My blogging pace has drastically slowed over the past month or so- it’s not that I don’t enjoy writing for the blog, I have just been trying to use my time more efficiently to earn money, get out of debt, and lose weight. I have spent more time doing freelance work, working on building a small side business, and I have read several books (list of the books below).

• The Richest Man in Babylon – Loved this book, it’s a definite must read
• The Top 10 Distinctions Between Millionaires and the Middle Class – Loved this one too, another must read
• The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich – Lots of good stuff mixed in with some worthless portions that should be skipped. Overall, I would still call this a must read as it has given me lots of great ideas and inspiration, but be prepared to skip some of it.
• The Millionaire Next Door – Excellent premise and some good basic information, though rather long winded and dull at times (would be perfect minus about 1/3 of the words).
• Rich Dad, Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money–That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not! – Not quite done with this one yet, but I love what I have read so far.

Look for more complete reviews on those books some day (obviously given my recent pace it probably won’t happen too soon).

I have been attempting to ‘unplug’ a bit from the media and Internet lately- skipping the news almost entirely, un-subscribing to email that piled up in my inbox for no good reason and being very selective about the blogs I read. I have found a lot of ‘extra’ time this way and my mind feels sharper than it has for a while.

One thing I have realized recently is that it can become easy to think you are doing something to solve your financial or weight problems (or whatever the current goal is) because you spend time writing about them (such as this blog) or spend time reading about them (see the 100 plus blogs in my RSS Reader). It’s not that those activities aren’t beneficial, but more time needs to be spent actually DOING something to solve these problems- hence my shift in attention to finding ways to earn extra money and spending more time exercising. I think it is especially easy for bloggers and avid blog readers to get caught in this trap (I know it was for me).

My advice is to take some time to think about what you are doing right now and ask yourself if it is moving you closer to the goals you want to reach or is it just making you feel like you are doing something when in reality you aren’t moving any closer- it’s an empowering question!

By Eden, Mon 3 Mar 2008, Comments Categories: Life, Reviews