Book Reviews – for Digital Marketing
I am a HUGE fan of audible.com. I get to listen to books at the gym, while doing house chores, on road trips, and more. Multi-tasking at its best!!
When I was in business for myself, I went with my husband on a road trip, I took advantage of the long hours in the car to listen to audiobooks. YAY! Reading without motion sickness for the WIN!! I read lots of audiobooks.
Content Rules
The one that made me the most excited was “Content Rules” by Ann Handley and C. C. Chapman. It reinforced my own thoughts and philosophies when it comes to website content, and it inspired me to revamp my whole website! Because the book from fresh in my mind, I took the time, during the trip, to rewrite my content. “Content Rules” talks about all avenues of content from websites to YouTube to social media posts to blog articles and more. If you haven’t read it, I highly recommend it.
Great tips I took away from the book:
- Avoid industry jargon (Speak to your client base, not at them.)
- Be true to yourself, your company, brand – No mask.
- Get valued outsiders’ perspectives.
- You can’t be everything to everyone.
- Hater’s gonna hate.
- Your biggest hater can become your biggest fan if treated with great customer service.
- It doesn’t have to be perfect! Improvements are available.
I plan to read this book again. I can’t believe it took me so long to finally read it. Why did I drag my feet for so long?
What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast
“What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast: And Two Other Short Guides to Achieving More at Work and at Home” by Laura Vanderkam was on the list. I enjoyed it more than I expected. It hit on a lot of topics from better time management to clearing clutter for a more productive and peaceful environment to making time for enjoyable activities away from work. Taking time away from work makes work hours more productive. It makes sense that downtime allows for greater focus when you’re working. Those who work 80 hour weeks are just as productive as those who work 60 hour weeks. The extra hours are lost to distractions and lack of focus.
I will implement some of her suggestions and am glad that I was already doing some of them already. Things I was already doing:
- Pack meals in advance
- Meal prep easy breakfasts and lunches for the week
- When I get stuck take a break. Do something completely different
- Listen to books while doing non-complex activities (running, cleaning, etc.)
- Take time for a creative outlet (cooking, woodworking, photography, etc.)
- De-clutter, de-clutter, de-clutter.
Things I need to start doing or doing again:
- Workout at home instead of a gym (major time saver, and money saver)
- Read a fun book before bed as a new night-time routine
- Don’t let others distract me, prioritize better
- Unplug
- Use my time more productively and prioritize better (broad statement, I know)
I will be reading this book again. I can’t believe how quickly I gobbled it up.
