Thursday, December 27, 2018

Being A Lifelong Learner: 2018's 12 Must-Reads


A rediscovered love of learning is one of my favorite life-changes I’ve embraced over the past couple of years. I’m closing out the year with 32 titles checked off my ever-growing to-read list. According to Audible, I’ve logged more than 325 hours of listening to audiobooks. That’s 325 hours spent making myself think and learn and grow. Time well spent, if you ask me.
Most of the books focus in some way on personal and professional growth, with a little bit of parenting thrown in. Themes of time-management, productivity and women-specific topics seem to emerge. I’ve really enjoyed taking bits and pieces from each and incorporating them in a way that makes sense to my life.
It wasn’t easy to get this list down to the Top 12. There are so many good ones on the full list. But here you go, the books that resonated most with me this year.  Enjoy! 

2018: 12 Must-Reads


Better Than Before, by Gretchen Rubin
What I liked about it: I really like knowing what makes people (including, or especially… myself) tick and what motivates them. Gretchen Rubin shares that people generally fall into four tendencies, and then shows ways to work your habits to your own tendency, and better understand others’ to motivate them. 

Atomic Habits, by James Clear
What I liked about it: There was so much in this one that was relevant to different pa
rts of life I’m focusing on these days: career, health and eating, running.  I connected to the idea of focusing on your current trajectory, rather than a moment in time. The idea of setting goals for direction, but focusing on systems for real progress also really resonated with me.

Essentialism, by Greg McKeown
What I liked about it: I like to take on a lot of things, and it’s hard for me to recognize how doing less can be better. This was a really good book to convince me that honing in on the right things (not just doing all the things right) is a worthy approach.  

Motivation Myth, by Jeff Haden
What I liked about it: I’m fascinated by the idea of motivation, having never been someone who has trouble finding it. A lot of practices in this book really spoke to me, such as setting big goals, then working the plan every day to reach them.  I liked the concept of setting big goals, then forgetting about the end game and focusing instead on the little steps every day that will get you there.

How Women Rise, by Sally Helgesen and Marshall Goldsmith
What I liked about it: Really good, actionable take-aways, and an interesting perspective on what many women struggle with in the workplace (and beyond). I’ve referenced this many times with female co-workers, and have actively been adjusting my default habits and tendencies.

Myth of the Nice Girl, by Fran Hauser
What I liked about it: A different take on being successful as a woman – it doesn’t mean you have to give up being nice. In fact, being kind and compassionate can be a professional super-power.

Drop the Ball, by Tiffany Dufu
What I liked about it: Thought-provoking look at not doing it all. A senior leader in our team recommended this one to me, then followed up later to ask what I'd decided to drop the ball on. For me, this year it was Teacher Appreciation gifts. No Pinterest-perfect crafts, just a delivered lunch to the hard-working daycare crew. Continue to push myself to think of things not to do. It’s hard!

Grit, by Angela Duckworth
What I liked about it: I started this one the day after the 2018 Boston Marathon, where  I stood at mile 26 and watched runners trudge through the driving rain and near-freezing temps. That’s grit, alright! This book was an interesting take on what “grit” is and how it can help you persevere.

Lean In, by Sheryl Sandberg 
What I liked about it: While I didn’t agree with everything, I did personally connect to the natural tendency to lean back when things get hard, or when society thinks you should. A series of career opportunities that aligned with my entrance into motherhood has shown me the value of leaning in when the time is right.

When, by Daniel Pink
What I liked about it: Fascinating look at the power of timing – I mean, really fascinating! Science-backed research, but wasn’t dry. Taught me the real value of taking breaks – yes, there is a scientific reason to let your mind and body take a rest. I also learned to schedule doctor appointments in the morning, and if I’m ever up for parole (?!), I hope my hearing is the first one after lunch.

Let Your Mind Run, by Deena Kastor
What I liked about it:  A personal memoir of running legend Deena Kastor. Really interesting to hear her journey and own struggles, and ways to overcome them. Not exclusively about running, as the theme is relatable in a lot of ways, but the theme of running thread through this story was a welcome change to my usual self-improvement topics. I listened to this one on audio and really enjoyed hearing the story in Deena’s own words.

How to Talk So Little Kids Will Listen, by Joanna Faber and Julie King
What I liked about it: Science-backed advice on navigating communicating with little people. While I can attest that there are still plenty of times that my girls don’t listen – I mean, this book isn’t magic – there were a few take-aways that we implemented in our family that really changed the dynamics. For one, we now tell the girls to “work it out” when they come to us with a problem, and it’s amazing to see how they positively react to this challenge and often come up with a better solution that we would have.  “Be a problem-solver,” is a new mantra in our house.

The rest of the books I read this year, listed more or less in order that I read them:
  • Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office, by Lois Frankel
  • Start With Why, by Simon Sinek
  • You Are a Badass, by Jen Sincero
  • Immunity to Change, by Lisa Laskow Lahey and Robert Kegan
  • Good Is the New Cool, by Afdhel Aziz
  • Option B, by Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant
  • The One Thing, by Gary Keller
  • I Thought It Was Just Me, by Brene Brown
  • Your Brain At Work, by David Rock
  • Mindset, by Carol Dweck
  • Kick Ass, by Mel Robbins
  • The Yes Brain, by Daniel Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson
  • Off The Clock, by Laura Vanderkam
  • Scrum, by Jeff Sutherland
  • Wired To Eat, by Robb Wolf
  • Leaders Eat Last, by Simon Sinek
  • Girl, Wash Your Face, by Rachel Hollis
  • Stretched Too Thin, by Jessica Turner
  • Give and Take, by Adam Grant
  • Turning People Into Teams, by David and Mary Sherwin



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