Books to help with home working
The following is a selection of my current favourite books. I’ve got some of my best ideas for business from reading inspiring books and I find picking up a book totally unrelated to work is one of the quickest ways to switch off and relax. My list starts with some books that will help you to work well from home, and moves on to others you might enjoy when your homeworking day is over.
Spare Room Startup – How to start a business from home – Emma Jones
Emma runs Enterprise Nation, the website about setting up and running a home business, and according to Amazon, people sometimes buy both our books, which seems a good idea to me, as they complement each other well. This is a colourful book (deep envy), a succinct and highly readable introduction to the basics of setting up your home business, with plenty of case studies of people who have done it already and further resources so you can surf for inspiration and research. Also included are templates for a SWOT analysis, a marketing plan and other checklists.
Outliers – The Story of Success – Malcolm Gladwell
One of my Frome library lends, this, a brand-new paperback secured by the princely sum of 60p and a short wait. This is a fascinating read, revealing that our impression that success comes from application, determination and hard work is erroneous. A lot more than we care to realise depends on chance factors such as date or year of birth, family circumstances and cultural norms. The thing I like about Malcolm Gladwell’s books is that he tells interesting stories and then pulls from them conclusions that you might otherwise miss. The Times sums it up very well – ‘He is the best kind of writer – the kind who makes you feel like you’re a genius, rather than that he’s a genius’!
Search Engine Optimization – An Hour a Day – Jennifer Grappone & Gradiva Couzin
I tend to associate books with pleasure and so I didn’t rush to buy this, even when it was recommended by a number of people. But I’m glad I did in the end, in an attempt to fill some gaps in my knowledge – it’s surprisingly readable and very clearly written. I have handed it over to A, my IT expert, to do the actual one hour a day (phew!) and I’m sure we’ll see results. I’m told the main thing you need for successful SEO is patience, so probably best I don’t do it.
Dig Your Well Before You’re Thirsty – The Only Networking Book You’ll Ever Need – Harvey Mackay
This book doesn’t seem to be in print in the UK, but you can get it from Amazon. If the idea of networking makes you yawn, then this will get you springing up out of your chair, ready to connect with all sorts of people you might previously have assumed to be inaccessible. Mackay has a huge amount of business experience behind him, not to mention business success, and he conveys this is in a friendly and down-to-earth way, throwing in lots of stories to illustrate his points. Many of those mentioned are American, sports coaches for example, and may mean nothing to the average Brit, but this doesn’t detract from the power of the stories. No wonder this, and Mackay’s other books, have been bestsellers.
Life’s a Pitch… – Stephen Bayley & Roger Mavity
This is a book of two halves, literally and stylistically. Part 1 is by Roger Mavity and deals crisply and succinctly with pitching a proposal, whether it be to your boss or a lover. Part 2 by Stephen Bayley is far more wordy, but with some great quotes you’ll want to remember and maybe use. Lots of useful stuff in here for home workers, including how best to come up with new ideas, not to make a fool of yourself at a business lunch, and avoid the traps of Powerpoint. For reviews of both parts, see my Life’s a Pitch…posts in May 2009. The red book is larger and has colour pictures and lots of white space, which makes for a very pleasant reading experience. The blue book is smaller, has no pictures and cheaper paper but it costs less.
The War of Art – Steven Pressfield
Have you ever noticed that the things you really want to do, your most cherished ambitions, are the ones most likely to get put off in the rush of day-to-day living? Steven Pressfield says this is due to resistance and as the writer of many bestselling novels, he knows what he’s talking about. In fact he opens the book by outlining his own routine for overcoming resistance on a daily basis. His book is easy to read, yet profound, funny and moving, and Mr Pressfield comes over as a very wise man.
The E Myth Revisited – Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It – Michael E Gerber
I was amazed when I read this book – every single episode described in it happened to me when I was running my cleaning business, but unfortunately I didn’t read it until after I’d sold up. Michael Gerber has a huge amount of experience in helping small businesses and understands all the pitfalls. I’ve recommended this book to a number of people and I have to admit some Brits have found the very American style a barrier, but I suggest you stick with it as you’ll find some wonderful insights.
Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui – Karen Kingston
Don’t let the Feng Shui bit of the title put you off. Like all Karen Kingston’s writing, this little book is straightforward and down-to-earth and clearly explains the personal and work benefits of getting rid of accumulated ’stuff’ and how to get started even if you are devoted to your clutter. The fact it was a global bestseller says it all.
The Work We Were Born To Do – Nick Williams
I stumbled upon this book in Waterstones just when I needed it, when I had sold my business and had no clue what to do next. It has helped many people to identify what their life’s work is and start the process of detaching from the bill-paying day job to begin a more fulfilling life.
Nick has also written The 12 Principles of the Work We Were Born To Do, a synopsis of The Work We Were Born To Do plus simple techniques and exercises to help you find the work that satisfies you emotionally and spiritually.
Not Buying It – Judith Levine
This prescient account of a decision to stop spending for a year on all but the necessities was published before anyone had heard of the credit crunch. The author is American so the product names and account of a planning inquiry may not mean much to the rest of the world, but this is a thought-provoking look at why we spend and how it feels when we stop consuming. And if you don’t want to buy it, follow the author’s example and go to the library!
Banker to the Poor – Muhammad Yunus
I was inspired to buy this after reading an article about Muhammad Yunus, and was even more inspired when I’d read it. Yunus was an economist and teacher in Bangladesh when he realised the poorest people were suffering because banks refused to lend them the minute sums of money needed to start the businesses that would support them. His story of overcoming institutional opposition to initiate what became known as micro-credit deserves a much wider audience. For years he has been saying ‘It’s not people who aren’t credit-worthy. It’s banks that aren’t people-worthy.’ I’m sure many more people have become aware of that over the past year or so.
Heaven’s Coast – Mark Doty
I always think it’s impossible to answer the question ‘What’s your favourite book?’ because depends so much on your mood and the last book you read! But overall I’d still have to say Heaven’s Coast, many years and many readings after I bought it. I picked it up in a bookshop and put it down again. The subject, the death of Mark Doty’s partner from AIDS, seemed to have nothing to do with me, but I kept being drawn back to it, and in the end, gave in and bought it – and was blown away. Doty is a poet who writes gorgeous prose and his themes are life, love and death. What else is there?
Armistead Maupin is quoted on the cover and sums it up – ‘It broke my heart, then somehow made it stronger.’ Read it with a box of tissues within easy reach. It’s only available secondhand in the UK so hoover up the copies while you can.
Bodysurfing – Anita Shreve
Anita Shreve is a gripping storyteller and keeps you turning pages long after you should have put the book down. I recommend any of her novels for an easy and relaxing read, but this is my favourite. I like the sparseness of her writing in this one and the way she breaks the text up, not just in paragraphs, but with a space between as well. Contrary to what you might expect, it keeps you reading on – oh, OK, just one more section, then.
Notes from an Exhibition – Patrick Gale
I find Patrick Gale an engrossing writer too, and this one particularly so, as it’s set in Penzance, where we lived for three years, and the streets and surrounding countryside are easily identifiable. I like the way you gradually build a picture of the life of the troubled artist heroine and the effect of her illness and talent on her family. I have been to a couple of events where Patrick Gale has spoken and he seems to be as warm and human in reality as his writing suggests.
The Clothes on Their Backs – Linda Grant
I found this by chance in the library and immediately embarked on a Linda Grant retrospective read. I love it when you find a new author with a backlist to catch up on. This one really hit the spot, as it would, since I too grew up in the 70s and love clothes. Unlike Grant my family isn’t Jewish and didn’t arrive here from eastern Europe in the 30s, so I was intrigued by her exploration of how this affects her characters’ behaviour. As they used to say in Waterstones, if you liked this, you’ll also like Still Here.
.
The Kitchen Diaries – Nigel Slater
And anything at all by the wonderful Nigel Slater, the genius who can persuade even me to get in the kitchen and get cooking. How does he do it? Such an apparently simple style, but so evocative and so entertaining. The only cookery books I can read. Our copy of Real Fast Food
is yellow and falling apart, and the quick and easy recipes are so good you can confidently serve them to guests and wait to lap up the praise. Again, if you’re a child/teenager of the 70s you’ll love Toast: The Story of a Boy’s Hunger
, his food-themed account of growing up while scoffing Angel Delight and Walnut Whips.
Enjoyed this and want to know more? Try –
Work from home book
