Looking for the best excuse to spend some time away from family this weekend? If so, a great weekend read can serve as an ideal alternative.
Much better if you pick a book you can finish over the long weekend. Here we have listed 3 books that will do exactly that.
They are pretty short and since they are so compelling, you will not be able to put the book down. Grab a book and before you head out, you can rest assured that you’ll resurface on Monday a more interesting and knowledgeable person.
Payoff (Dan Ariely)
This book is just more than 100 pages and is filled with creative lessons regarding what motivates individuals to do their best.
Dan is a celebrated professor at Duke University and has published several popular books. In this book, the author says that human motivation is more complex than we think and money is not everything.
Essentially, getting compliments and pizza can be very inspiring than receiving a financial boss. And allowing individuals to take ownership of the project and giving them extra credit motivates them to do better.
Designing Your Life (Bill Burnett & Dave Evans)
Design thinking can be defined as the process that’s used to enhance an experience or object, like online dating or a lightbulb. But in this great book, the two professors describe how they can apply the process to your relationships, career, and life in general.
The book is an extension of the Evans and Burnett Stanford course that goes by the same name including brainstorming exercises. A good example is “mind-mapping” where you play a game of words to help generate more ideas regarding different types of careers you can create or pursue.
“Odyssey Planning” is another example where you map different ways that life might possibly unfold. So, in one lifetime, you can be an investment banker and in another, you could be a singer. The objective is to realize that there are a lot of things you can do and most of them can make you unfulfilled or happy.
Ted Talks (Chris Anderson)
If you enjoy Ted Talk or you’ve ever watched on, you’ll definitely like this book by Chris Anderson. Chris deciphers the TED experience, breaking down all the key components of this successful presentation.
Technically, these key components are still the same regardless of whether you are speaking to thousands of people or just a few in a conference room. Know the message you need to pass and do not ramble. Just focus on telling your story and break down all the main ideas into small bits.
Throughout ‘TED Talk’ Chris analysis anecdotes from other TED speakers like Monica Lewinsky, who told a funny story at the beginning of her TED talk. After the audience laughed, Monica became more confident and continued with her presentation.
References
Baker, L. (n.d.). The best books of the year 2020. BBCpage. https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20200327-the-best-books-of-2020-so-far
11 of our best weekend reads (Published 2020). (2020, July 10). The New York Times – Breaking News, US News, World News and Videos. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/10/briefing/best-weekend-reads.html
What to read this weekend. (2020, October 9). The New York Times – Breaking News, US News, World News and Videos. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/09/at-home/newsletter.html
