One of the hardest things for small business owners to practice is work-life balance. Being the boss means being on call 24-7. Needing a fast answer for every question. Part of work-life balance is being able to tune-out that noise and take some time to do things you love. For many, that means picking up a good book!
While it may not be completely disengaging from “work”, reading a self-help or a business-related book can kill two birds with one stone.
Spend a few minutes creating a summer reading list. It will give you the me-time you need, while feeling like you’re multi-tasking at the same time!
To get you started, we’ve extracted the business minded books from JPMorgan’s 20th annual summer reading list. Featuring a wide variety of non-fiction books, the list includes everything from cookbooks to memoirs.
What’s going to be on your list?
Summer Reading – Business Books
1) “Out of the Gobi: My Story of China and America” by Weijian Shan – A powerful and poignant memoir that could potentially reshape the American view of China, and conversely, how the Chinese imagine life in America.
2) “The Age of Living Machines: How Biology Will Build the Next Technology Revolution” by Susan Hockfield – Written by former MIT president and neuroscientist, Susan Hockfield, The Age of Living Machines builds a story around new scientific and technological developments that will come together for a 21st century technology revolution.
3) “The Moment of Lift: How Empowering Women Changes the World” by Melinda Gates – A debut from Melinda Gates, this book shares eye-opening data along with personal stories about women’s empowerment and the benefit of lifting women for society and the global community.
4) “The Prosperity Paradox: How Innovation Can Lift Nations Out of Poverty” by Clayton Christensen, Efosa Ojomo and Karen Dillon – Global poverty remains a serious issue and no one has been successful creating a mass-produced solution. This book tackles the problem from an innovation and market development standpoint rather than economic development.
5) “Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World” by David Epstein – An examination of the world’s top performers in several fields reveals that specialization may not be the best practice for success. It’s the generalists that succeed – the people who think broadly, embrace diversity and cultivate their inefficiency.