Coronavirus Quarantine Plan, Part 3

This week, Tim gives his personal recommendations on books, podcast, music and more to help your personal development journey during this uncertain time.

More About the Show

The Build Perspectives podcast shares insider knowledge to build connections and community in the building materials industry. Tim and Carolina are friends, colleagues and former coworkers who love the construction industry and their clients, and want to share their passion and insights to attract future talent to the industry.

In this episode, Tim and Carolina talk about Tim’s ideas and recommendations on what to do with free time many people currently have, including books to read, podcasts to listen to and more.

Life-Long Learning

Tim starts by pointing out that both he and Carolina are lifelong learners. And while he does like to consume information whether through podcasts or videos or books, he also learns from life experiences and mentors. He tries to learn from everything that happens in life, whether it was good or bad or anywhere in between.

From Arlene Dickinson, a Dragon on Dragon’s Den, he learned the phrase “life is work and work is life.” And he took that to heart. It’s how he shapes his day.

Tim’s Recommendations

Tim points out that even though we can’t leave our homes right now in a lot of places, it doesn’t mean we are limited in our prospecting or limited in our learning. We can still do these things from home.

Books

If you are watching your budget, you can get books for free from Libby (a library app) or Archive.org (republished audio and print of out of copyright books). Carolina uses and loves Libby as well, so it’s highly recommended by both.

Robert Cialdini has several books that Tim recommends including Pre-Suasion: A Revolutionary Way to Influence and Persuade (his current read) and Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion. Pre-Suasion is about preparing for interactions and how to tee up the climax throughout the conversation, so you can get to the no or yes answer the quickest.

Another book Tim recommends is Crossing the Chasm. It’s about the adoption bell curve, particularly when it comes to product management, and moving it through the adoption curve.

I Will Teach You To Be Rich is another book favored by Tim and Carolina. While it is marketed as a personal finance book, it has a lot of good principles for work life.

Knockdown is about the Sydney to Hobart race where there was a class five hurricane and a lot of people were shipwrecked. It focuses on what it meant to be persevering in that particular race, which is a great theme we need right now.

Rich Dad, Poor Dad is a classic that Tim thinks everyone should read. Combine that with some of Ray Dalio’s videos on YouTube and his LinkedIn content for great content on financial literacy. Ray Dalio also wrote a book called Principles, which is about how he runs his company and how you can use those principles to run your life.

Tim points out that today there’s a lot of negative news and information today, so it’s important to be careful about what you are consuming. He says that if you are listening or reading content that doesn’t give you a path forward, that isn’t positive or that doesn’t give you an action plan, then you should stop listening or reading it. There’s so much content today, that it isn’t worth your time to finish something that isn’t useful, positive or informative.

Podcasts

Tim also gives some podcast recommendations.

Blogs

Self-Assessment

Self-assessments are important to knowing who you are and knowing your strengths. Figuring out your vocation helps you fulfill your destiny and life’s purpose.

Both Tim and Carolina have used a few different tools. First is the Gallup StrengthsFinder test (now called the CliftonStrenghts test). It costs between $35-55, and it’s a very useful, very detailed tool. You can also buy the book, StrengthFinders 2.0, and it will have a code that you can then use to take the test as well. If you want your team to take the test, you can also get a corporate discount when you buy multiple codes.

Other tests you can take include Enneagram, DiSC Profile, and Myers Briggs. These are all available for free from some places, you just need to Google them to find a test.

If you can only do one, though, Tim and Carolina recommend the StregnthsFinder test. If you take the expanded version, it tells you who you are well-suited to work with, so you can see where you complement each other and where you’re going to have to work harder. And make sure you share it with your boss and direct reports. It shows them that you are working on yourself and opens a dialogue that keeps the connection between co-workers alive, which is increasingly important during this time of remote work and video chats.

Other Recommendations

Tim also gives some recommendations for other things he’s found useful during this time.

Brain.fm which provides algorithmic music that helps you focus or relax, depending on the mix you pick. It’s $0.99 a month and according to Tim, it’s definitely worth the money.

Blinklist is $5 a month and it gives you 15-minute versions of popular books (including some of the ones Tim recommended above). It’s like audible cliff notes and then you can decide if you want to buy the full book or if you want to pass on it.

Starbucks is Tim’s favorite app right now. You can order your food and/or drink ahead and pay through the app so when you get to the window, you just grab your order and go.

G-Suite is also important right now. While it’s not Tim’s favorite app, it does give teams the ability to work together in a document or spreadsheet, which is essential.

There are tons of courses you can take right now too. Linda (through LinkedIn), Coursera, and most colleges have free, online, non-certified certificate courses you can take.