Lifestyle|Finding your next best read

“I do believe something very magical can happen when you read a good book”.  J K Rowling

If you are looking for a good read, more than often you are looking for what’s next? 

Books are often selected based on what you like to read (same genre), recommendation of your friends (same kind of people) or influencers you follow (same taste). 

Have you thought of your mindset? Why you read the books you like? Have you tried a new genre? Do you think you usually choose a book based on what you are thinking? For you it can be the mood/environment you are currently in or what you want to be (professionally, transformations or a person). 

Here are some simple ways to find out your next read:

1. Amazon or kindle suggests your next read/buy based on your reading preference, browse them if possible read a sample and then buy.

2. Good reads are a great way to read up some sample and reviews. 

3. If you prefer classics, this list might be a great option to look at 

4. Join a book club- Start one or join any. This might bring you different opinions and books that might help you find the next read of genre. 

5.  Whichbook is a great way to look at different parameters that you enjoy reading and then suggested reads are provided. Try it 

What have you been reading? You can find details about my last two kindle downloads here. 

(Pic courtesy: Pexel.com and Canva.com)

Product Round Up for June

This month I thought I would share my love of reading and few of my all time 7 fav books with you. Let me know if you like the list and share  some of yours. 

The mentioned books are all from my personal collection (hardcopy and kindle versions) and not sponsored or gifted by the Author or the Publishing House. However, some of the links used here are affiliate links which means if you buy anything using the links, I make a little bit of money at no extra cost to you. this helps me run the blog and bring amazing content to you.

Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office -  read a review here 

You are a Bad Ass  - First Impression of the book can be found here

Tools of the Titans  - Tim Ferris is another of my favourites and I try to read all of his books, to read a brief review click here . 

The Checklist - I am a big fan of Atul Gawande and have read a lot of his books, this one is the first of his that I read and loved it. The review is right here.

Code of the Extraordinary Mind  - to know more about the book, click here.

The Sleep Revolution- An impulsive airport buy on my way to Goa, this book taught me a lot about sleeping and a lot that comes with it. If you are way busy with your life and think sleep is the thing I can manipulate and few cups of extra coffee will work, think again and read this 

When Life becomes Breath- the book left me sleepless for a week, if you need. reason to be grateful for your own life and stop complaining read this . This is not fiction, its real life.  

Holocracy  - If you are into Agile and new findings and case studies, this one will get you for sure. The book is about creating an organisation without managers. Zappos is one of the few companies that adopted this model and there have been numerous writings about it on the web. Read the blogpost about it here. 

Thank you for reading and supporting the site.

(Pic: Soma Bhattacharya)

June| Article Round Up

So, its Monday and you are looking for some inspiration to start your week right, here are some round ups of great reads to lift up your mood and set you up for new challenges.  

1. If you are interested in technology, this is a very interesting read on how “Microsoft kicked off the second phase of its experimental underwater data center project Wednesday, submerging a shipping-container sized data center with 864 servers near the Orkney Islands in Scotland.” 
2. If you work in an Agile environment, this is what you should know and why millennials are your dream audience .  Here's another one in the same line 
3.  If you are looking for some great reads for this summer, this list might interest you. 
4. Technology and love for food comes together for this start up that’s been inspired by moms cooking, all about Buttermilk for you and how Indian food doesn’t need hours of stirring anymore. 
5. So you manage a team and often are overwhelmed by the work and managing conflicts, this read is about making decisions in a company withno managers.  
6. Want to be that genius, read here how to uncover your true potential 
7.  Anthony Bourdain’s news broke my heart, I fell in love with cooking after watching his episodes years ago. This articles is a wonderful read for those us is who love food and will not hesitate to try a new restaurant for the love of a new cuisine.
8. If you are bad with long term goals or keeping new ears resolutions, breaking it down into small bites might be your thing, read this one if you like to read about personal journeys plus how to manage your financial goals.

The article round up for May can be found here. 

 (Pic Courtesy: Google Images)

October Wrap Up

Happy Halloween!

This month I thought I would share something fun- so the decors and gadgets to keep around at work for better productivity and happiness.                                     

                                                         

So, if you are into cleaning up your space and getting into the right Fall mood, here are some links for you:

• Productivity gadgets 
• 20 productivity apps
• Office gadgets you would want to have
• Decorating your cubicle
• How to improve your mood

Reading this month for me was limited to Amy Cuddy’s book -Presence, rest was mostly work related research. 

I also did a wellness journey via Instagram  and yes I posted for a month everyday.

November will be busy month with fun projects and upcoming travel in December. 

How was your October?

(pic courtesy: Soma Bhattacharya)

Aug Wrap Up

I hope you have been doing great this month, mine has been a mish mash. While work has gotten me busier and happier with more challenging stuff everyday; my personal life has become more and more difficult to manage. My son started day care and he falls sick more often than before.

I have been trying meditation and some quiet time (if I am lucky to manage some), trying to keep sane. I think often to connect with my mentors, honestly, there’s barely anytime to even write emails. However, I have signed up for more learning (via Coursera-Standfords- Organizations Analysis), reading more books and even as a joke and dare I recorded my first YouTube (its so awful that I won’t even link it here). However I know there’s more learning coming up as I dabble in editing and understanding how to make a YouTube video and very proud to put myself out there when I know it isn’t going to be perfect.

To wrap up this month for you, here are some of the highlights, I hope you enjoy.

