On Reading Multiple Books at Once

Image Source: http://jrvogt.com

While reading books I had one core discipline in mind which was, I would read only one book at a time, and I would pick up a new book only after completing the one which I started in the first place. This strategy, however, was keeping me away from reading new and exciting books which I wanted to read during that time and there was too much pressure on selecting the next book. On the brighter side, it also drove me to complete the one which I was reading in order to read the one which I really wanted to read.

In between reading books and doing my day job I also read a lot of blog by various bloggers around the world starting from Seth Godin to Darius Foroux. One thing I found common in all of them are that they read many books at the same time, meaning they don’t wait for one book to complete in order to read next, they read one book in the morning and a different one in the evening. In the beginning, I thought of this strategy as a distraction.

Now I am practicing this strategy and it is kind of fun. It’s true that books do get boring at times and at that time picking up a new book is relly very exciting. Surprisingly enough the book which I got boring the previous day becomes relevant and interesting the very next day.

At present, I am reading “How Mind Works” by Steven Pinker, “The $100 Startup” by Chris Guillebeau, and “Permission Marketing” by Seth Godin.

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Finally, I completed the book “The Virgin Way: Everything I Know About Leadership” by Richard Branson

Finally, I completed the book “The Virgin Way: Everything I Know About Leadership” by Richard Branson, the English business magnate, investor, and philanthropist. It took me more than a month to complete this book, mainly because of Ramzan and my father’s visit to New Delhi.

Ramzan has altered my routine big time, not only the daily running is out of the way but after Aftaar (the time when Muslims break their fast) it’s almost impossible to do anything. The time which was dedicated to book reading is now converted into lying around time and when my father was with me it was intense discussion time. My father is a very religious person and during his visit we discussed life, after-life, and Islam. In the beginning, he didn’t support my decision of writing daily but this time, he seemed pleased with it.

I am very happy that I finally completed this book today and now I’ll start reading the book “Permission Marketing” by Seth Godin. My Evernote is filled with the notes that I have taken while reading “The Virgin Way” and I would be sharing the book review and learning very soon.

Seth Godin’s Secret of Writing 6000+ Posts

While talking to one of my friends about blogging she shared that it took her 2 days to write one post. It reminded me of my early days though I am not saying that I don’t struggle anymore but in the beginning, it was really difficult.

Seth Godin has written more than 6000 posts and did it by writing one post every day. He was consistent in his actions and he now is one of the most successful marketers in the world. His rise to the top wasn’t an accident rather it was strategic and more importantly doable.

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/

 

He says it only takes 90 seconds to write one post, of course, he is not talking about me or my friend but he is sharing his knowledge and experience of what a good habit can do. Habits develop the muscle memory(more on that later) which in turn make us more efficient.

I wish her all the best.

 

Why Being A Teenager Sucks

 

https://www.inlifehealthcare.com/blog/teenage-problems

 

I remember my teens to be very violent and super aggressive which made me believe that I was different from others.

A couple of days ago while visiting my cousin’s place I got to know that my nephew is behaving exactly like me. Restlessness, violence, and other teenage traits were unquestionably visible in him too. It made me curious and I went on to find more things about teens, and surprisingly I found a lot of information on the internet.

The prefrontal cortex is the part of the brain we use frequently in our most decision-making processes every day. Amygdala, on the other hand, is our prehistoric brain also called lizard brain (Seth Godin talks about this one a lot in his books and keynote speeches).

Surprisingly, the prefrontal cortex is fully developed only after the 20s and more importantly it is in the development phase in the teenage. Therefore, teens have trouble using prefrontal cortex properly and they use Amygdala instead, for most of their decision-making processes.

Amygdala is the part of the brain which is responsible for things like survival, fight or flight instinct and reproduction. Rational decision-making is something which Amygdala is incapable of doing and that pretty much explain all the behavioral traits of teens. In addition to that, a lot of hormonal changes also goes on in the teenage which makes their case even worse.

Be Happy Despite The Circumstances

At noon, I went for chai in the nearby locality, I know it was too late but today was Sunday. I rested myself on the bench and was relishing the warmth of the sun.

Not far from me, a guy sat down on the stairs having Maaza and Haldiram bhujia in his hands. He was having a brief break after working on the nearby construction site.

He was totally unaware of the surrounding and was enjoying the moment. He was having a treat of his lifetime. He was happy, relaxed, and contented, and by the look on his face it was like all of his wishes had been fulfilled.

The most beautiful thing about our mind is its ability to keep us happy despite the circumstances. The moment we stop worrying too much about the future, we become happy and start enjoying the moment. We are blessed to be born in this era.

As Seth Godin says,

“Every person reading this today has access to more wealth than the last King of France did.”