What does it say about me that I’m anxious for the weekend to start so that I can … read a book?  I know, the weather has been sunny and pleasant, and instead of thinking of outdoor activities, I’m thinking of homework.  I could make the excuse that rain is predicted both days anyway, or even say I will be reading it on a deck or beach somewhere.  But that would not be true.   

Does telling you that the book is The Will to Win: Leading, Competing, Succeeding by Robert Herjavec from ABC’s Shark Tank second book make it any better?  For some, maybe.  I’m looking forward to reading this book, because I’m curious about this race car driving shark.  I received this book after attending a webinar hosted by PNC where Mr. Herjavec spoke about driving business.  His talk was entertaining and informational.  I came away from the 40 minute session with added inspiration.  I nearly missed the announcement about the contest to receive his book and assumed, wrongfully, that I’d responded too late.  

I used to think that I was good at time management.  Lately, I've started to rethink that, not because I'm not getting things done but it just seems to take so much longer.  Now, that could be because I'm getting older, I'm not sure.  To settle this conundrum I've been researching ideas and techniques to improve my throughput.  Some of things I've worked on are included in the Inc.com article, 8 Things Really Efficient People Do by Kevin Daum.  

Here's the next installment of our reading list.  In addition to some of our favorite online sources, based on suggestions from readers like you, we've added a couple new ones to the list.

Enjoy!

portent.com | Portent Inc | Company Blog | Ian Laurie | June 6, 2013 | You Are Not Stupid

projecteve.com | Project Eve | Susan Young | May 16, 2013 | 12 insights on the emotional marketing revolution from Seth Godin

Why I like it:

I love reading Seth Godin.  The powerful simplicity of the message in the entertaining package.  I've read a number of Godin books savoring each word.  My favorite still today is The Purple Cow.  I've read many others but I still come back to that one.  I am sorry that I missed the webinar but thankful for the recap.

solstice-mobile.com | Solstice Mobile | Kelly Manthey | Company Blog | May 7, 2013 | Is Mobile Making Us More Productive?

Why I like it:

I saw this and had to read it as I love streamlining-process-improving-getting-more-done-in-less-time.  To Kelly's point there is more opportunity to complete tasks on the go.  I don't recall where I heard it but, the other day I heard about "mobile blinders".  Basically, the assertion was that because of the mobile device, the candy, gum, magazine sales at the checkout counters is far lower since we are checking mail, updating social media or like Kelly, balancing our checkbook while we wait.

entrepreneur.com | Entrepreneur Magazine | Stephanie Vozza | Jan 2, 2013 | Forget Your To-Do List: The 3 Lists Every Entrepreneur Needs

Why we like it:

We admit it, we are addicted to productivity tools - especially lists.  Paper or electronic, all-inclusive or segmented, we try them all.  So naturally when we saw the title we had to read it.  What we especially liked is the reminder of the things that bog us down and should not be on the list.

uxmag.com | UX Magazine | Tania Lang | December 3, 2012 | Content Sharing and Social Networking Buttons : How do users distribute what they like? 

Why we like it:
We receive questions all the time from clients about levering social media and typically we circle around on the "how".  We focus on user experience with an eye on SEO.  This article follows that approach as well.

From time to time, we are asked about what we read.  Here are some articles we thought you might enjoy:

No Excuses

Entrepreneur.com | Nadia Goodman | August 30, 2012 | 4 Ways to Stop Making Excuses and Follow Your Passion