There is so much more information around us these days. It can be difficult to stay in the loop and on top of everything that's going on. It wasn't very long ago that you could get almost everything you needed by reading the morning paper and a handful of books. Now with the Internet, blogs, social media and self publishing the amount of information is mind blowing. So how do you stay on top of it all?

In Tim Ferriss' book The 4-Hour Workweek he recommends a "low information diet." If you're reading this post you're either like me and don't agree with this strategy, or you just haven't read the book yet (which is kind of the point of this post).

Personally I think it's really important to stay current. Knowing what's happening around you can help you better plan for the future, and it almost always gives you something to talk about. Isn't it nice to have some context and an opinion on a current event when someone brings it up rather than having to ask what they're talking about?

I've heard it said before that "Leaders are Readers." There's a lot of truth in this statement. Business books can be a great place to make a connection. Just like having knowledge about a current event, having read the same book as someone else can make for a really interesting conversation. You can also add a lot of value for someone by recommending or buying a particular book for someone who you know the information would be useful to.

I know, I know. We're all so busy. Now we're supposed to fit even more reading into our already hectic schedules? And that's exactly what I really wanted to talk about. I've always tried to read at least 1-2 books a month, but over the last few years I've not had the personal time to get that done. I'm pretty sure it has something to do with having 2 little girls. So, I've cheated! I started by borrowing a variety of audiobooks from friends and the library... Then I found Audible.com and my life has changed! I wish I'd known about this a long time ago, which is exactly why I wanted to share it with you.

Now every minute I spend behind my windshield is productive. I just go to Audible.com, pick out a couple of books I'm interested in (I almost always have a healthy "wish list" to pick from), and download the books to my iPod. With this strategy I'm actually getting through more books than I did several years ago, before the kids, when I could find time to sit down and read a book. Often it's more interesting as well. Many of these audiobooks are read by their authors which gives you the tonality and inflection that can never be fully conveyed in the written word.

One other resource I JUST learned about on Sunday thanks to good 'ol Skymall is getAbstract. This is another subscription service that provides executive summaries of over 5,000 books! The summaries are available as either 5 page .pdf documents, or .mp3 files. How cool is that?

The ideal information setup is probably some combination of the above services. Currently I primarily use Audible, but for the books that I find I really enjoy I often will also buy a regular paper book. Now I'm considering the addition of getAbstract to help me choose which books to invest in without wasting time and money on the duds.

[Full Disclosure: All of the links above are affiliate links, and if you choose to use any of these services I will receive a small commission. However, I would make these same recommendations with or without the cash incentive. Besides, most of the earnings will likely just fund my own business book habits]

How do YOU stay in the loop?

Happy Networking!

Scott Ingram
NetworkInAustin.com

Happy New Year!

I don't know about you, but I love the new year: That imaginary fresh slate, the new goals, the strategizing and planning, oh and Football! What's not to love?

Hopefully some of you who are reading this are setting specific goals around your networking efforts. You can and should do this, and if you're not sure how to go about it then you're definately going to want to check out the first NetworkInAustin.com monthly event on Monday, February 9th. There Thom Singer and I will present: Networking In The New Year - How to build your own 2009 networking strategy.

This post actually relates to all goals, not just your goals specific to networking. I saw something on the news the last couple of days where they were talking about how much failure there is in New Years Resolutions and goals. Just look around you. Your gym is probably packed, everyone is ordering salads at lunch all of a sudden and networking events will likely be busier than usual...

Then comes February, or maybe it's just January 10th. What happened? So many of those good intentions get washed away and everyone settles back into their old routines. I have a theory here. I think that these resolutions carry really high expectations: I'm going to go to the gym 4 times a week, or I'm going to give up all ice cream. Whatever it is the bar is set. Then they miss... Once. After that one miss it's all down hill and since we missed that once we may as well miss again and before we know it we're right back where we started.

I say, quit trying to be perfect! So you screwed up once. So what?! Keep moving forward. Heck, build a few screw ups into the plan. I'm going to give up Ice Cream, but I'll have one bowl Sunday night and if I really deserve it I might just have 2. 6 days on plan is a heck of a lot better than 0. Give yourself a break. Don't worry about being perfect and keep moving toward your goals.

To quote the title of a book who a good friend said was her favorite business book of 2008: Screw It, Let's Do It!

Happy Networking!

-Scott Ingram
NetworkInAustin.com

I am a huge fan of business books. They're about all I read unless I'm on vacation. As a lover of business I find just about every book in this category to be mentally stimulating.

A few days ago I asked my Twitter Followers what the best/most impactful business book they'd read in the last year was. They could only select 1.

The hands down winner was The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferris.

All of the other suggestions are listed below in this handy widget. Hopefully this serves as a handy jumping off point as you select your own next business book read.

Happy Networking!

Scott Ingram
NetworkInAustin.com