There is a quote, which is often attributed to Mark Twain, that goes something like this:

A person who doesn’t read has no advantage over one who can’t.

The truth is that most of us don’t read very much at all. And for those that do, a lot of that reading time is spent with newspapers, magazines or miscellaneous work-related papers and articles.

Most people don’t read books. Most business people don’t read enough books. Yet, if you ask them, they will admit that they should read more. Common reasons that business people will give are not having enough time, not knowing what books to read and not finding books that interest them.

I have noticed when talking to business people who do want to read more, who do want to find interesting books and who would like to learn more, that they have something of a blind spot to an option that can provide them with a lot of the benefits but with less of the hassle – audiobooks!

Virtually everyone I know in business has a CD player in their car. Very few use that CD player to listen to audiobooks. Most of us now have some form of digital audio player but only a few of us use them to listen to books. Are audiobooks one of life’s biggest hidden secrets?

I don’t have time! Really?

With busy lifestyles, it’s difficult to make time to sit down and read. It’s not impossible but it’s tough. However, there are many opportunities for us to listen to audiobooks every single day: while commuting, while walking/jogging and while doing household chores.

The technology is there. Pop a CD in the player. Turn on the iPod. Plug in the earphones.

If you want to learn how much time you have available, try listening to a 5-hour audiobook. Your initial reaction will be ‘Wow, five hours – that’ll take me a couple of weeks to get through’. Trust me, if you plug into the book every time you have a chance to listen, you will be shocked at how quickly you will get through it. We consistently underestimate how much time we spend, say, commuting. Some people I know would get through that book in a single day. But right now, they believe they don’t have time.

Why listening can sometimes trump reading.

More and more authors are now also narrating their own audiobooks. This can be good news for us, as in the case of authors like Seth Godin and Gary Vaynerchuk. Their passion for the material and the particular emphasis that they give to particular words and points gives us extra value over the plain written word. I even find myself listening to books before reading them (books that I need to research quite deeply for purposes of work). And once you’ve heard the author’s unique interpretation of the words, you just can’t read the book any other way.

Sounds great. How do I start listening?

Most mainstream books now have an audio equivalent. There are many of ways of sourcing these but I would recommend two: Audible and iTunes. Audible was one of the first audiobook retaliers online and has become the #1 source. I personally use the US-based Audible.com. It has the greatest selection to choose from. But there is also a UK site – Audible.co.uk, which may well suit you better. You can purchase books individually or sign up to a plan which gives you a certain number of book credits per month. Apple’s iTunes is another easy way to access and download audiobooks. You may well have some iTunes credit waiting to be spent – check out the Audiobook category, you will be surprised at how many books are now available.

And if you’re still holding back on making the jump into iPods and mp3 players, then there are still a decent number of audiobooks available in CD format. Some of your bricks-and-mortar bookshops will have a CD section. Better yet, have a look at what’s available in your local library. You will see if there is a CD format available when you look at a book on Amazon.

Go for it. Let me know how you get on. If you’re already an audiobook listener, let me know which ones you would recommend to others.

Q1: How would you like to feel when your work is done today?

Got it?

Q2: What actions could you take now to maximise the likelihood of feeling like that?

The answer to Q2 will probably include stuff you don’t feel like doing now.

You have two choices: face up to what you need to do  & do it now OR think about it but do something else.

So, how do you think that latter option will make you feel?

There has rarely been a better time to quit. Everything appears to be changing. And changing faster than we ever expected. Old models are crumbling. Some new ones are emerging. There’s a lot of chaos in between.

If you have been worried about the social impact of quitting, then maybe this is as good as it gets. With the impact of the economic recession now at its peak, behaviours and expectations have changed. Displays of wealth are embarassing. Frugality is the new chic. Austerity is the new religion. Or so it appears at this point, at the turn of the year, indeed the decade.

But what is it that you should quit? In The Dip: The Extraordinary Benefits of Knowing When to Quit and When to Stick, Seth Godin asks whether you are in a ‘dip’ or a cul-de-sac. And his message is simple: if you’re in a cul-de-sac, it’s time to quit; if you’re in a dip, keep going.

Most of us probably have some dips and cul-de-sacs. We are irrationally compelled to have more than one. We need to figure out which is which. And we need to do it quickly.

Many business people are hanging on. Hanging on for the recession to go away. Hanging on until the good old days come back. If you’re hanging on for the return of 100% mortgages, you probably don’t need to be told that’s a cul-de-sac. And you do need to quit.

But some are surviving. They’re making progress, albeit modest progress. And many may not be realising financial gain. And their biggest question right now is: am I in a dip or a cul-de-sac?

The good news is that quitting the cul-de-sacs gives you more energy to push through the dips. As Godin says, we can’t be the best in the world (our world) at everything. The world needs us to be the best at something though. There we need to dominate. Elsewhere, we should probably leave.

You may well be working on your plans for 2010. You’re probably calling it a strategy. How many of those plans involve continuing down a cul-de-sac? Be honest. If you can’t, ask others. Ask your boss. Ask your customers. Ask those who won’t tell what you want to hear.

