Running a business, helping clients, raising children, updating skills, and incorporating daily health and wellness all take a lot of work. When we need a little help in these areas we turn to a variety of resources for assistance, particularly books and blogs. So we thought we would share 5 resources we are currently using.
UX Lifecycle by Jeremy Baines and Clive Howards
We are a web design and development company so it only makes sense that we want to keep our user experience or UX skills and perspective fresh. However, this audiobook goes beyond that, exploring the user experience as processes within an organization as well as talking about the importance of research.
Eric Barker’s Barking Up the Wrong Tree blog
If you haven’t yet found this little gem, we encourage you to check it out. Our inboxes are flooded with all sorts of offers, spam, critical issues, as well as the occasional email from Aunt Josephina, but one weekly email that we always look forward to is the latest science-based tips on how to improve our lives. We love learning about everything from productivity to being happier to dealing with bullies. Plus, his weekly email updates are chock full of extra goodness often with a just-right hint of wit.
OMG! Where to even begin. This site has it all, articles, videos, webinars — wait, we don’t think we’ve seen any dancing monkeys yet, but there’s always a possibility. Seriously, if you want to know more about marketing, social media, analytics, and more this is the place for you. Check out the freebies or invest in yourself and purchase a membership.
Shhhhhh…you may not know it, but at least one member of our team identifies as an introvert and a couple of the others have hinted at introverted tendencies. In a world full of extroverts, Susan Cain’s Quiet Revolution is a site that reminds us that it’s okay to take time to think, that there is strength in stillness and that there is nothing wrong with being quirky. If you are an introvert, have one in the family, or are leading a team with an introvert or two on it, you might just find this a helpful site. You can follow them on Facebook, LinkedIn, or sign up for the email newsletter.
Team of Teams by General Stanley McChrystal, U.S. Army, Retired with Tantum Collins, David Silverman, and Chris Fussell
No matter if you are a CEO of a company with 500 employees, a team lead of 3, or simply trying to wrangle a group of creatives on a project, almost everyone can benefit from a better understanding of leadership and teamwork. General Stanley McChrystal’s experience in remaking the Joint Special Operations Task Force in Iraq provides useful nuggets ranging from communication to office setup and everything in between.
Now, it’s your turn. Tell us what you are reading so we can all share in the collective wisdom of our community!