The latest short read is Beyond The To-Do List: Goals by Erik Fisher and Jim Woods. At less than 70 pages, it exists as part one in a series of three. It is a really basic introduction to goals, finding priorities (Life Wheel), how to create them (SMART), and some words on staying motivated to succeed. The book starts off with defining one’s self, priorities, and how to get perspective. It then briefly goes into creating a to-do list, importance of reflection and stopping points, and routines. The end resources are not bad, but there could more and categorized topics. It is important to note that while this book can be applied to shopping lists and the like, it is really a small discussion on aligning your daily actions to achieve goals that improve the quality of life. It is broad scope thinking and that is why the early emphasis on personality, strengths, and weaknesses takes up a noticeable portion of the text.

If the likes of David Allen’s Getting Things Done is too process oriented or Your Money or Your Life by Robin, Dominguez, and Tilford is too financially focused, then this might be a good starting book to determine where exactly to start. Socrates’ “know thyself” is a running theme and the resources include testing sites for DISC, Jung typology, and a strength finder. For the price, it has some useful information.

After reading it, I feel better about the number of changes I make in a year’s time based on a quote that mentions a life change (not necessarily a big change) every three months as being good. Over ten years, that is forty small changes towards becoming a new person. A reminder about the Life Wheel and a couple of Youtube video links was worth the free book (currently $3 on Amazon) and quick read.