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The Invisible Mentor Weekly Newsletter: Brain Food Fridays Number 70: Is Reading Book Summaries Regularly Professional Development?
Dear Reader,
I know, I know! Today is Wednesday morning and you’re receiving Brain Food Fridays. As I mentioned previously, a business coach mentioned that Tuesdays and Wednesdays are the best days to send out a newsletter. I’m experimenting and sending out the newsletter on different days. After I settle on a day, if it’s necessary, I’ll update the name.
Ask Avil
Is Reading Book Summaries Regularly Professional Development?
Surprisingly, this question and variations of it come up frequently. I love book summaries and I subscribe to a couple services. And yes, I think reading book summaries is a form of professional development because you’re feeding your mind. However, I don’t think that book summaries should replace reading books. In my opinion, they make a great complement to the book. I’ve talked to a few people, and they tell me that they get subscriptions to summaries through the company they work for.
In one conversation, this Vice President wanted specific information that she thought would be in the book, but there was no mention of that information in the summary. And this happened to her a few times. Keep in mind that a book summary is someone’s interpretation of a book.
At the start of this column I declared that I love book summaries, and I really do. But, I use them in very specific ways. When I read a book summary, I know whether I want to actually read the book. It also gives me a helicopter view of what the book is about. So when I read the book, I have a place to hang the information. A book summary also gives me clues about the important chapters and sections I need to read for myself in a book. This saves me time because it focuses my attention to where I need to go in the book.
Before you read any nonfiction book, you need a purpose for reading the book. And you also need to preview the book first before you start to read it. The act of previewing a book first, helps you to determine essential and nonessential information. If you’ve read a good summary of the book, it makes previewing the book easier.
To continue this conversation, I’ve partnered with Readitfor.me (one of the most popular book summary services for entrepreneurs and executives) to bring you 3 new animated book summaries every single week.
Here is the schedule for the next week:
1. Wednesday-Thursday: The Language of Emotional Intelligence by Jeanne Segal
2. Friday-Sunday: The Obstacle is The Way by Ryan Holiday
3. Monday-Wednesday: Leadership and Self Deception by the Arbinger Institute
To access these summaries, visit this page on the days listed above.
If you enjoy these summaries, there’s also a special offer on that page for you and your entire team to access their full library for one low price.
To read books faster, it’s important to read a book summary before you read the book. Book summaries shouldn’t be your professional development plan. But it should definitely be part of it.
What I’m Reading
I enjoyed reading The Perfect Day Formula: How to Own the Day and Control Your Life by Craig Ballantyne. It’s not a long book to read, but it could have been shorter. Some people will love the stories in the book. However, all I cared about was learning the formula. Reading the book, showed me several areas where I can make improvements in my life. I recommend that you read The Perfect Day Formula. Here are some takeaways from the books. These are things that resonated with me.
Today, the world is experiencing a global pandemic. Some countries are slowly coming out of it. That’s not the case in Canada where I live since Toronto is in its third lockdown. I have no control over this. However, I have control over many things in my life right now. One such thing is the time I wake up in the mornings. Ballantyne says to get into the habit of getting up 15 minutes earlier.
During this time, work on your most important activity. You’ll get so much done because you’re not faced with a lot of distractions early in the morning. Preparing the night before allows you to determine what the most important tasks are. A big point in the book is that when you create structure in your life, it allows you to have more freedom.
In the book, you learn the seven steps to build habits of steel as well as the five pillars in life to achieve success. You’ll walk away with information that you can easily apply in your life.
Currently, I’m reading Young Guns 8 by Remington Kane, a fiction book. Tomorrow, I’ll start reading another nonfiction book.
Avil in the News
I wasn’t sure where to add this information, so I decided to do it here. I’ve mentioned The One Problem Series that I’ve been doing and it’s slowly getting traction. People are sharing the interviews on social media and some of them are now reaching out to me to interview them. I think that’s news worth sharing. The videos are short, so they’re easy enough to listen to.
Here are the Episodes that I’ve published on my blog so far.
- The One Problem Interview: Sandra Lisi, Leadership Coach
- The One Problem: Deena Baikowitz, Business & Career Coach
- The One Problem: Kelli Wingo, The One Problem Interview: Kelli Wingo, KMW Catalyst
- The One Problem: Patricia Roberts,Chief Operating Officer of the Gift of College
- The One Problem: The One Problem: Patti Pokorchak, Small Biz Sales Coach
- The One Problem: Adrienne Harris, Managing Partner, Portage Sales
- The One Problem: Kristy Wallace, CEO Ellevate Network
- The One Problem: Margye Solomon Talks about Aging and Relevance
- The One Problem: Deb Boulanger, Launch Lab for Women Entrepreneurs
- The One Problem: Sharon Horne Ellstrom – Stop Being Like Others, Be YOU
- The One Problem: Liz Kitchell from SheMoolah Talks Money Conversations
- The One Problem: Avil Beckford, Author of Digest 30 Books in 30 Days
- The One Problem: Interview With Kelly Daring, Author of Is Love Enough
New Products Alert
I’ve created new programs, Business Knowledge Accelerator, Career Knowledge Accelerator, and I updated the Sales Knowledge Accelerator. Besides previewing a book before reading it, I also recommend that you read a good book summary to get the helicopter view of what the book is about. With so much information online, I was surprised that I couldn’t find summaries for some books on the list.
I often participate in the Knowledge Accelerator programs, so I make sure that I choose books I haven’t read. Now I have to read the books that I couldn’t find summaries for.
Why not participate in one of the Accelerator Programs. I’m also working on the Knowledge Accelerator for Women. It should be ready in a few weeks.
Until Next Week,
Avil Beckford, Founder, The Invisible Mentor!
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