Getting Things Done by David Allen
Three Lessons from Getting Things Done
- Make sure you are managing all of your open loops.
- Your mind is excellent at creating stuff, but it's terrible at tracking it. You need a system to help track.
- Clarify. Define What "done" id for your tasks and the next action for your projects.
You can do anything, but not everything."
― David Allen, Getting Things Done
Essentialism by Greg Mckeown
Three Lessons from Essentialism
- Stop trying to do it all and stop saying yes to everyone. When you keep yourself from being overwhelmed, you'll be able to make better decisions.
- Prioritize your life; if not, someone else will.
- You can do anything, but not everything.
"Clarity about what is essential fuels us with the strength to say no to the non-essentials."
― Greg McKeown, Essentialism
Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport
Three Lessons from Digital Minimalism
- Clutter is costly; this does for physical and well as digital clutter.
- Optimization is important. Select technologies that support your values, then think about how best to make use of them.
- Intentionality is satisfying. Being more intentional about engaging with new technologies will bring you more satisfaction.
"Digital minimalism definitively does not reject the innovations of the internet age, but instead rejects the way so many people currently engage with these tools."
― Digital Minimalism Cal Newport
The One Thing by Gary Keller
Three Lessons from The One Thing
- The One Thing question: What's the One Thing I can do / such that by doing it / everything else will be easier or unnecessary?
- Success is sequential and builds over time. Focusing on your "one thing" will accelerate your progress.
- Doing the most important thing is always the most important thing.
"Knocking out a hundred tasks for whatever the reason is a poor substitute for doing even one task that's meaningful." ― Gary Keller, The ONE Thing
Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
Three Lessons from Flow
- A state of flow is when a person's body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile.
- You can achieve flow by setting realistic goals that complement your skills and entirely focusing on the activity.
- Be an Autotelic Person by transforming threats are into enjoyable challenges.
“The mark of a person who is in control of consciousness is the ability to focus attention at will, to be oblivious to distractions, to concentrate for as long as it takes to achieve a goal, and not longer. And the person who can do this usually enjoys the normal course of everyday life.” ― Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Flow
Atomic Habits by James Clear
Three Lessons from Atomic Habits
- Atomic habits are small, incremental, everyday routines that compound into massive, positive change over time.
- New habits form quickly when apparent, attractive, easy, and satisfying.
- Habits follow a four-step pattern consisting of cue, craving, response, and reward.
"All big things come from small beginnings. The seed of every habit is a single, tiny decision." ― James Clear, Atomic Habits
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey
Three Lessons from The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
- The way you see the world is entirely based on your perceptions, so to change a situation, you must change yourself and your perceptions.
- To truly change, you need to allow yourself to undergo paradigm shifts.
- In order to understand, make an effort to listen.
“We see the world, not as it is, but as we are - or, as we are conditioned to see it.” ― Stephen R. Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
Extreme Productivity by Robert Pozen
Three Lessons from Extreme Productivity
- To be productive, focus on the results you want to achieve and not on the work time.
- Write down your goals and rank them in order of priority.
- Setting mini-deadlines will help to hold yourself accountable and fight procrastination.
“Success depends in large part on a proper mind-set: focusing on the results you plan to achieve, rather than the number of hours you work. The results are what matter most to your employer, clients, and colleagues.” ― Extreme Productivity, Robert Pozen
Principles by Ray Dalio
Three Lessons from Principles
- Principles are more valuable than values in decision-making.
- Thinking through principles that you adopt will keep you from acting in ways inconsistent with your goals and nature.
- To create your own principles, write down every kind of encounter you had and how you should, handle it and record why you made certain decisions.
"Listening to uninformed people is worse than having no answers at all." ― Principles, Ray Dalio
Eat That Frog! by Brian Tracy
Three Lessons from Eat That Frog!
- A ‘frog’ is your biggest, most important task.
- Develop the habit of eating your frog. This should be done first thing each day when you start work.
- Think on paper and review your goals daily.
“…you cannot eat every tadpole and frog in the pond, but you can eat the biggest and ugliest one, and that will be enough, at least for the time being. ” ― Brian Tracy, Eat That Frog!