Books Applied Podcast - How to Take Smart Notes by Sönke Ahrens - Featuring Special Guest Kathleen Gabriel

Remember the it-only-takes-10,000-hours-to-be-an-expert craze? This book is by the guy (Anders Ericsson)who did the research on how to become an expert that was misinterpreted and started all the hullabaloo. The book clarifies what you actually need to do to become an expert and how to do it. (It may take less than 10,000 hours!)

Dan Heath created a ton of additional resources and info for this book. You can find these treasures at danheath.com/reset, and for resources for each chapter in the book, go to danheath.com/reset-links. Happy learning!

This book could have devolved into a bucket-list-frenzy for how to maximize the 4000 weeks we each have to live. Instead it looks at how to live well in the time we do have. Erika Cooley and I talk about how this book has influenced (or not) our lives and decisions.

Erica and I discuss the eminently readable Finding the Mother Tree. This book by Suzanne Simard describes her journey as a forest researcher and her surprising (to everyone more than herself) findings. Along the way, we talk about Suzanne's struggles with the status quo and what it takes to be a revolutionary in a deeply traditional field. Learn more about Erica and her work at catchlinecommunications.com.

This book can radically reduce stress and conflict in your interpersonal relationships.   The Five Types of People Who Can Ruin Your Life by Bill Eddy is a book that will help you make sense of those difficult people and challenging relationships in your life. Therapist Tracey Biebel and I get into the details in this deep conversation.   We particularly hope you enjoy the part when we wax poetic about how strongly we both recommend everyone read this book.   Learn more about Tracey and her work at https://www.traceybiebel.com/

There are more than winners and losers in every conflict - there is a third side. Enjoy this quick survey of a book with ideas I use very, very frequently when creating new and improved conflict response processes with leaders and their organizations. (This episode also references The Dawn of Everything and Sapiens.)

Is there a note-taking strategy that will change your thinking and make it easy to write multiple books a year? How to Take Smart Notes makes this claim (and more!). This conversation with Kathleen Gabriel gets to the bottom of these claims by examining the philosophical and practical applications of the book and the method it describes.

Holding Change is a book about how to thoughtfully facilitate and mediate so one can create profound change. In this episode, my sensational friend Jayne Nucete and I explore the nuances of this book and how it impacts how we facilitate (and mediate) groups in many different settings. This book is part guide, part manifesto, and part deep wisdom around how we show up with groups and co-create meaningful experiences.

Blink is not a new book but its insights have seeped into everyday life. The barrier between how we respond "without thinking" and our conscious "rational" thought is the topic of this fascinating book. Wendy Kleinfeldt and I discuss the benefits and disadvantages of these non-conscious reactions and how they affect our lives and organizations.

To many of us steeped in grind culture, just the idea of rest is heretical. In this excellent manifesto, Tricia Hersey shares the deeply revolutionary practice of rest as something we all deserve because we are humans. It is not something we must steal or hide or something granted to us so we can be more productive. Join Lisa Alexander and me as we discuss what it means to engage in rest as an act of resistance.