Zen and the Art of Admin Tasks by Nic De Castro, Nathan Pettijohn
Published by Lioncrest Publishing on 27/06/2018
Genres: Nonfiction, Business, Entrepreneurship
Pages: 66
Format: eBook
Goodreads

In the world of hustle, we often forget how much time we lose instead of spending it in a useful manner. Time management is an actionable task if you run a startup or a micro business. If you are not managing your time wilfully, you are not only losing time but your energy too in performing mundane tasks. Think about the most mundane task you go through every day that unknowingly consumes a lot of time?

I am a remote worker and I spend a lot of my time reading and answering emails (not from my workmates). Emails in a modern world, consume a lot of our time. I often find myself reading emails on my laptop and if away from that, my mobile phone happily delivers them to me. Zen and the Art of Admin Tasks is a short book, mere 65 pages, about how to outsource these type of administrative tasks. It offers a system that if followed and maintained can add a lot of value to your time and save that energy. It is a tactical guide that might not interest everyone, but let me convince you to read it at least once.

Along with defining the situation by giving a real-life example of the major difference by managing these tasks on your own versus hire someone to manage your inbox, this book offers a variety of tools, mostly free. Written by Nic De Castro and Nathan Pettijohn, both of them are startup owners. They describe by hiring a virtual assistant how they were able to add more value to their personal and work life.

This book even the so short is about implementing the strategies defined in it ASAP. That is the idea both the co-authors want to convey. The writing style is simple and to the point. The tools and systems defined are pragmatic. Two of those tools, I have started using them. However, I do feel this book could have been a longer and tackled other issues for a modern-day hustler. I would have loved to hear about how Nic’s and Nathan’s manage and tackle different situations in their startup world. That zen could have been more descriptive.

3.5 out of 5!

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Mastering Fear - A Navy SEAL's Guide by Brandon Webb, John David Mann
Published by Portfolio on 07/08/2018
Genres: Nonfiction, Business, Entrepreneurship, Self Help
Pages: 256
Format: eBook
Goodreads

Best book I have read in 2018!

When I saw the cover of the book I knew I had to get my hands on it. The cover is unique and simple. A yellow background with a man representing a warrior type of a person on a horse killing a lion with a spear. Might sound mythological to some or hypothetical to others. It has a significance to the context of the book. I urge you whatever thought comes into your mind after grasping the cover image from both of your eyes, either try to remember it or write it down somewhere. You will be astonished by its significance.

Mastering Fear is a great title to start the book. It is not your typical self-help book if you read it carefully. The author of this book had experience in war zones of Afghanistan as a Navy SEAL where he learned a lot of things and developed a conscience for trusting himself in the situations where panic easily takes over a human mind. Brandon Webb, he is an accomplished author and has written many books before this one. Apart from being a Navy SEAL, he now runs a media business that is worth millions. Why am I telling you this? Because I want you to understand the motive behind this book. To master the fear, the first step is to take a decision and I want you to take decide for yourself whether this book is for you or not.

Mastering Fear is not about facing a hostile gang of men or being in a war zone. It's about the battlefield in your mind.
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Think about it. Who is that person that you most spend time with? Talk to, care about or listen to? Yes, yourself! This book talks about you. It is based on you. There are stories of people who are have mastered their own fear of drowning in the water, heights or build their own life after getting bankrupt 2 or 3 times. But all are these realities of others who have faced panic in its face when the time came for them. Brandon Webb, the co-author of this book starts it in a storytelling way about his friend who is suffering from the fear of drowning for the last 35 years of his life. The only reason he is still suffering because he wants to learn to swim and has tried everything. Contacted every medal winner or coach but always failed. This how Brandon concludes this situation:

Mastering Fear is not about becoming physically stronger, or tougher, or more macho r more aggressive, or more stoic. It is about how to identify and change the conversation in your mind.
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I consider this a universal truth after hours of dwelling in works of ancient and modern day writers. The book focus on the self’s thought process and how to change it when the situation of an excruciating adrenaline rush comes where we often fail because we forget to give it a second thought right there, in that circumstance. This is the core of the book. Switching your thought process and understanding that fear is not something you should despise and can have your own way in life. Brandon points out that fear is a signpost, a gateway to the prize or the achievement or your success. It can be that secret weapon or the missing piece of puzzle right under your nose. To do so, Brandon divides the whole process into five interesting steps that are demonstrated with real-life anecdotes.