Here’s a great question: if we could start all over again from January 1st, how would we do it? Knowing now what we do, what wouldn’t we have got involved in or started?

Got the answers? Great.

Quit the cul-de-sacs. Embrace the dips. What’s stopping you?

Even though I use a quote from Albert Einstein elsewhere on this site, this post is not an exploration of his theory of relativity!

In recent weeks I have experienced both the total relaxation of holidays and the hectic busyness of a very full work schedule. Every day that passed apparently had the same number of hours on the clock. But it certainly didn’t feel that way.

The clock ticks at the same pace all the time. Each day comes and goes. The sun rises and then sets. Newspapers land in the stores with a new date.  Yet, time can feel so elastic.

On some holidays, with days of unstructured relaxation lying ahead, time can appear to be infinite. And many of us will tend to act as if there is an unlimited supply of time. But the clock is ticking at the same pace.

When we are under pressure, facing a deadline, or have over-committed ourselves, it feels like time is in very short supply. We work to maximise the output of every single minute. Yet, the clock is ticking at the same pace.

From working closely with people in our ‘Overcoming Procrastination’ workshops, I have noticed that our varying perception of the value of time can lie at the root of many non-productive behaviours. Why do we treat our time as being precious and valuable one day, yet the following day act as if it is a commodity with an infinite supply?

Finding a more consistent or level balance on how we value our time can be hugely effective in helping us get into a productive mode and ultimately, achieve our targets and goals. If we can find our optimal ’sense of urgency’ and ensure that it is sustainable, then we will have developed a very productive habit.

The ’sense of urgency’ label may have become a cliche in many business circles but I think it accurately captures a critical point of human behaviour. Of course, it’s easy to abuse the concept, especially in corporate environments where ’sense of urgency’ is measured as a required competency. I have seen many expend a lot of energy in creating a storm of dust but ultimately achieving very little.

So, here’s a key question: what is the optimal level of urgency that gets you moving on what you need to do but doesn’t tire you too quickly?

In recent months, I have developed the habit of a daily reflection, mostly completed before I begin to work. At present, I reflect on four points under the heading of ’sense of urgency’:

1. My time is not infinite
2. Today will never come again
3. Now is the time to act
4. I am at my best when I move with purpose

What works for you when you work to arm yourself with your optimal sense of urgency?

Are you looking for an Executive Coach? Wondering about your options, what it is and whether it can deliver a significant improvement for you? Aodan Enright of Smarter Egg can help…

Aodan Enright is an experienced executive coach who has worked with a wide variety of clients. Client profiles vary from senior executives in multinationals to startup entrepreneurs.

Contact Aodan now – without obligation
By Email: info – at – smarteregg – dot- com
By Phone: +353 (0)86 608 9498

What is Executive Coaching?
Aodan’s favourite definition of coaching comes from one of his tutors, Peter Bluckert: “Coaching is the facilitation of learning and development with the purpose of improving performance and enhancing effective action, goal achievement and personal satisfaction. It invariably involves growth and change, whether that is in perspective, attitude or behaviour.” It usually involves a series of sessions, one-to-one with a coach, typically from one to two hours in length. It is, of course, completely confidential.

What it’s Not!
Sometimes it’s helpful to clarify what Aodan’s coaching is not about. It’s not therapy, even though Aodan is trained and comfortable in the psychological realm. Neither is it an advice-giving service. Aodan’s style of coaching is not to provide all the answers for the client but to create an environment where the client can drive his/her own learning & development. Coaching is not intended to be a remedial or ‘catch-up’ service. It’s about becoming even better at what you do and fulfilling your true potential. Look at Padraig Harrington. He can hardly be described as in need of help yet he uses psychologically-aware coaching to give him the extra few percent to win at the highest level.

My favourite application of this idea is as practiced by Marshall Goldsmith and he shares the concept of his ‘Nightly Follow-Up Routine’ in his outstanding book What Got You Here Won’t Get You There. He has a coach that calls him every night, no matter where he is in the world, and asks him the same thirteen questions; the questions themselves are diverse, covering exercise, diet, sleep, work habits and being nice to his family.

I spoke about this very idea last week during a coaching session and committed to giving it a shot for myself. For many months last year, I used an ‘end of working day’ review list where I recorded answers to questions on how productive my day was, how much progress I had made on key projects etc. But it had mixed success. Most days, my answers were pretty good but on the days that they were not, I didn’t really do much to ensure the following day would be significantly different. So, it’s here that the partner comes in. We do behave differently when we know we’re going to have a conversation with someone at a given point in time. I guess some elements of our egos are fired up and we work to make sure we feel good during those conversations.

Ivan Misner, the networking maven, blogged on this very topic today. He provides a very useful list of questions that helps identify who might be potential candidates for the role. He seems satisfied with a weekly check-in; presumably the questions will be very different from Marshall’s personal list.

I have my partner selected and confirmed (no Senate hearings required). Now, I’m working on my question list…