You see… I’m a junkie.
Every day I wake up and live a life of servitude to my addiction. It’s all consuming. It’s obsessive. And at times, it’s truly a burden for those close to me.
I’m a remorseless education junkie.
At this point in my life, I like to diversify my education portfolio. I go to at least one, often two, and occasionally three conferences per month. I hire coaches for myself (and the team) when I want more targeted help. I also value candid feedback about the various places I may be getting in my own way/ fucking up MFF (thanks MFFers!).
But my first love has always been, and always will be, books.
Over the past few years I’ve spiced up my consumption by integrating audiobooks. I’ve also trained my ear to understand two times, or even two and half, times speed.
One day soon, I will write a comprehensive article (or film a video??) on my personal approach to productivity. For today, I’ll simply tease you that I generally get through 8-12 books a month.
(REQUEST: Email me at [email protected] if you have a preference as to how you want me to cover my approach to time management. I’m either going to create a course to drip feed it, film a 90 minute presentation I’ve done in the past for the team, OR write a mondo article. What should I do? Let me know what makes your heart sing.)
And although I’m going to keep you waiting with baited breath as to how I consume this much, today I’d like to share what I consume.
Below is my list of all time favey faves.* This list also includes all of the Mark Fisher Fitness full team reading assignment to date (with *).
Would love for you to leave a comment and let me know how many of these 51 books you’ve read. Any ones you would add? What else should I add to my list of favey faves?
Enjoy, let me know what you think, and for the love of all that’s holy, share this list with anyone you know who wants to kick business ass.
BOOKS!
Personal Development
Flow – Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
Man’s Search For Meaning – Viktor Frankl
Thanks For the Feedback – Douglas Stone & Sheila Heen
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People – Stephen R. Covey
The Four Agreements – Doug Miguel Ruiz
Getting Things Done – David Allen
How To Win Friends and Influence People – Dale Carnegie
General Business
Conscious Capitalism* – John Mackey
The Speed of Trust* – Stephen R. Covey
How To Make More Money In the Fitness Industry – Thomas Plummer
The Thank You Economy – Gary Veynerchuck
A Whole New Mind – Daniel H. Pink
Leadership/Management
360 Degree Leadership* – John C. Maxwell
Leaders Eat Last – Simon Sinek
Leadership and Self Deception – The Arbinger Institute
Managing Oneself – Peter F. Drucker
First Break All the Rules – Gallup Press
Growing Great Employees – Erika Andersen
On Becoming A Leader – Warren Bennis
The Hard Thing About Hard Things – Ben Horowitz
What Got You Here Won’t Get You There – Marshall Goldsmith
Business Culture
Crucial Conversations* – Kerry Patterson
Crucial Accountability* – Kerry Patterson
Tribal Leadership – Dave Logan & John King
Delivering Happiness – Tony Hsieh
The Advantage – Patrick M. Lencioni
The Anatomy of Peace* – The Arbinger Institute
Marketing
Influence – Robert B. Cialdini
Getting Everything You Can Out Of All You’ve Got – Jay Abraham
No BS Guide to Direct Response Marketing – Dan S. Kennedy
The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing – Al Ries
The Education of Millionaires – Michael Ellsberg
Viralnomics – Jonathan Goodman
Sales
To Sell Is Human* – Daniel H. Pink
Ultimate Sales Machine – Chet Holmes
The Little Red Book of Selling – Jeffrey Gitomer
Secrets of Closing the Sale – Zig Ziglar
Ultimate Sales Letter – Dan S. Kennedy
Finance
Simple Numbers – Greg Crabtree
Profit First – Mike Michalowicz
Networking
Never Eat Alone – Keith Ferrazzi
Time Management
Getting Things Done – David Allen
Awesome list Mark. I am about half-way done.
Thanks!
Thomas Plummer’s book has smashed my reality to bits…really useful bits that I can now use to construct a functional business rather than the monstrosity that has been my full time occupation (for less than minimum wage) for the past 5 years. I have hope and optimism again for the first time in a long time. Thank you for the recommendation and all the great information you share.
So glad to hear it! Thom is the man and has been a great mentor of mine over the years. Glad to hear you see the path forward for you and your business. And please let me know if I can ever help or if there’s ever anything you want us to cover on B4U!