Day 1 – ReinventingErica/Take Two

by Erica on September 5, 2007

Scheduling – and wondering why my dress has holes in it?

So I know it looks like I’ve taken on a lot for the next 90 days – which is why a detailed schedule is crucial for success. Like most of you – I have a real job (well real in the sense that there is work to be done). I don’t subscribe to the 8-5 mentality of the corporate world – so I generally end up doing the bulk of my work in the evenings. Which frees my mornings up for things like – sleep. Of course – if this little adventure is going to be a success – I’m gonna have to sleep in less and maybe even reset my circadian rhythms.

According to my calculations this little adventure ends on December 2nd. I’ve drawn up a rough map of what the next few weeks look like.

I decided that the most effective place to start would be with The Personal MBA. I have a printed copy of The Personal MBA Manifesto from Changethis.com. Apparently this is an old version – because the parent site currently has an updated and revised reading list and manifesto. So the question becomes – which program should I follow – The Original? The New & Improved? Or a Combination of Both?

Since I only have a limited amount of time – I’ve decided to pick 1-2 books from each category and try to get through as many of them as possible in 90-days. Mixing and matching from the new and old programs I have chosen the following books. Some because I’ve always wanted to read them – or in some cases re-read them. Others because I found myself resisting them – it’s good to do things we fear – even if it’s just reading a book.

Reading List

  • Personal Effectiveness
    • Getting Things Done by David Allen
    • The Effective Executive by Peter Drucker
  • Speak Your Mind
    • On Writing Well by William Zinsser
    • Flawless Consulting by Peter Block
  • Do Your Own Thing
    • The Art of the Start by Guy Kawasaki
    • The Bootstrapper’s Bible by Seth Godin
    • The 4-Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss
  • Rules & Morals
    • Law 101 by Jay M. Feinman
    • A Primer on Business Ethics by Tibor Machan & James Chesher
  • Economics, Financing, & Accounting
    • Economics in One Lesson by Henry Hazlitt
    • How to Read a Financial Report by John A. Tracy
    • The McGraw-Hill 36-Hour Course in Finance for Nonfinancial Managers
  • Strategy
    • Purpose: The Starting Point of Great Companies by Nikos Mourkogiannis
    • Blue Ocean Strategy by W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne
    • Competitive Strategy by Michael Porter
  • Analyze This
    • The 80/20 Principle by Richard Koch
    • Principles of Statistics by M.G. Bulmer
  • Commercialization
    • The Art of Project Management by Scott Berkun
    • Citizen Marketers by Ben McConnell and Jackie Huba
  • Applied Psychology
    • How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
    • Made to Stick by Chip and Dan Heath
  • Management
    • Growing Great Employees by Erika Andersen
    • First, Break All The Rules by Marcus Buckingham & Curt Coffman
  • Business History & Reference
    • The Books of Business Wisdom Series by Peter Krass
    • Founders at Work: Stories of Startups’ Early Days by Jessica Livingston
    • Business: The Ultimate Resource (2nd Edition) from Basic Books

That’s a pretty decent list – I’m sure that I left off a few of the Greats – but I won’t quit after 90 Days – just to be sure we get to them all. It looks like I’m going to have somewhere on average of 3 days to read each of the books on this list. After the first week – I may go back and revise the list up or down depending on my progress.

I’ll start by re-reading Getting Things Done by David Allen – followed by The Effective Executive.

Health & Fitness

Tomorrow Morning I’ll be drawing up my fitness plan – including my gym schedule for the next two weeks. I’ll also be meeting with Natalie to discuss my diet and nutrition goals. This is a short week because I’ll be leaving Thursday Night for Austin – where I will be attending a 3-day seminar called The Landmark Forum.

I’ll also be researching SmartLipo and learning more about my different medical weight loss options. Oh – and coding up the Snazzy new design for my site – which Greg is working on now :)

Popularity: 15% [?]

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

If You Like This Article, You Might Also Like:

Erica OGrady is the CXO of Peanut Butter Media. She is currently HOMELESS while working on a project called Twilight & Tea. Erica is a Writer, Adventurer, Explorer who Still Believes in Santa and Following Your Bliss -- For more information Text ERICAOGRADY to 50500

This website uses IntenseDebate comments, but they are not currently loaded because either your browser doesn't support JavaScript, or they didn't load fast enough.

{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }

Kelsey Ruger September 8, 2007 at 9:46 pm

Crucial Conversations isn’t on your list. That’s a must read.

Reply

Erika Andersen September 15, 2007 at 11:46 am

Erica,

I’m thrilled that you chose Growing Great Employees for your PMBA short list – hope you enjoy it and find it useful!

Warmly,
Erika

Reply

Leave a Comment