Kindle Unlimited - New habit in 2020
If there was one thing different in 2020, I decided to subscribe to Kindle Unlimited and give it a try. Then I decided to take a step further, to continue to read different performance books (a little every morning) as part of my enrichment this year. I am amazed at the variety that Kindle Unlimited has for such books; and I will try to document them with the key highlights and/or takeaways as I read them below.
This transpired from studying for my CCSP exam after I purchased the CCSP textbook/ guide and downloaded onto my Kindle Reader, which I have studied off my computer, iPad and iPhone back in September 2019. What I truly loved about Kindle Reader was that it was multi-device friendly, and I could pick up wherever I left off seamlessly (at home/ on-the-go). I realised that reading digitally wasn't as bad as I thought, though having a hardcover book on hand was always the better option.
Backstory: I failed my CCSP exam when I first took it back in 2017, and the textbooks and materials have since been updated and changed. Hence I needed to get the latest copy albeit the changes were minimal.
The 7 Habits of High-Performance People by Jason Covey
In general, it is an effective book for individuals that are trying to find ways to manage effectiveness and drive performance in their life and work, with examples that resonates well with actions.
Five rules that high performers use to drive their success - Structure, Focus, Income Production, Health & No-Snooze.
- Structure - Concept that stands out most is efficiency. With a routine to follow daily, there is less need for mundane decision making - and a routine instills good habits and seeks out priorities that is developed with repetition and practice.
- Start their practice by preparing for the next day the night before
- Time-block and block out periods of time (create bookends) for things needed to accomplish to prevent multitasking and distractions
- Wake up at a time that works and wake consistently to cement the routine
- Focus - 15 minute focus helps to provide greater self-awareness and effectiveness in a day.
- Meditation helps to reduce anxiety and stress in general for better health and practicing with mindfulness and increase self-awareness
- Gratitude Practice enables individuals to reflect on things they are thankful for to feel better, sleep better, express more kindness and have more positive emotions
- Income Production Activities (IPA) - Focus on IPA enables individuals to create a plan on how to approach the day (e.g. preparing for the next day the night before as a routine) and be productive. Identify what are the time drains in a day and what is actually helping to produce work efficiently by prioritising activities.
- Take care of clients and prospects, build credibility and understand the value in follow up to solidify relationships and share values
- Health - Personal health has a great impact to performance.
- Engage in physical activities or workouts provides improved levels of energy and circulation to fuel for the day
- Stay conscious of the food such as a healthy mix of protein, vitamins, carbs and constant hydration contributes to focus and productivity
- Take time to relax and set aside time in the day to read, spend time with family or catch up with friends; to spend it unwinding
- Get sufficient sleep and quick breaks between to generate energy transiting between tasks and meetings to stay focused
- Put yourself first - This is a balance between collaborating, when to nurture and when to go solo
- No Snooze - Start ahead of the curve for the day; hitting the snooze button and going back to sleep again causes what is known as sleep inertia. There is value in appreciating waking up and choose your adventures and attitude every day, something that is compelling and commit and stay on track with plans.
There are also 7 habits - just as the book title puts it:
- Habit 1: Value in Time
- Habit 2: Power of the Plan
- Habit 3: Daily Enrichment
- Habit 4: Self Care
- Habit 5: Concentrated Focus
- Habit 6: Know Influence
- Habit 7: Push Beyond Comfort
The next book I am reading is on Strategic Storytelling - Which talks about how to create persuasive business presentations. I am 15% into the book and am intrigued!