September 2023 Newsletter

Updated on September 12, 2023

In the case of good books, the point is not to see how many of them you can get through, but rather how many can get through to you.

—Mortimer J. Adler

I wish I had read this quote last November when I started a book challenge to rekindle my love of reading. Thankfully, a few duds early on helped me come to this realization anyway – If the book wasn’t getting through to me in its first third, I gave myself permission to ditch it.

That left room on my bookshelves for those that did get through, many in profound, life-changing ways. Ahead of the here-before-we-know-it chilly autumn afternoons perfect for cozying up on the couch with a good book, I’m sharing three of my favorites, each of which has fitting case studies and loads of concepts perfect for our shared short-term rental community.

📗 Build for Tomorrow

By Jason Feifer

While primarily written about careers, the book’s lessons and case studies apply just as much to businesses and macro-level change. Also the Editor in Chief of Entrepreneur magazine, Feifer explores the four natural human reactions to change, the first of which is panic, and offers powerful lessons not only to build resilience but to leverage change to thrive – and ultimately never want to go back.

🎬 Actionable Takeaway: To help get through the nerves and anxiety of doing something the first time, think, “I cannot wait to do this the second time.”

📘 The Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impact

By Chip and Dan Heath

We tend to remember the best, worst, and last moments of things, like college or a trip to Disney. In this book, the Heath brothers explore why that is and how to conjure meaningful moments for powerful outcomes with four key elements: elevation, insight, pride, and connection.

🎬 Actionable Takeaway: You’ll earn about 9 times more revenue if you elevate customers’ positive reviews (move a customer’s rating from a 4/5 to a 5/5) than you would if you eliminate the negatives (move a customer’s rating from a 2/5 to a 3/5).

📙 Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals

By Oliver Burkeman

I’ve always been productivity obsessed, which I’ve realized the hard way is not healthy, so “for mortals” caught my eye. Burkeman posits that the only way to live a truly “productive” – and joyful, meaningful – life is to confront its finitude.

🎬 Actionable Takeaway: Try strategic underachievement, nominating whole areas of life in which you will not expect excellence from yourself.

•••

What books do you recommend? (Seriously, I want to know!) Join our group on Facebook and add your recommendations to my post here >

Alexa Nota
COO & Co-Founder

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