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3 books PR Pros need to read for Productivity & Flow!

Now that 2020 is almost over and we have some time to rest, relax and recuperate and finally find the time to bask in the sun with a book on hand, what’s on your reading list this holiday season?

PR professionals are always on the hunt for new ideas, developing new ways to assist their clients, be more creative, and keeping up with the industry, the next social media trends and the Kardashians. While we keep on keeping on, here are some great readings to help you relook productivity and flow to kick start the year with some newfound zest!

  1. Atomic Habits by James Clear

The premise of this bestseller by James Clear is that we often underestimate the value of making small improvements daily, we convince ourselves that massive success requires massive action – when really, it’s the little things that all mount up to great change. The 5 key takeaways from Atomic Habits –

  • Habits are the compound interest of self-improvement
  • If you want better results, forget about setting goals, focus on your system instead
  • Focus not on what you want to achieve, but on who you wish to become
  • The Four Laws of Behavior Change are a simple set of rules we can use to build better habits. They are (1) make it obvious, (2) make it attractive, (3) make it easy, and (4) make it satisfying
  • Finally, the environment is the invisible hand that shapes human behavior
  1. Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

Csikszentmihalyi dives deep into what he calls Flow, an optimal psychological state that if acquired, will result in immersion and concentrated focus on tasks. It’s an inward guide to finding success, growth and happiness through Flow. Often, as PR Pros we toggle between working on things that are too easy for us and no longer challenging or too challenging for us that it causes stress and anxiety.

The secret of Flow? To find the boundary between the easy/unchallenging and the hard/challenging so that your challenges are both meaningful and aligned with your capacity to act. To do this, here’s some of Csikszentmihalyi’s key advice:

  • Choose and clearly define your goals
  • Find ways to measure progress
  • Learn to concentrate fully on the task at hand
  • Develop the skills you need to make progress
  • Keep raising the stakes
  1. Stillness is the key by Ryan Holiday

This book may initially seem like an oxymoron for “busy” PR Pros, when we often thrive in a high speed, ever-changing environment. But sometimes, there’s wisdom in slowing down. In his book, Holiday takes the importance of stillness and quiet moments for a well-rounded professional and personal life. The 5 key takeaways from Still Is the Key:

  • Learn to cultivate mental stillness
  • Don’t let social media and trivial problems take over
  • Decide what to ignore and what to NOT think about
  • Conserve your energy
  • Build a life that you don’t need to escape from!
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