Question from a reader --
Hello Mr. Marshall!
I'll be quick. What do you think a pragmatic, self-improvement-oriented, efficient, productive person (much like yourself) should be studying besides his primary goal. (business, history, philosophy or something else?)
I hope I make sense.
Kind regards!
V
Well, that depends. Here's some questions:
*Do you have a plan to manage your spending, broken down by category, and a plan to make investments (both personal/financial oriented investments, and investments into your business), along with a plan to spend for fun? Are you knowledgeable about investor psychology, optimizing your taxes, and taking care of money in general? --> If not, study money. It's important stuff. Ramit Sethi's "I Will Teach You To Be Rich" isn't a bad start.
*Are you familiar with your moods in general, do you know that moods are transient and passing, and are you able to manage yourself when in a bad mood? --> If not, study that. I don't have any one particular book recommendation here, but start googling and reading about it. Many meditation/Buddhist type trainings will provide insight in this department in addition to science/papers on the topic.
*Are you highly organized? Do you know where all your files are? --> If not, study organization. Getting Things Done is a good start here.
*Do you have a good network of people who will support you, help you find jobs/projects/income, collaborate on projects with you, and so on? --> If not, learn more about networking and making friends. Keith Ferrazzi's "Never Eat Alone" is a good place to start.
*Do most people you meet like you? --> If not, it's learnable. "How To Win Friends And Influence People" is a good place to start.
*Do you negotiate well, in a way that serves and protects your interest and looks to make the other side come out a winner too? --> If not, study negotiation. Read 5-10 different books on it to get diverse opinions that contradict each other. There's no Bible here, you need a few different perspectives -- while some concepts are universally acknowledged, the actual tactics vary incredibly widely and you need a diverse range of perspectives here.
Technology is also always a good choice to learn more about how to things with it pragmatically. Writing and speaking skills are also important. Willpower and finishing things. Those are all topics I'd recommend putting time into. But the most important ones are probably the areas you're lacking -- you need a good handle on your money, you need to manage yourself well, you need to be organized, you need good people in your life who respect you, and you need to be able to negotiate well and protect your interests.
Great question. Let me know what you wind up selecting and how it goes.
SM