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How I Read 70 Books in 2017 + 8 Pro Tips To Read More for 2018

leadership life reads Jan 03, 2018

I had a typical goal last year. I wanted to read more... a lot more! I wanted 2017 to be a huge boost in my self development journey, so I did what many people do and headed to Barnes and Nobles Bookstore to look at some books that I could read throughout the year. I pulled out my iPhone, made a new note in my Evernote app entitled "Books to Read in 2017" and started making a list of the books that peaked my interest. My goal was to choose 12 books in the bookstore so that I could read one book per month. I gazed through the many book titles by highly acclaimed authors, I couldn't help but continue to build my list.

My list kept getting bigger, and bigger, and bigger. Finally, I stepped away and found a table nearby and started to go through my long list of books. I was shocked to find that my book tally was well over one hundred! I reminded myself that I could only choose 12 books from the list, and then did that math and figured that at this rate it would take almost 10 years to...

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August 2017 Reads: Contagious, Outliers & More!

reads Sep 02, 2017

It's September already! When I started this journey, I thought it would feel overwhelmed at some point. I thought that maybe I would be sick of books since I had set such a high expectations for myself. You would THINK that I have been reading ferociously, not sleeping, and dosing off at work... But that's not the case. As of today, I have gone through a total of 57 books (and have blogged about every single one). A whopping 46 of these have come in the form of Audiobook and 11 of them have come in the form of text.

The truth of the matter is that I picked Audiobooks over sports talk radio and listening to the latest country hits... And these are simply the results of listening in my car. I recommend signing up for an Audible subscription to get you jumpstarted on your learning journey, if you sign up below your first two audiobooks are free.

The 11 books that I also read in text are simply what I have actually done in my spare time. If you thought long and hard about this... You...

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July Reads: The Tipping Point, Shoe Dog, and More!

reads Aug 01, 2017

It's crazy to think that since January 1st 2017, I have finished 39 Audiobooks and 10 books in text.

A whopping 49 books in 7 months! That's 1.61 books per week, 7 books per month, 82 books per year! Who knew that this was even achievable for a SUPER busy person like me. I knew I didn't think so. My real goal was one book per week for an entire year, and I'm definitely ahead of pace. The crazy part is that you can do it too. There are practical strategies that I have implemented that will help you accelerate your self-development to a whole different level.

I am self-employed, basically fulfilling 3 different job titles but with about 10 different types of job responsibilities. My work sometimes follows me home, even when I try to avoid it, but it's inevitable that I always have something to do. My point is, I'm just like you. If you think that you are too busy to do what I have done this year, then think again. Here are a few steps that I recommend you take if you want to...

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June 2017 Reads: Fearless, Tools of Titans, and More!

reads Jul 01, 2017

Wow, we just completed the month of JUNE!!! I can't believe we're half way through 2017. Thanks for all of those who have been following on my journey and giving me encouragement and recommendations. I'm happy to have inspired NUMEROUS people to up their self-development, but the feeling is mutual because I am inspired by my readers as well.

I have had numerous questions of people asking how I have had the time to read this much. Here are a few things you should know:

1. 70-80% of these selections are audiobooks. My wife thinks I'm crazy when I am in my garage pumping iron and instead of listening to upbeat music, I'm listening to an audiobook. Additionally, the average American spends 101 minutes in their car everyday and I have taken massive advantage of my car time. You can read about that in my blog "Life Hack: The 90 Minutes Difference That Can Make All The Difference". In the blog I talk about how I made the switch from listening to things like sports talk...

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May 2017 Reads: Mindset, StoryBranding, and More!

reads Jun 01, 2017

I used to hate reading books. I once told a friend of mine that I didn't read because it was too time consuming and that books only served as an alternative to a sleeping pill. My friend suggested audiobooks, and I told him that audiobooks were too monotone, that I couldn't focus for too long, and that if I listened while I drive I might doze off and wreck my car. You can either make progress or make excuses. Back then, I chose the latter.

