I can’t imagine life without the following digital and not-so-digital books tools and resources. They are listed here because if you have ever had conversations with me, and even HINTED an interest in any of the topics covered in these books, I probably launched into the ranting of a raving fan.
I’ve struggled with staying organized all of my life. It wasn’t until I came across the GTD methodology that I found a base from which I could build my own functional system. Every person may be unique in the way that they stay organized, but Getting Things Done was a huge breakthrough for me. I’ve learned a lot more about productivity since I read this book years ago, but GTD is the foundation. This is one of the books that I have bought probably a dozen copies of in the last couple of years, because I keep giving it away. If you like this book, I recommend checking out Merlin Mann’s blog.
Freshbooks Invoicing & Time Tracking
Every self-employed person struggles with invoicing clients in an effective manner. After Chris Yap told me about Freshbooks, I have gone nuts using this service. I recommend it to all of my friends and family, and I find ways to use it to track time and expenses on my hobbies and side businesses. I have some wishlist features for their iPhone app, but Freshbooks is something I use every day. Oh, did I mention it was free? Click here to learn more.
Whether you love him or hate him, Timothy Ferriss succeeded in bringing often disparate strategies and tactics for designing a lifestyle and presented it in a readable manner to a mainstream audience. This is another book I have a hard time holding on to, because I keep loaning it or gifting it to people. If any of the concepts he presents are attractive to you (even if you don’t believe they are possible) then you and I have a lot to talk about. One task I’ve enjoyed recently is tracing the lines of thought Ferriss presents to someone who presented the same ideas before him. He even talks about some of those people in the book. I also recommend reading the popular posts on Ferriss’ blog.
The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It
This is one of the few books that Tim Ferriss recommends in Four Hour Work Week. Michael Gerber and E-Myth Worldwide have a number of books out, but if you are running your own business or co-running a business, then this is the first book that you will want to read, followed shortly after with E-Myth Mastery.