The writing style of the book is simple and easy to grasp. The book even though only 250 pages long is time-consuming. The chapters are short and consistent. Each follows the previous one, so I would not recommend skipping one for another. Its narrative style is catchy. Once you sit down and start reading it, it is hard to move away from it.

I would also like to say here that the context of the book is solely a pragmatic POV. Some readers might do not want to read it since it is written by a Navy SEAL or some only want to read it because it is written by a Navy SEAL and will have content on war zones, et cetera. You both are going to be disappointed. This book is about overcoming your fear even if you sit in a cubicle all day. It is about how to grow as a person and achieve what you always wanted to.

A must-read book for everyone.

5 out of 5!

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Pennies to Power by Tom Graneau
on 30/04/18
Genres: Nonfiction, Business, Entrepreneurship
Pages: 340
Format: ARC, eBook
Goodreads

Netgalley is a good platform to browse for upcoming books. If you get lucky, you will get the chance to read an ARC of a book you wish too. I also think it is one of the biggest platforms to search for indie authors. Recently, I got my hands on Tom Graneau’s new book, Pennies to Power: How to use your 20’s to Gain Financial Independence for Life.

For those of you who do not know, Tom is an advocate for working independently. At least to generate an income for your own efforts instead of working for others and fulfilling their dreams. In this book, he tries to provide pragmatic patterns and suggestions. He intakes 7 cultural barriers that are adhering most people from earn money outside their monthly paycheck life. There is no harm in that, but doing what you love and earning for yourself instead of paying to the banks to clear of your loans, is the motivation behind this book. Pennies to power gives the example of the American financial situation. It is full of researched anecdotes and diagrams. The author shows how temptations lead debt that looms for the rest of their lives. This forces one to think and live in a paycheck to paycheck lifestyle.

Pennies to Power tries to educate young ones about what financial situations they might lead into if there are no proper steps taken early in their lives. Tom believes that an individual’s 20s are the best time to start. Even though this book is targeted at people of a certain age group. The author claims that it can be useful for someone in their late twenties, I feel otherwise. I think the right audience for this book is for the age group of 18 to 22. They might feel more empowered and find it useful.

The writing style is not an attractive one. Even though it is a work of non-fiction, I felt it could have been better. The language is easy to understand and the book justifies the theme it revolves around: money.

3 out of 5!

The post BOOK REVIEW: Pennies to Power by Tom Graneau appeared first on Confessions of a Readaholic.

Infin-Eight: Eight Principles for Infinite Professional Success by Prajeet Budhale
Published by Fingerprint! Publishing on 01/05/2018
Genres: Nonfiction, Business, Entrepreneurship, Self Help
Pages: 224
Format: Paperback
Goodreads

The post BOOK REVIEW: Infin-Eight by Prajeet Budhale appeared first on Confessions of a Readaholic.

Pages: 236, Hardcover

Published: 2017

Cover Rating: 5/5

Very few Indian writers talk about money and in the book Dream Big the co authors Mukesh Jindal and Arunraj talk not only about money but offers you pragmatic and healthy tips on financial planning.

This book tries to simplify common financial planning principals such as risk profiling, asset allocation, portfolio construction, and other technical terms such as funds of all kinds (such as mutual, equity) and other investment options. Many young people of India are shy to talk about their own money. The common society norms do interfere with their lives as most dads of these young millenials have a though process that their since their young ones haven’t earned a penny and they have to wait till the time comes. However, in the fast growing, ever changing world, if you are waiting to teach a thing or two about getting smart with money to your own kids even if they are in college, then you are doing parenting wrong. (Maybe your child owns a few bitcoins by now and is already a millionaire).

The vast amount of technicality this book covers in a simple manner. Being a nonfiction work it illustrates concepts that might seem out of reach at first with graphs and flowcharts. There isn’t much into narrative voice though the writing style is smooth and easy to grasp. I admire the way the authors have focused on the taxonomy of investment for Women, Divorced and Senior Citizens under a separate section. I am not going to get in depth here since I will be giving a lot away this book has to offer.

