7 Books that have Insipred Me in Business, Life and as an SEO

With 2012 just around the corner and thoughts for New Year’s resolutions at an all-time high, here’s 7 books that have inspired me heaps in business, life and as an SEO. And I hope that one or two might inspire you for the year ahead!

1. Start With Why

by Simon Sinek
Slogan: How great leaders inspire everyone to take action.
Highlights: High on inspiration, less on ‘how to do things’.
Twitter: Simonsinek.
Website: Start With Why.
Amazon link: Start With Why book.

Simon first inspired me through his legendary TED talk (see video below) which attracted over 3 million views. So it just made sense to read the book and boy was it a good decision. As with the other books in this list it really hit a chord with me and it’s the one I found most insightful.

Using real-life examples like Martin Luther King Jr, Steve Jobs, and the Wright Brothers, and his ‘Golden Circle’ formulae, he looks at WHY some organisations and people are more successful, more innovative and have more customer loyalty. By asking one simple question:

“Why Do You Do What You Do?”Simon Sinek

He says that nearly everyone can tell you what they do, and most on how they do it but very few can truly articulate WHY they do what they do. And when they can, their inner beliefs and values can really shine through in everything they do…

“There’s no difference between customers or employees – people will either believe in what you believe and want to buy your products or they will believe in what you believe and want to work for you.”Simon Sinek

I bought the audio book for this one which is brilliantly read by the author himself. Check out the excellent TED video on ‘Start With Why’:

2. Purple Cow

by Seth Godin
Slogan: Transforming your business by being remarkable.
Highlights: High on making something outstanding. Low on ‘sameness’.
Twitter: ThisIsSethsBlog.
Website: Purple Cow.
Amazon link: Purple Cow book.

I first discovered marketing guru and prolific writer Seth through reading one of his earlier titles, ‘Permission Marketing’ which is refreshingly different on how interruption marketing no longer works in the digital age. But for me (and many will agree) ‘Purple Cow’ is his signature book and probably the most widely known on this list:

“You’re either a Purple Cow or you’re not. You’re either remarkable or invisible. Make your choice.”Seth Godin

There are many tactics to enhance a website’s visibility. But what better way than having a product that is so interesting and remarkable, that people have to tell their friends and share what you do. We are not just talking about ‘refer a friend’ but something deeper than that. In the world of online and SEO, the best way to attract attention (and backlinks) is by having some truly noticeable and unique – ‘A Purple Cow’.

An extremely useful book and the audiobook is enthusiastically read by Seth himself. Check out the video below to see how you can make your business stand out from the crowd and get the attention it deserves:

3. Don’t Make Me Think

by Steve Krug
Slogan: A common sense approach to web usability.
Highlights: High on usability being self-evident and self-explanatory, low on quantitative testing.
Twitter: SKrug.
Website: Don’t Make Me Think.
Amazon link: Don’t Make Me Think book.

Every smart SEO knows that Usability and SEO go hand-in-hand. Many say Usability comes first. And when done correctly both can coexist with minimal need to compromise. As SEOs we tend to focus on quantitative testing like tracking conversion rates and web analytics. But this book looks more at qualitative testing which is not scientific or trying to prove a point but rather trying to design a better and easier to use website by being ‘good enough’ to work as intended and with few usability roadblocks.

“Don’t make me think. It means that as far as humanly possible, when I look at a Web page it should be self-evident. Obvious. Self-explanatory. I should be able to ‘get it’, what it is and how to use it, without expending any effort thinking about it.”Steve Krug, via Sitepoint

A great book and If you’d like to take this a step further (especially qualitative testing), I recommend Steve’s excellent second book ‘Rocket Surgery Made Easy’ which is the self-proclaimed ‘Do-It-Yourself Guide to Finding and Fixing Usability Problems’.

4. Get Some Headspace

by Andy Puddicombe
Slogan: 10 minutes can make all the difference.
Highlights: High on mediation, clarity and focus, low on ‘Ommmmm’ and Mantras.
Twitter: Andy_headspace.
Website: Get Some Headspace.
Amazon link: Get Some Headspace book.

With so much information online, it sometimes feels hard to ‘unplug’ – we get up, check our emails on our phones, then do the same on our laptops and maybe check the news. Then if we are feeling brave enough, look at our ‘to do’ list for the day and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed before the day has even started!

That’s where Get Some Headspace can help out. It’s more than just a book. In fact, the take 10 is an interactive audio guide which accompanies the book and can also be found as an iPhone app or through the website:

“Take10 minutes a day, for 10 days, to find out how a bit of Headspace makes all the difference. There’s a new, guided meditation to follow each day, help with common stumbling blocks, a personalised progress tracker and unique downloads to help you get the most out of it. “

The essence of the book, take 10 (take 10 minutes a day which can make all the difference), is a no-frills way of doing mediation and the first step to take. And something I found immediate benefits from: feeling calmer, more energised and able to focus with more clarity.

Andy is a former Buddhist monk and illustrates his leanings in a humorous, fun and easy to understand way. Where you can take or leave the religion side of things. Somewhat appealing for many in the west.

Andy’s adventures as a young monk travelling the world ensure the book is not only practical in learning mediation but very amusing too. And easy to pickup and read.

I also attended a day’s seminar on mediation with Headspace (through Groupon!). It’s hard to think how you can spend a day learning how to focus your mind and breathe. But it turns out you can, and it was interesting too. I particularly liked the ‘walking meditation’ exercises which help you be a bit more in the ‘now’ and absorb what is around you when you are out and about.

I am still in the infancy of mediation and wish to do it every day for a month (and maybe longer). But if this appeals to you and you need a no nonsense kick-start to mediation, give Get Some Headspace a try.

