Comments on: The Care and Feeding of World-Changers

By: Martin

Martin — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 23:47:56 +0000

Murukami is awesome, and I really enjoyed “What I talk about when…”

Thanks for the post.

By: Trackback from Kim Woodbridge

Trackback from Kim Woodbridge — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 20:31:37 +0000

[...] The Care and Feeding of World Changers – Chris Guillebeau talks about reading and how important it is to make time to do so. The article and comments also includes reading suggestions. [...]

By: Derek Ralston

Derek Ralston — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 03:54:23 +0000

Great post- I’ve definitely noticed that times in my life when I have a habit of reading every day, I am more growth-oriented and the ideas I learn really expand my thinking. Reading Learned Optimism by Martin Seligman right now. Highly recommended!

Good rules for eliminating distractions, especially “Never feel bad about stopping work to exercise”… I usually come back more energized and full of ideas after working out. So it’s actually a more productive use of time than working for long hours without a break.

By: Trackback from Gifted Slacker

Trackback from Gifted Slacker — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 10:54:08 +0000

[...] Time Mismanagement Posted in Health, Life by Grant on August 21st, 2008 Chris of the Art of Nonconformity gives his rules for distraction elimination. Here’s why they’re important to me [...]

By: Summer Fey Foovay

Summer Fey Foovay — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 18:33:49 +0000

Biographies – the things you learn and the inspiration from biographies, for me anyway, is endless. That said, most of my reading lately has been very light. Even the non-fiction (Made in America by Bill Bryson) is light – although it has actually given me a dozen or so ideas for stories. I’m in the process of “switching gears” – changing my focus away from webpages so much to writing and “real” art (not clip art or coloring pages). I’ve just ordered some books on the Law of Attraction & Money hoping for some good inspiration and ideas. My next book binge will likely be some art instruction books.

By: Dirt

Dirt — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 02:14:11 +0000

Hi Chris,
First off I’d like to thank you for pushing my wife over the edge. She has been haunted by your manifesto and is now opening her second boutique.

As for inspiration, these authors and thinkers always push me: Fulghum, Merton, Ravi Zacharias, Godin, Lincoln, Hemingway, Maugham, Salinger and Steinbeck. I’ve always had a hard time with modern fiction, but your not the first person I’ve heard cite Murakami, so it appears it may be time to pick him up.

Thanks for the “eliminating distractions” guidlines/rules. I’m a procrastinator of the worst kind – it can become paralyzing – and it is rules like these that move me forward through my days.

Thanks again and keep it up.

Cheers,
Dirt

By: Chris

Chris — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 23:38:49 +0000

Definitely anything by Seth Godin!

Personally, I’ve been greatly inspired by Eben Pagan and his Get Altitude program and I really think that I’ve caught the entrepreneurial bug and I’ve been reading a lot of business books lately.

“Made to stick” is a must-read for anybody as well as “Freakanomics”.
I love the short version of the Starbucks story so I’m heading to get the book.

And the book that will probably greatly influence me will be the Lance Armstrong’s biography.

Weird tho, nobody has mentioned Remarque and his “All quiet on the Western Front”

And Mark Twain!

By: wes

wes — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 21:09:51 +0000

As far as GMail goes. I’d love to limit it, but it wont let me shut of the automatic reload so emails keep coming as i answer old ones. any tips?

By: Barbara Winter

Barbara Winter — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 20:39:47 +0000

I’m a voracious reader and thought of a couple of additions you–and your readers–might like. An overlooked, but terrific, book is Bruce Grierson’s U-TURN: What If You Woke Up One Morning and Realized You Were Living the Wrong Life?

Another recent favorite of mine is MAKE THE IMPOSSIBLE POSSIBLE by Bill Strickland, along with A WHOLE NEW MIND by Daniel Pink.

I really believe that if we want to live an inspired life, we need to nurture inspiration every single day–not just when we’re in a slump. Reading carefully chosen books is a wonderfully accessible way to do just that.

By: Metroknow

Metroknow — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 19:44:39 +0000

Like many of those who left comments, the article really smacked me squarely between the eyes as well (Chris, maybe the corollary to your ass-kicking article is a “punch in the face” article ). I have been experiencing this exact situation with my own goals…I’ve embarked, but now the work of shoveling the coal into the engine has begun, and I’ve been losing momentum, feeling as though I’m slogging through and getting slower. This was just the kind of reminder that I needed.

I have lately been too focused on books related to one of my sites (health and fitness, primarily). I say “too focused” because I feel like my writing suffers when I’m not reading a diverse set of work. When you are consumed with a book like A Consumer’s Dictionary of Food Additives, your brain gets a little wigged out, and the inspiration seems to stop gurgling. I need to read a little fiction. One book a month seems like a good target.

Thanks for shaking the cage a bit for me – I like the guidelines you’ve described here, and am going to craft a similar set. I have let most of my writing habits slip in the last few weeks, and that has got to change. Time to get the rock rolling again.