Lockdown Reading, 37 Min/Day

“I read books.” - Elon Musk (when asked how he learned to build rockets)

Since the lock down in March I have not boarded a flight and the opportunity for placid in-flight reading has vanished. After 12 hours of daily virtual meetings, one needs a break from screens. There are few things more beneficial than reading, and I thought I would highlight some books that I really enjoyed reading over the past 16 weeks. It just takes 35 to 37 mins of reading every day to get through these, no more. Instead of giving you a brief overview, which cannot possibly do these great works justice, I thought that it would be fun to share a few short quotes from each. I typically read at ~250 words per min which is an average reading speed. I've provided approximate reading time for each book.

“Reading is important. If you know how to read, then the whole world opens up to you.” - President Barack Obama

The Art of War by Sun Tzu (Read Time: 38 Mins)

“Engage people with what they expect; it is what they are able to discern and confirms their projections. It settles them into predictable patterns of response, occupying their minds while you wait for the extraordinary moment — that which they cannot anticipate.”

“Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.” - Frederick Douglas

The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli (Read Time: 2 Hours and 14 Mins)

“Everyone sees what you appear to be, few experience what you really are.” and “The first method for estimating the intelligence of a ruler is to look at the men he has around him.”

“Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers.” - Harry Truman

Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing (Read Time: 7 Hours)

“No matter what the odds, a man does not pin his last hope for survival on something and then expect that it will fail.” and “Of all their enemies -- the cold, the ice, the sea -- he feared none more than demoralization.”

“How can any man judge unless his mind has been opened and enlarged by reading?” - John Adams

Good to Great by Jim Collins (Read Time: 6 hours)

“Letting the wrong people hang around is unfair to all the right people, as they inevitably find themselves compensating for the inadequacies of the wrong people. Strong performers are intrinsically motivated by performance, and when they see their efforts impeded by carrying extra weight, they eventually become frustrated.”

“Books allowed me to see a world beyond the front porch of my grandmother’s shotgun house…[and] the power to see possibilities beyond what was allowed at the time.” - Oprah Winfrey

Tribes by Seth Godin (Read Time: 2 Hours)

“In a battle between two ideas, the best one doesn't necessarily win. No, the idea that wins is the one with the most fearless heretic behind it.” and “Change isn't made by asking permission. Change is made by asking forgiveness, later.”

“Books allow you to fully explore a topic and immerse yourself in a deeper way than most media today.” - Mark Zuckerberg

Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh (Read Time: 4 Hours and 45 Mins)

“Happiness is really just about four things: perceived control, perceived progress, connectedness (number and depth of your relationships), and vision/meaning (being part of something bigger than yourself).”

“I cannot live without books.” - Thomas Jefferson

How to Win Friends And Influence People by Dale Carnegie (Read Time: 4 Hours and 45 Mins)

“When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but with creatures bristling with prejudice and motivated by pride and vanity.” and “Talk to someone about themselves and they'll listen for hours.”

“Almost everything I have read has been useful to me — science, poetry, politics, novels. I have a lifelong interest in epistemology and learning. My books have helped me develop a way of thinking critically in business.” - Sidney Harman

Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl (Read Time: 2 Hours and 45 Mins)

“Man does not simply exist but always decides what his existence will be, what he will become the next moment. By the same token, every human being has the freedom to change at any instant.”

“Reading is still the main way that I both learn new things and test my understanding.” - Bill Gates

The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell (Read Time: 5 Hours)

“Look at the world around you. It may seem like an immovable, implacable place. It is not, With the slightest push - in just the right place - it can be tipped.” and “There are exceptional people out there who are capable of starting epidemics. All you have to do is find them. 

“Show me a family of readers, and I will show you the people who move the world.” - Napolean Bonaparte

Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman (Read Time: 7 Hours and 45 Mins)

“Our emotional mind will harness the rational mind to its purposes, for our feelings and reactions-- rationalizations-- justifying them in terms of the present moment, without realizing the influence of our emotional memory.”

“If you cannot read all your books…fondle them — peer into them, let them fall open where they will, read from the first sentence that arrests the eye, set them back on the shelves with your own hands, arrange them on your own plan so that you at least know where they are. Let them be your friends; let them, at any rate, be your acquaintances.” - Sir Winston Churchill

In Search of Excellence by Tom Peters (Read Time: 6 Hours and 40 Mins)

“Life is pretty simple: You do some stuff. Most fails. Some works. You do more of what works. If it works big, others quickly copy it. Then you do something else. The trick is the doing something else.”

“There is more treasure in books than in all the pirate’s loot on Treasure Island.” - Walt Disney

True North by Bill George (Read Time: 5 Hours and 45 Mins)

“The reality is that no one can be authentic by trying to be like someone else. There is no doubt you can learn from their experiences, but there is no way you can be successful trying to be like them. People trust you when you are genuine and authentic, not an imitation.”

“My best friend is a person who will give me a book I have not read.” - Abraham Lincoln

Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven R. Covey (Read Time: 7 Hours and 30 Mins)

“Habit 1: Be Proactive. Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind. Habit 3: Put First Things First. Habit 4: Think Win/Win. Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood. Habit 6: Synergize. Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw.”

“Read 500 pages…every day. That’s how knowledge works. It builds up, like compound interest. All of you can do it, but I guarantee not many of you will do it.” - Warren Buffett

The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho (Read Time: 3 Hours and 45 Mins)

“It's the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting.” and “Everyone seems to have a clear idea of how other people should lead their lives, but none about his or her own.”

“I would continuously search for new ideas. I read every book and magazine I could. Heck, 3 bucks for a magazine, 20 bucks for a book. One good idea that led to a customer or solution and it paid for itself many times over.” - Mark Cuban

?Meditations by Marcus Aurelius (Read Time: 3 Hours and 40 Mins)

“You have power over your mind - not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.” and “Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.”

Well, there you go. I’d be fascinated to hear about the books that have guided you over the lockdown.