5. Getting Things Done

by David Allen
Slogan: How to achieve stress-free productivity.
Highlights: More about [wait for it] getting things done, less about procrastinating and worry!.
Twitter: David Allen.
Website: David Allen Co.
Amazon link: Getting Things Done.

Reading this and listening to the amusing audio book changed a lot for me. In fact, it was a lifesaver! Organisational skills have never been a strength of mine but I now feel they are no longer a weakness. And best of all ‘things’ feel much more manageable and much less stressful. Both in work and outside!

GTD is a methodology for organising ‘to-do’ lists and achieving a flow and focus to your work.

Achieving flow

“In karate there is an image that’s used to define the position of perfect readiness: ‘mind like water.’ Imagine throwing a pebble into a still pond. How does the water respond? The answer is, totally appropriately to the force and mass of the input; then it returns to calm. It doesn’t overreact or underreact”David Allen

He then goes on to say…

“Anything that causes you to overreact or underreact can control you, and often does. Responding inappropriately to your e-mail, your staff, your projects, your unread magazines, your thoughts about what you need to do, your children, or your boss will lead to less effective results than you’d like. Most people give either more or less attention to things than they deserve, simply because they don’t operate with a ‘mind like water.’”David Allen

So the book is really about being better organised to take control and get into the flow of what’s most important with minimal distractions. Mind like water is great if you can find it and David Allen [and Get Some Headspace] can help you do just that. Here’s video of a talk that David Allen gives to Google – a little long but very good if it’s your type of thing.

From GTD to ZTD

As great as GTD is, I couldn’t help find it delved into the detail a bit too deep. Fortunately I found Leo Babauta’s adoption of it, which is far more palatable in the form of Zen To Done (ZTD).

“It focuses on the habit changes necessary for GTD, in a more practical way, and it focuses on doing, on simplifying, and on adding a simple structure.”Leo Babauta on ZTD

ZTD adds principles from the popular ’7 Habits of Highly Effective People’ book where Leo puts more weighting on the priorities of getting tasks done. In the form of ‘Most Important Tasks’ (MITs) for the day and the ‘Big Rocks’ for the week.

That said GTD is great and a worthy read. Your requirements for productivity will be different to mine and you can adapt as you see fit.

Tools for GTD/ZTD and achieving Flow

I have tried and tested dozen of ‘to do’ lists software. My requirements are one that allows for iPhone and online integration and allows for easy ZTD adoption. The winner after months of looking is Get Flow. Very fittingly named might I add.

6. Presentation Zen

by Garr Reynolds
Slogan: Simple ideas on presentation design and delivery.
Highlights: High on visuals, white spaces and simplicity, low on bullet points and lots of slides.
Twitter: Presentation Zen.
Website: Presentation Zen.
Amazon link: Presentation Zen book.

If you ever have to get up and present in front of people, you will know it can be a nerve-wracking experience.

Garr’s popular book simplifies presenting in a Zen-like way which will help you feel more confident and learn from the great presenters of our time like the late Steve Jobs. He focuses on the impact of visuals and storytelling. One big thing I learnt is to be more conversational when I am speaking in front of others.

7. PH Miracle

by Robert Young
Slogan: Balance your diet, reclaim your health.
Highlights: High on greens, energy and alkaline foods, low on acid forming foods and lethargy!
Twitter: PH Miracle (not active).
Website: PH Miracle Living.
Amazon link: PH Miracle book.

Ok, this is quite a strange one for the list. It’s a diet book! I wasn’t sure either but decided to include it as like exercise, your diet can have a big impact on how you feel, your ability to focus and the energy you have through the day.

And as we turn to the New Year, the PH Miracle is possibly the best detox you can do! Although the book is quite a dry read, the science behind it is truly fascinating, albeit a little hard core.

In a nutshell, the PH Miracle is about eating an alkaline diet, and balancing the PH in your body:

“The first thing we all have to realize is that our blood stream is set at an alkaline count of 7.365. The pH scale goes from 1 to 14 with 7 being neutral. Anything below 7 is acidic, and anything above is base or alkaline. Our blood, like our body temperature is set at a specific number and if it varies from that, we experience problems, just as we do if our temperature varies from 98.6.
The body therefore will go to great lengths to maintain it’s slightly alkaline fluid environment. If the body or tissues becomes too acidic, the body will tap into alkalizing buffering reserves to neutralize acidity and maintain it’s delicate balance of 7.365. Some of those alkalizing buffers would include calcium from our bones and magnesium from our muscles.”Dr. Robert Young

Unfortunately, many of the foods we enjoy are acidic. White carbs, processed foods, soft drinks and alcohol are obvious offenders. But other healthier sounding foods such as meats, some fruits, some nuts and some brown carbs are also acidic which Dr Young believes are often to blame for our declining health:

“Your health depends on the balance of an alkaline environment, created by eating foods such as tomatoes, avocados and green vegetables…striking the optimum 80/20 balance and regulating your body’s acid/alkaline chemistry through simple changes in diet can result in weight loss, increased stamina and strength, a stronger immune system and a greater sense of wellbeing”Dr. Robert Young

I am not sure I will aim for 80% alkalinity in all my meals but I plan to relook at what I eat in 2012, and try to eat more greens, starting with a fresh green juiced veggie drink in the morning, which surprisingly tastes quite nice!

Energise for Life is a great website on the alkaline diet and you can find information on what food is acidic and what is alkaline.

And here’s 3 on my reading list

1. Steve Jobs: The Exclusive Biography.
2. The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell. Been too long on my list to read.
3. The Cluetrain Manifesto by Christopher Locke, Doc Searls, David Weinberger, and Rick Levine – I keep meaning to read this and here is a great review by Stuntdbl.

Have you read any of these books, and if so, how did you find them? And, what books would you recommend on a similar theme?