Good Reads (Blogs)

• How a blog makes money out of it 
• Psychological safety for high performing teams 

 New Books:

• Daniel Pinks- When (Coming up)
• Elizabeth Harrin’s- Communicating Change(ebook) 

Finally, a book that changed me: When Breath Becomes Air

(PicCourtesy: Soma Bhattacharya)

Feb- Quick Reads

Grab a coffee and get reading :)

Here are some random reads for Feb:

• How to get a better paying job in IT industry
• Looking into productivity patterns
• Project management online courses
• Rapidstart PMO review
• Building an Agile Enterprise Change plan Visually
• Changing role of product management 
• Day in the life of a product manager
• Moving from project management to product management 

Just in case you want to read more, try the 20 books for project managers. 

(Pic courtesy: Pinterest)

Best of 2016: Moving Foward

2016 has been a tough year for me, it has tested me in every possible way and yet I am thankful that I have survived. The  journey taught me a lot and I thought I will share with you some of my favorite things I have discovered last year that I intend to carry forward with me to 2017.

I have realized being organized helps me declutter and empty up my head space and it's a big relief. So, I have spent the last 2 months doing exactly that- sorting out my brain.

Here are some of the things I have enjoyed, I hope you like them and let me know what was yours.

Best Apps

• Evernote (productivity and organization)- I use this to bookmark links or upload documents primarily for work or blog.
• Big Basket (online grocery- India)- saves me from the traffic in Indian roads. 
• Canva (design and content creation)- I use this for creating posters and banners that I use in the blog or in my social media channels.
• Pinterest (visual board)- its the last thing I browse before bed, I love beautiful things (or pictures)
• Omvana (meditation) - I discovered it very recently after reading the Code of the Extraordinary Mind. 
• Noteboard- chrome extension (efficiency and productivity)- good place to jot down my lists and goals plus I like the feel of a cork board.

Best Gadgets

• Garmin Activity Tracker (physical fitness)- if you have read my post on 5 Years- Thats how long it took you know what I am talking about. This helps plus I love the reminder to Move!
• Wireless speaker/headphone  (music, phone calls)- I have carried it with me when travelling to cient sites. When you are contantly living out of a suitcase it helps to have a familiar routine, even if that means listening to a familiar soundtrack. 

Best  Blogs

• Girls Guide to PM (project management)
• Chalkboard Magazine (lifestyle)
• Every Girl (lifestyle)
• IT Risk Manager (organizational change and process implementation)

Best of SIPM Posts

• Finding your zone
• Getting Off the Grid 
• This is how I work series 
• 10 ways to bring back productivity 

Pic Courtesy: pinterest

Some of the links used are Amazon affiliate links, it helps me keep this site running if you happen to buy the products using the link. Thank you.

December without Snow

I am in the mood to celebrate life and December is my favorite month.

So, I have ordered a few more books and my Sundays are mostly about trying to cut down the clutter and soaking up the sun. 

 I am trying to get back to my original self, being more grateful, trying out new hobbies and hoping that this month is where I get to be creative again.

Last month I traveled, planted some more plants in my tiny balcony and started posting in Instagram. I also sprained my left ankle.

I have so much stuff coming for the blog and I am positive that my new change of routines and way of working will ensure I actually can get them done. So, it’s just not a concept running around wild in my head!

For some random links that I have been browsing recently:

• Let’s start with the gifts: click here 
• How about unwinding for the year by doodling and learning about its benefits: click here
• Thinking about starting your own and finding out the latest in the tech world journalism: Click here
• If you follow a end of day or beauty routine, ever heard of the capsule format: click here
• Why Scrum is a scale free architecture: Click here
• How about some serious reading on how social media and mental health are connected: click here

Anyone interested in browsing through the top 50 project management blogs (By Feedspot). can look up here.

(Pic Courtesy: Pinterest)

Whats in my Bedside Table- The Reading List

This is whats going on right now.

The last book I read was The Sleep Revolution.

Current Read- The Checklist Manifesto.

To read- The Talent Code.

To see why you should be reading these as well, check this space next week.

Whats in your bag?

(Pic Courtesy: Soma Bhattacharya)

What I have been reading and why it matters to you

I wanted to share with you some random links that makes sense when you look at it from your personal development point of view.

For success, life not only has to be organized, you have to be in a very stable mental space and none of them just happen to happen. I hope you find something in these stories that helps you find that zone. 

• Does it matter where you sit in office, find out here.   
• Being comfortable and confident is important, find out why 
• Books on Behavioral changes 
• Ways to style your work desk as you progress through the years.
• Minimal distraction writing tool 
• Ways to declutter, here's how 

And looking for a real pick me up, don't miss this. Malcolm Gladwell being interviewed by Tim Ferris.

"For one hour of writing, there's three hours of thinking". 

How to read a book?

I love reading books, I have recently also moved to reading –eBooks and reading books online via i-pad.

This post isn’t about that.

It’s about finding the most effective way to read a book, remember the idea behind it and trigger the thought process. Not exactly the way you would read a novel.

I’ll explain what I mean- I like reading books in combos. This means if they are on similar topics/themes I will club them together and read. I don’t club more than 3 books. For example- I read Rework  and Delivering Happiness  together; both are about creating corporate cultures and see how differently it’s done for the same goal.

I read Beyond Boys Club  and Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office  together. You get the idea.

My recent ongoing read is The Fifth Discipline  and Critical Chain  .

Why this is great:

• You can easily compare between the books and theories and real life examples before yo forget.
• It makes me think because I am reading 2 different opinions about the same topic, sometimes complimentary, sometimes contradictory
• By reading 2-3 authors at the same time, I spread my horizon more on the topic.

How do you prefer reading yours?

(Pic Courtesy: Pinterest)