Tools For Business – Tools For Life

This is Day 7 of the 30 Day Blog Challenge. Today’s question: Which key tools will you turn to regularly to maintain your mindset and how will you use them effectively?

My answer, in no particular order of importance:

Audible.com

When I was in my 20s, I heard the following quote from Charlie ‘Tremendous’ Jones, author of Life is Tremendous!

“We will be the same person in 5 years that we are today except for 2 things: the people we meet and the books we read.”

Charlie Jones was all about three things: Read. Think. Share.

Because I am often limited on sit-down-and-read time, audio books have become my answer, and Audible.com is the go-to place for audio books. I have already “read” dozens of books from Audible and there are dozens, if not hundreds more I am chomping at the bit to read.

Natalie’s new book, The Suitcase Entrepreneur (affiliate link), is not yet on Audible, so I purchased a Kindle version. Which brings me to . . .

Kindle Books

I love Kindle books because they are so each to buy, read and carry around. The cool thing about these electronic books is that you can actually highlight passages within the book, create virtual dog-ears on pages, and easily search the text of any book to find just what you are looking for.

As an Amazon Prime member, I also get to borrow tons of Kindle books for free. Which brings me to . . .

Amazon Prime

There is a lot to say about this service, but I am mainly excited about two. First, you get free two-day shipping on a good number of the items you buy on Amazon. Since I still have an office, I have to use this service frequently and it really is worth it.

Second, you get to borrow Kindle books for free as a Prime member. Every Kindle book is not available to borrow, but many are.

Bonus: Third, Amazon Prime (affiliate link) members have access to thousands of free movies, TV shows, etc., like you might find on Netflix or Hulu. Since I don’t watch much TV, this isn’t a big benefit for me, but a lot of people love it.

Coaching

Most people have heard about coaching but have never experienced it first-hand. It really is a worthwhile investment of time and money to gain someone else’s perspective on your life, business, etc.

I have personally benefited from relationship coaching (married 23 years to my first wife), financial coaching (getting out of debt instead of getting further into it) and business coaching (learning techniques and principles to improve my business). Although I am not currently working with a coach, it is high on my list of next actions.

Mastermind Group

Similar to coaching, this is a great opportunity to gain from the wisdom of a group. Regularly interacting with people who can see my business and my personal life from an outside and slightly elevated perspective can be enlightening.

I am currently looking for a mastermind group to help me get to the next level.

Fitness – Gym and Bodyweight Exercises

This is huge for me. Now that I am in the 50 plus crowd, personal fitness can make or break my life in so many ways. Being fit helps my attitude, allows me to work harder and longer if necessary, and simply makes me feel better about myself. I have managed to stay fit and trim for my whole life and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

The “how” of fitness for me is to eat right and exercise at least 4 days a week. I enjoy the gym atmosphere, so I do maintain a gym membership; however, if I am out of town or unable to make it to the gym one day, I can accomplish the same goals using bodyweight exercises.

If you want to learn more about that, the best book I have read is You Are Your Own Gym (affiliate link), by Mark Lauren. He even has an app for iPhone and Android to help.

Podcasts

My podcasting habit includes 6 or 7 podcasts, and for good reason.

One of the biggest challenges of reading and listening to personal development materials is that it’s just plain fun. It is so exciting to read and hear about how people are starting great new businesses, changing their lives with new eating and fitness routines, and making a difference in the lives of other people with their teachings.

So, what’s the challenge? Reading and listening with no subsequent action.

I believe it would be better if you listened to just one podcast and put what you learned into action rather than listening to 12, staying “pumped” all the time, and never doing anything to change your own life.

Be a doer and not just a hearer.

Asana – Project Management

Have you ever hear of Basecamp? It is, in my opinion, one of the coolest online tools available for project management. You can keep track of everything you do, assign projects and tasks to your team, and stay focused with weekly reviews. It’s only $20 per month for the starter package, which was perfect for me . . .

. . . until I found Asana. Online at asana.com, this project management tool is different than Basecamp in some respects, but it is a very powerful tool. I decided to try it last month and I love it.

The best part? It’s free for teams of up to 15 members with unlimited projects and tasks. For new users, there are a few short how-to videos to help you get started.

Planned Vacations

Is this really a tool? For me, it is. In recent years, our family has not taken very many planned vacations and it has cost us in so many ways.

During the first 15 years of our marriage, my wife and I traveled around the United States with our young children, exploring, learning, and relaxing. We have been to 34 states as a family and driven across the U.S. twice. There is nothing like a great vacation to draw you closer together and broaden your view of the world.

It has been 3 years since our last family vacation to Hawaii, when we spent 9 days on the big island with another of our favorite families. Our daughter is now married and we have lost our focus on vacation. It’s time to restart that engine.

Many Tools, One Purpose

Like books, podcasts, conferences and so many more tools within easy reach, we still need to be careful. If a tool truly adds value by saving time, keeping you focused and moving forward, etc., it is probably worth considering.  Start with a few tools and think carefully about what to add next.

As the great philosopher, Curly, from the City Slickers movie puts it, you first need to determine your purpose. Then you can decide which tools help you achieve your purpose.

If you have never heard of Curly (played by Jack Palance), here is the essence of his philosophy as explained to Mitch, the character played by Billy Crystal.

Curly: Do you know what the secret of life is?

Curly: This. [holds up one finger]

Mitch: Your finger?

Curly: One thing. Just one thing. You stick to that and the rest don’t mean shit.

Mitch: But what is the “one thing?”

Curly: [smiles] That’s what you have to find out.