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Some selp help books are helpful to some people. The problem is finding ones that would be helpful to you in the areas that matter to you.
There's two big problems...
a) It's hard to tell baloney from expert well-grounded advice.
b) Reading stuff, even if the content is 100% on the nail, is often insufficient to get a person to actually change their behavior or attitudes.
However some books that I've found at least a bit helpful at various times...
Stephen Covey - The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People
A few ideas have stayed with me, esp his Four Quadrants method of prioritising things to do, which I used to use for a few years.
Dave Allen - Getting Things Done
Again, useful for various practical tips on organising oneself and being productive. For example, the way he defined the concept of the "Next Action".
Deborah Tannen - That's Not What I Meant
She's written a few books on communication styles, esp differences between men and women. It's quite intiguing esp if you talk over the ideas with your partner! Some great moments of: "OMG, so that's what you meant when you said yadda, I never realised!"
But bottom-line books alone are pretty ineffective compared to life experiences or the best experiental training courses. Of course those cost thousands of dollars, and books are quite cheap by comparison, so we shouldn't complain too much!
There's two big problems...
a) It's hard to tell baloney from expert well-grounded advice.
b) Reading stuff, even if the content is 100% on the nail, is often insufficient to get a person to actually change their behavior or attitudes.
However some books that I've found at least a bit helpful at various times...
Stephen Covey - The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People
A few ideas have stayed with me, esp his Four Quadrants method of prioritising things to do, which I used to use for a few years.
Dave Allen - Getting Things Done
Again, useful for various practical tips on organising oneself and being productive. For example, the way he defined the concept of the "Next Action".
Deborah Tannen - That's Not What I Meant
She's written a few books on communication styles, esp differences between men and women. It's quite intiguing esp if you talk over the ideas with your partner! Some great moments of: "OMG, so that's what you meant when you said yadda, I never realised!"
But bottom-line books alone are pretty ineffective compared to life experiences or the best experiental training courses. Of course those cost thousands of dollars, and books are quite cheap by comparison, so we shouldn't complain too much!
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You gave a very thorough answer. I like the way you thought the whole thing through.
voted helpful: twinpairs
Yes, the right ones are. A well written one can help you become more self aware. I have a few self help books and find those that give tips on finance and communication are the ones that are valuable.
There is however a dark side, with the popularity of self help books there are also quite a bit of "shovel books" books rushed to print by publishers looking to cash in on trends, these books can be trite and horrific to read.
Find the type of self help that you are looking for, and look for reviews of the book. Personally I like to check out the Amazon.com reviews of a book before buying it
There is however a dark side, with the popularity of self help books there are also quite a bit of "shovel books" books rushed to print by publishers looking to cash in on trends, these books can be trite and horrific to read.
Find the type of self help that you are looking for, and look for reviews of the book. Personally I like to check out the Amazon.com reviews of a book before buying it
voted helpful: twinpairs
Yes they are very helpful especially IF the reader is really eager to learn from it. But if the reader isn't really helping himself, no matter what book you give him/her, nothing will happen.
voted helpful: twinpairs
I think they are especially ones that help with personal enrichment.
Self help tech books though are another story. I would rather have an instructor or friend help me with those issues.
good luck
Self help tech books though are another story. I would rather have an instructor or friend help me with those issues.
good luck
source(s):
personal experience
personal experience
voted helpful: twinpairs
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