It’s time to wind down from the work week and kick back with a good book. Sip some iced tea, sit on a comfy couch and peruse through these good reads.
So, you say you have a jam-packed schedule. Between the kids, your job, your spouse, the house, and other various obligations, you barely have time to take a shower. How do other, perhaps even busier, women do it? Author Laura Vanderkam, who has written other books on this theme, wondered, too. In I Know How She Does It the author began “seeking out time logs” from working mothers who made at least six-figure incomes and studied how they spent their time. When Vanderkam and her participants saw how they spent their days, it was eye-opening. People tend to overestimate how much they work, she says, and underestimate how much they sleep. This is a good read for those who are seriously lacking time-management skills. Available for purchase here.
When Second Lieutenant Ann Dunwoody reported for duty at Fort Sill in 1976, she’d decided that her stint in the military would be a two-year thing on the way to a career in teaching or coaching. As a “sports omnivore,” she was physically fit for the job, and because she was an Army brat, she had a perception of what her immediate future would be like. Thirty two years later, after she’d enjoyed success in a long military career she didn’t initially foresee, President George W. Bush recommended Dunwoody as the country’s first female four-star general. The decorated General writes in her book (written with Tomago Collins) that a high standard is, “the difference between the leaders who excel and the leaders who fail.” The Army teaches soldiers to “meet the standard… but that’s simply a starting point.” To get the best from people, “train them to succeed.” The Higher Standard is available for purchase here.
Starting a business is the worst, most difficult, wonderful, magnificent thing you’ll ever do. But, starting a business isn’t for the fainted heart. In the new book Miss Jessie’s: Creating a Successful Business from Scratch – Naturally, author Miko Branch takes us through her family matriarchy and explains that self-sufficiency and hard work can lead to a successful career. Branch recalls her grandmother’s 1919 upbringing and how she taught herself how to cook in order to avoid picking cotton. Branch’s grandmother instilled in her and her sister that one day they would become businesswomen. This is a great read for fledgling entrepreneurs who understand the term #startuplife. Purchase it here.
More books waiting to be read!
Contributions by Terri Schlichenmeyer
