writing your "Ideal Day" is that you are working with end that you would like in mind.

Jeff Bezos does something similar at Amazon. If you pitch an idea for a new product, the first thing you have to do is to write a press release. Nothing long but see if that would get Bezos want to know more.

Hey that is not a bad idea for a book which I am sure we are all thinking of writing. Let's write a book review first and see if anyone would want to read the book from the review. See if anyone would want to buy it.

I think I will do this for an ebook I have in mind. I will post it here to see what you all think.

Jay wrote: "One of the thing that comes to mind when Jason talks about writing your "Ideal Day" is that you are working with end that you would like in mind.

Jeff Bezos does something similar at Amazon. If y..."

It reminds me of Covey's "Begin With the End in Mind" habit too. I like the idea about the book :)

Jay wrote: I think I will do this for an ebook I have in mind. I will post it here to see what you all think.

Jay,

I'm lookin' forward to reading it!

(Both the review AND the book...)

Great. Looking forward to seeing it as well. Love the Covey books. Have you read The Eighth Habit?

Jay wrote: "I just started reading this book and I see Jason talking about energy in the introduction. The thing that caught my attention is when he is talking about energy. I believe we have less of this th..."

Thanks for sharing this story Jay, I can definitely relate....My family calls me the smile-o-matic. But, there are times when I just want to reserve my energy and people that don't know me will think something is wrong. Really nothing is wrong, I just don't have the energy to be my enthusiastic, exuberant self and would rather be reserved. It is nice to see some affirmation that it's not bad.

As you read on, you'll see he talks more about pacing yourself too. I've struggled with pacing myself effectively and one of the things I realized a few years ago was that it was a lifestyle problem. I'd wake up, drink coffee for breakfast (not actually eat anything of substance), crash, than crave carbs for lunch, crash again and spend the weekends napping on the couch from fatigue. Until I changed those habits and started eating healthier more consistently it wouldn't matter what else I did to pace myself. I'd crash and burn every night by 8pm sometimes earlier. Now, that's not the case but it has nothing to do with pacing my work, I still have progress to make there.

I think this all ties into understanding when you're at your best. My list has 15+ things on it and counting. Is that too long?

Jasonwomack wrote: "Ariana wrote: "I have been enjoying reading everyone's comments. Seeing people's lists has inspired me to read this book sooner rather then later....what intriguing things to reflect and write abo..."

Hi Jason,

Your book is chocked full of awesome activities, it'll be a long list, but I'm happy to figure out a good way share my notes with you!

Ariana

Enjoying the section about the importance of measuring things. I'm really good at measuring some things but not others. Here is a short list

Things I currently measure rather well:
-How many and what books I read
-My gas mileage and other vehicle maintenance
-How often people call me Jason instead of Jacob (14 last month)
-Finances/revenue (both business and personal)
-Exercise

Things I currently measure poorly that I would like to improve:
-Calorie intake
-Where my 96, 15-minute blocks are spent (specifically as it relates to my family time)
-How often I write thank you cards
-How much time I spend in front of a digital screen
-My online ad to conversion ratios and profitability

Things I have said yes to:
-Morning meditation
-the commute to work
-driving my car, so I can choose where and what
-enjoying the dawn hour
-fruits and vegetables, unprocessed foods, lots of liquids
-starting my day with writing and prioritizing
-taking breaks to walk a bit
-learning, reading, growing
-working on the leading edge
-collaboration
-building synergies
-being responsive
-listening well
-appreciating
-connecting
-making a difference
-random acts of kindness

Chapter 8 is about feedback.

It is very hard to get good useful feedback. You have to be your toughest critic. People just don't have the time to understand what you are doing to provide any useful feedback.

Also, you have to make sure that the person who is providing feedback has the expertise, willingness and time to do it not as a one-off but over a period of time.

Hello all! I'm at #TEDActive #TED2013 and VERY much looking forward to meeting you next week.