Category: Business Matters

Reviewed – Your Life Can Be Better, Using Strategies for Adult ADD/ADHD

I read this book when researching an article on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). I do not have ADHD, but I know many people who do. The author is a prominent psychiatrist with ADHD and understands the challenges both personally and professionally.

This book is well-written in a friendly tone with short, understandable chapters. As the title indicates, the book is totally focused on strategies that make living with ADHD easier. The author suggests identifying a problem, developing a strategy, making the strategy a rule, and then making the rule a habit. One of his first examples is that his keys always go on a specific table. It is now a habit and he no longer loses his keys.

The author includes several interviews and case studies about how to cope with ADHD. One of my favorite was a gentleman who carries a folded piece of paper in his pocket. Each quarter page is labeled as follows:

1. Things to do today

2. Appointments

3. Calls to Make

4. Ideas to Remember

I really enjoyed this book. It helped me understand the challenges of a person with ADHD. It also provided several strategies for getting organized that can be beneficial to everyone.

Reviewed – No Excuses: The Power of Self Discipline by Brian Tracy

Business guru Brian Tracy believes that self-discipline is the key to personal and business success. No Excuses describes the role self-discipline plays in improving 21 areas of life – including work, money, time management, relationships and physical fitness. Brian Tracy is an great advocate of hard work, discipline and willpower.

The author has an easy-to-read, positive style that I find incredibly motivating. He focuses on solving problems and looking at what you can do to make things better. His recommendations include having written goals that you review and act upon daily, as well as making a commitment to personal and career growth.

I’m reviewing this book at the beginning of July as we enter the second half of the year. If you need a shot of motivation or empowerment, you’ll find No Excuses to be a great read.

Reviewed – The Empath’s Survival Guide: Life Strategies for Sensitive People

You are likely an empath if you grew up being told you were too sensitive and needed to toughen up. (Spoiler alert: this is me!)

The author describes the difference between ordinary empathy and being an empath in this way: “Ordinary empathy means our heart goes out to another person when they are going through a difficult period … or during times of joy. As an empath, however, we actually sense other people’s emotions, energy and physical symptoms in our bodies… Empaths feel things first, then think, which is the opposite of how most people function in our over intellectualized society.” (pg 5)

The purpose of the book is to describe the experience of being an empath, and then to teach empaths self-care strategies. Chapters include how to manage at work (including how to choose an empath-friendly job), in relationships (the ideal types of partners), and how to raise sensitive children.

Not all of the book will be applicable to everyone. However it gave some great strategies for coping with sensitivities. I believe it will also help people recognize that being an empath is a gift and not something they need to change.

Reviewed – One Small Step Can Change Your Life: The Kaizen Way

This book describes kaizen – which is the concept of making small steps toward improvement. This process was originally used to build the Japanese economy after WWII, however the author was interested in how it could be used to change personal habits.

The premise is that you focus on the tiniest improvement possible. For instance:

  • To begin exercising, walk in place during a one-minute television commercial.
  • To stop consuming caffeine, take one less sip of coffee.
  • To clean up a messy desk, put away one paper clip.

As you can guess, these actions are a lot more palatable than 30 minutes of aerobic exercise, giving up your daily coffee, or spending the weekend cleaning your office. The idea is that these tiny steps keep you from resisting the activity and build new neural pathways in your brain.