Back to Work!

August 13, 2018

You may have noticed that my blog has been quiet lately. I actually made a conscious choice to stay away from my computer and keep my consumption of digital media to a minimum. This allowed me to be out and about and enjoy the heat wave this amazing summer in Sweden has given us (while trying to ignore that it’s an obvious sign that the climate is changing).

This time also freed me up to read some really good books which I want to share with you! And no, it won’t be UX books as I, as hard as it is to admit, never read books about UX…. well, not specifically. Of course I can recommend ‘What UX is’ and ‘How you can learn UX’ for those who are curious, but I like to read on different topics that relate to what I do. The ones I enjoy are about business (specifically running a small business) or about life (discovering how to live a ‘good life’). UX and business/personal growth books may seem to have very little in common at first, but I find they share a lot.

To put it really simply, the key to success in business is doing the right thing. Do more of the stuff that makes sense and less of the stuff that doesn’t. Same goes for life in general, right? Do more of the stuff that’s of value to you and less of the stuff that’s irrelevant. The challenge, of course, is finding out what makes sense and what doesn’t; what is of value and what isn’t. This applies DIRECTLY to crafting a great user experiences! For instance, apps that have a great user experience are the apps where someone has taken the time to identify what makes sense and what doesn’t and applied it.

Anyway, here are some of the books I’ve enjoyed during my summer:

Business books

What they don’t teach you at Harvard Business School by Mark H. McCormack

“The best lesson anyone can learn from business school is an awareness of what it can’t teach you.” Mark was known as ‘the most powerful man in sport’ and offers great advice to running a successful business. Business Schools are great, but this book offers all the ins and outs of everyday business life focused on achieving.

The Million Dollar One-Person Business by Elaine Pofeldt

“Make great money. Work the way you like. Have the life you want.” That intro had me hooked, but I was a bit disappointed as many of the companies they bring up tended to scale up by eventually hiring more people. I enjoy being a one man show!

Small Giants by Bo Burlingham

“Business is business, and mistakes happen no matter how great a company you have. If someone finds a small screw in their risotto, they’re going to tell everybody they know. I can’t change that. But what I can do is make sure that when they tell that story they go on to say, ‘But do you know how the restaurant handled that?’.
Same goes for any great user experience. Errors will occur - but how they are communicated and handled is what will define your user’s experience.

Personal growth books

Bored and Brilliant by Manoush Zomorodi

“When was the last time you were bored? When was the last time you had a brilliant idea? If the answer to both questions is ‘not since I had a smart phone’ then you are not alone.” I loved this book and have applied many of the techniques to cut down on my digital consumption. I highly recommend this book along with Manoush’s brilliant podcast, Note to Self.

The Universe Has Your Back by Gabrielle Bernstein

“How to feel safe and trust your life no matter what”. For someone that’s a bit anxious and always want to feel as if I have things under control, this book was an eye-opener. Gabrielle brilliantly guides the reader through different stages; to be able to express out loud what you want and trust that in someway, the universe will guide you in the right direction.

Rest - Why You Get More Done When You Work Less by Alex Soojung-Kim Pang

Pang writes about the importance of rest and how working less (and resting more) will make you do better work. Within the tech sector, there’s often a glorification of overworking and, in order to succeed, 80-100 hour weeks are a must.

“Instead of searching for life hacks to make us more efficient and creative, we can avail ourselves to the life hack that’s been around for as long as we have: rest. We have to be as deliberate about it as we are about work. If you want rest, you have to take it. You have to resist the lure of busyness, make time for rest, take it seriously, and protect it from a world that is intent of stealing it.”

It’s honest, authentic, and accessible.

I love sharing my experiences working in design and what’ve I’ve learned along the way. Join a community of thousands of designers, developers, and product professionals by signing up to my newsletter!

Not quite ready to sign up? I totally understand! Why not start by reading some of my past issues?

Great! Just “one more thing”...

You need to confirm your email to confirm your subscription.

  1. March, 2024

  2. February, 2024

  3. January, 2024

  4. December, 2023

  5. November, 2023

  6. October, 2023

  7. September, 2023

  8. August, 2023

  9. July, 2023

  10. June, 2023

  11. May, 2023

  12. April, 2023

  13. March, 2023

  14. January, 2023

  15. December, 2022

  16. November, 2022

  17. September, 2022

  18. August, 2022

  19. July, 2022

  20. June, 2022

  21. May, 2022

  22. April, 2022

  23. January, 2022

  24. December, 2021

  25. November, 2021

  26. October, 2021

  27. September, 2021

  28. August, 2021

  29. July, 2021

  30. June, 2021

  31. May, 2021

  32. April, 2021

  33. March, 2021

  34. January, 2021

  35. November, 2020

  36. October, 2020

  37. September, 2020

  38. August, 2020

  39. June, 2020

  40. May, 2020

  41. April, 2020

  42. March, 2020

  43. February, 2020

  44. January, 2020

  45. December, 2019

  46. November, 2019

  47. October, 2019

  48. September, 2019

  49. August, 2019

  50. July, 2019

  51. June, 2019

  52. May, 2019

  53. April, 2019

  54. March, 2019

  55. February, 2019

  56. January, 2019

  57. December, 2018

  58. November, 2018

  59. October, 2018

  60. September, 2018

  61. August, 2018

  62. July, 2018

  63. June, 2018

  64. May, 2018

  65. April, 2018

  66. March, 2018

  67. February, 2018

  68. January, 2018

  69. December, 2017

  70. November, 2017

  71. October, 2017

  72. September, 2017

  73. August, 2017

  74. July, 2017

  75. June, 2017

  76. May, 2017

  77. April, 2017

  78. March, 2017

  79. February, 2017

  80. January, 2017

  81. December, 2016

  82. November, 2016

  83. October, 2016

  84. September, 2016

  85. August, 2016

  86. July, 2016

  87. June, 2016

  88. May, 2016

  89. April, 2016

  90. March, 2016

  91. February, 2016

  92. January, 2016

  93. December, 2015

  94. November, 2015

  95. October, 2015

  96. September, 2015

  97. August, 2015

  98. July, 2015

  99. June, 2015

  100. May, 2015

  101. April, 2015

  102. November, 2014

  103. April, 2013