That's until I came to terms with the man I was versus the man that I wanted to be. The pace that I was moving was too slow and it was no surprise that my slow progress had a lot to do with my self-development habits. Everything changed when I decided to change my mindset. Rather than just reading or listening to books, I decided to start writing about them. This proved to be a much better learning experience for me because I was now internalizing the information and translating them into my own thoughts and words. If you have read my monthly book...

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April 2017 Reads: The Icarus Deception, Sell or be Sold, and More!

reads May 02, 2017

Four months down (8 to go) and I have already gone through 30 awesome reads! April had some very interesting reads, mostly in the areas of Marketing and Sales... And a few extra good reads too! As I am going through my reading this year, I have really harnessed a simple practice that makes a world of difference... Note taking. Do it!!! Many people read books and take notes, but I have now expanded this into recording my ideas when reading blogs and listening to podcasts.  I highly recommend using a traditional notepad or an app like Evernote to read or listen to your book while also taking notes. It's a simple concept but very effective. I am able to retain much more information while note-taking and referring back to later. Here are my books for April 2017!  

The Icarus Deception by Seth Godin

 

This is a must read book for all marketers and entrepreneurs! Seth Godin has a very artistic way of expressing his idea of entrepreneurship as an art... And...

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March 2017 Reads: Start With Why, Sell With A Story, and More!

reads Apr 19, 2017

Over the first three months of the year I have now read 23 books total (my goal is one per week), which leaves me already 10 books ahead of my goal. WOW! March was probably my favorite month so far because I feel like I'm discovering a whole new world of learning. If you are doing something similar, I highly recommend using a traditional notepad or an app like Evernote to read or listen to your book while also taking notes. It's a simple concept but very effective. I am able to retain much more information while note-taking and referring back to later. Here are my books for March 2017!  

Do Less, Get More by Shaa Washmund

I read this book last year and decided to review it again. It was definitely the first book that caused me to deeply rethink the way I was approaching work (and life). In the midst of a busy life that is always filled with places to be, people to see, and projects that need to be done, this book takes a different approach. By reading this book, it forced me...

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February 2017 Reads: 7 Habits of Leaders, Mad Genius, & More

reads Mar 01, 2017

If you follow my posts you know that I am on a mission to listen to 52 audiobooks this year and read 12 books in text. My idea is that I can listen to one audiobook per week and read one book per month. Well, I have some good news! I am much ahead of the game, as of the end of February I have already finished 14 audiobooks and 2 books (in 8 weeks). Looks like I need to up my goal! This is one of the best decisions that I have ever made in my life. I highly recommend to anyone who reads this that they develop a personal development strategy centered around the areas that they intend to grow. In my last post "Life Hack: The 90 Minutes Difference That Can Make All The Difference", I outlined exactly what you can accomplish if you take on my strategy.

"If I only include weekdays, I spend approximately 23,400 minutes in my car per year. That’s a lot of learning time, in fact, that’s almost as much as you would spend in two semesters worth of college. With this...
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January 2017 Reads: Living Forward, The 4 Hour Workweek, and more!

reads Feb 01, 2017

I would venture to say that my personal development didn't really start until after college. It's a bit ironic to think about knowing that many people see college as their chance to develop themselves but then immediately cease to continue to do so once they graduate. I'm entirely opposite. Back in 2013 when I graduated with my Bachelor's degree in Business from the University of Texas at San Antonio, I walked the stage, received my degree and haven't really used it at all. In fact, my actual diploma wasn't even framed until the end of 2016 (three and a half years later). This wasn't intentional, believe me. I just didn't have an office to hang it in, didn't have a job interview to use it in, and I just didn't have the same mindset I once had. I was interested in trying business on my own so I began reading every book I could get my hands on. When that wasn't fast enough I began spending my commute times and even workout sessions listening to...

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