If you are young to already making money or have plans, grab a copy of this and ever wishfully plan your finances. Believe me you will come out smarter than you think you are after reading this one.

4 out of 5!

Buy this book at Amazon.in

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READ ON… FOR AN EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT

Starting this month, I am please to add one more way I can help writers and publishers reach bookworms or may interest new readers other than their target audience. This service is called Cover Reveal/Book Spotlight, not a new concept though but will try to do it a bit differently from traditional cover reveals.

If you are a writer/author or a publisher and want to spread the word about your new book, be a part of Confessions of a Readaholic Community and to know about more this service and its charges, you can email me at amandeepmittal@live.com

Normally, each Book Spotlight/Cover Reveal Service costs $10 (/Rs. 599) but with EARLYBIRD  you can avail this service for just $2 (Rs. 99).

NOTE:

I am giving early bird discount for ten users this month. To recognise yourself as an early bird, put code “EARLYBIRD” in the email header/subject.

That is starting from December 8 to 12. If you contact me between these dates and book the service, you will be eligible for early bird discount. 

Happy Reading,

Aman (@amanhimself)

If you wish to know or read more about other services I offer please visit this page here.

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Pages: 184

Published: 2017 by Bloomsbury

Cover Rating: 5/5

Buy this book?

Gayatri Jayaraman’s article The Urban Poor You Haven’t Noticed: Millennials Who’re Broke, Hungry, But On Trend on BuzzFeed last year was realistic and fascinating. It what tempted me more to give this book a read. The main theme it covers is what can be label as Urban Poverty that can be seen as an after effect in corporate offices after Friday nights and weekends spend in bars and lounges.

The post BOOK REVIEW: Who me, Poor? by Gayatri Jayaraman appeared first on Confessions of a Readaholic.

Do you want to decide for yourself with what to do in your life and create rules and live the way you want? Anyone who has the similar desire to be an individual should read The Art of Non-Conformity by Chris Guillebeau. This book conveys a simple message that might be hard to digest at times, but if you succeed in the process of digesting this message, you can pursue your dreams willingly. The message Guillebeau is wants you to focus on is there’s nothing wrong with being different. You don’t have to live your life the way other people expect you to.

This isn’t as easy as it sounds. First, you have to know what you want and how you plan to get it. Second, you have to be willing to work hard to make your plans succeed. Guillebeau isn’t suggesting that people escape work altogether. Not at all. He wants people to work well at something they love instead of plodding half-heartedly at a position that provides no passion.

He has made three division in the books, that are better read one after the other. They follow a pattern. In the first part, The Remarkable Life, Chris gives an understanding description of the Sleepwalkers in the living world. He introduces the basic idea of setting our own terms for an unconventional life which leads to reprogramming our mindset to be the person we want to. He offers some insights from his own life, some examples and tips on overcoming the fear. “The goal is to conquer the fear, not to avoid it or pretend it doesn’t exist,” Guillebeau writes.

In second part Chris talks about work. Work is the main theme around which most of our life revolves. Here, he tries to encourage the reader to break through 9-5 job  labyrinth and illusions that it makes in our minds such as job security. He urges us to take our own responsibility by ourselves and offer some options to leverage this philosophy. He compares traditional Graduate School model by providing an anecdote from his life and the flaws of it.

Chris has travelled around more than 150 countries in this world, and provides helpful travel tips and other details related in the third part. He challenges the reader to start their own legacy by practicing an abundance mentality and helping others along the journey of your own.

To me this book is a relief and ensures me that I am not the only guy in the world who thinks in a similar way. It doesn’t tell you which rules to set for your life. That’s your job. Guillebeau simply says you can set your own rules, and encourages you to do so. If the feeling of being trapped and feel like there is so much more to do in life, you have to read this book.

Writing is phenomenal in it’s own way, nothing to hard, plain and but that is not the focus of this book. It’s the message: What do you really want to get out of life?

5 out of 5. Recommended!

If you have read this book and want to talk about it, let’s hangout together sometime over a coffee, or you can comment below.

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