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  • MY HONEST REVIEW ON BOOK ‘SECRETS OF THE MILLIONAIRE MIND’ BY T. HARV EKER

    MY HONEST REVIEW ON BOOK ‘SECRETS OF THE MILLIONAIRE MIND’ BY T. HARV EKER

    I am a big fan of Dan Martell and read pretty much everything that he recommends. One particular book that he recommended and I absolutely fell in love with is ‘Secrets of The Millionaire Mind by T. Harv Eker. In this blog, I will try to summarize the book to the best of my ability and with the an honest intent. 

    First things first, the book is definitely not about finance; we need to correct our approach to the book right from the start. Unlike ‘Rich Dad & Poor Dad’ or ‘The Psychology of Money’ this book does not give you hardcore business ideas of financial statistics worries. All it focuses on is getting rid of our mindset that is not suitable to attract wealth. And adopt the approach that works like a magnet to attract massive amount of dollars.

    In this book, I found T Harv Eker giving a lots of emphasis on the perspective of money that we build while growing up. He says that our parents used to teach us very few money-making skills because they themselves had made just enough to survive. But they continuously portray the pursuit of money as an evil job. They emphasize us being good human beings and give importance to the relationships and all that. But, one thing they fail to teach is that one can easily concentrate on both things, as both are totally different.

    I totally loved the example of lottery ticket winners that T. Harv Eker has given in the book. He interestingly explains that there are hundreds of examples of poor people who became millionaires overnight by winning a lottery. However, soon they happened to fall back to the exact same financial condition where they belonged.

    This happens because a lottery can bring millions into someone’s bank account overnight. But until his mind is upgraded to someone who can absorb that much wealth, it will soon divorce its owner, go into the hands of a person who possesses a financially fertile mind.

    Another beautiful aspect that I learned from the book is that of ‘calculated risks’. Rich people are very good at taking calculated risks. A millionaire mindset is not tuned to be too cautious all the time. Millionaires are okay with taking calculated risks. They understand the gravity of a risk, measure the probable reward, and go for it, while people with a poor mindset keep sitting on their ideas forever.

    Moreover, self-promotion is the idea that every poor or average person always feels shy about. He thinks and feels that he should only focus on the abilities and qualities, and the world will seek him. In this book, T.Harv Eker declares that idea as unproductive and a habit of ordinary people only.

    The author believes that the market is too crowded with products, marketing, and capabilities. One could die waiting and not get any opportunity, as compared to the one who is less competent, but he lets everyone around know what he is capable of. The opportunities start following him. Self-promotion, according to the book, is a positive aspect and should not be seen with skepticism.

    Note down another great principle from this book – rich people are not paid for their time, but they are paid for the value they provide. This makes a marked difference in the way of making money. People with a poverty mindset are so afraid of failure that they want to play it safe at all costs. They want a set amount of money to be paid irrespective of the circumstances, that’s why jobs suit them.

    But the people with a millionaire mindset never want to cap their possible earnings. They happily accept stock options, business percentage etc. This increases their chances of out-performing the people who always want to play it safe and want to be paid a set amount.

    I also happened to know from this book why people with a millionaire mindset are not suited to be good employees. How many times do we hear people around us cursing their boss and hating their work environment.

    Why is that so, because people think that they are worth far more than what they are being paid. But they take no practical steps to ensure that. They are not willing to go out to the marketplace and check what their worth is. While the person who hires them has nothing more than taking the risk of actually going to the marketplace to check what his/her worth is.

    Now that I have reached the end of my blog post, I am prepared to answer certain questions about this book that have surfaced online.

    First question, is the book ‘Secrets of the Millionaire Mind’ available in pdf for free? And the answer to that is yes, I was able to find it online and read it for free. It might require some time and effort to search for it, but it’s worth it.

    The second question being frequently asked online is ‘What books explain the psychology behind the millionaire mind and recommended tools for growth?’. Honestly speaking, if you are looking for some tools for growth, then you will find none in this book. However, as far as the first part of the question is concerned i.e phychology behind millionaire mind, then this book is the best pick for that.

    The last question that I want to answer is ‘What are the top personal finance apps that teach millionaire mindset principle’ My take on this is that if you can attend any of the T.Harv Eker sessions or seminars on the subject, that will go a long way with you. This book shoes glimpse of what he is capable of.

    In the end, I must thank you for trusting Bookish Talks and giving your time to the platform. I am Faizan Khan, and here at Bookish Talks, my only mission is to generate fruitful discussions about books that we all love to read.

    If you are an avid reader, and sometimes ponder as to why certain books change lives of people and why the same very book changes nothing in other, I have written a detailed blog on that with the title ‘Why Self-Help Fails Most People: The Secret of the Prepared Mind’. Consider giving it a read, it’s worth it.

  • Why Self-Help Fails Most People: The Secret of the Prepared Mind

    We’ve all seen it happen. Two people sit side-by-side in the same seminar, listening to the same speakers, and absorbing the exact same content. Fast forward five years: one person is in the exact same spot—financially and spiritually—while the other has undergone a radical life transformation.

    How is it possible for the same information to yield such drastically different results?

    After binging on hundreds of self-help books over the years and reflecting on the core principles found in T. Harv Eker’s Secrets of the Millionaire Mind, I’ve realized the uncomfortable truth: Information is the least valuable part of the equation.

    The Great Self-Help Delusion

    The primary mistake people make regarding personality development is believing that a book, a podcast, or a seminar is enough to trigger action. We treat self-help like a battery charger, hoping it will give us the energy to move.

    In reality, external information acts only as a trigger. It is a spark. But a spark only creates a fire if it lands on wood that is already dry and ready to burn.

    As Secrets of the Millionaire Mind explains, your mind must be “wired” to receive and act on information before the information holds any value. If your internal blueprint isn’t set for success, you could read every book in the library and your life would remain stagnant.

    The “Prepared Mind” vs. The “Motivation Junkie”

    Most people rely on what I call “The Motivation Trap.” They look for big leaps and massive results to keep them going. If they don’t see a huge ROI immediately, they quit.

    However, the person who actually transforms their life uses knowledge differently. They don’t seek a book to convince them to change; they use it to strengthen an existing belief that they are ready to lead.

    The Role of Internal Commitment

    When you are internally committed, you use motivation as a conversation with yourself. It serves as a confirmation that you are on the right path. This person doesn’t wait for a “big break.” Instead, they are willing to set “humiliatingly small” targets just to stay on the path. They understand that consistency beats intensity every single time.


    How to Cure the “Information Without Action” Disease

    If you find yourself stuck in a cycle of consuming content without changing your reality, you are likely suffering from “Information Disease.” Here is the three-step framework to break free and actually start seeing results.

    1. Create an Actionable Plan (Measure Actions, Not Results)

    The biggest mistake beginners make is judging themselves by performance metrics too early. When you start a new journey, the results are often non-existent for months. If you measure results, you will feel like a failure and quit.

    The Fix: Measure your progress based on actions taken, not results achieved.

    • Did you write the 500 words you promised?
    • Did you make the 5 sales calls?
    • Did you go to the gym for 15 minutes?

    If the answer is yes, you are winning. Initially, you need a plan where you can check off boxes based on your effort, irrespective of the immediate outcome.

    2. Cultivate a Prepared Mind

    You must have a firm belief in yourself and your idea before you seek external validation. Self-help and personality development should add value to an existing firm belief, not try to manufacture a new one from scratch.

    Ask yourself: Am I looking for this book to save me, or am I looking for this book to give me the tools for the work I’ve already decided to do?

    3. Set “Humiliatingly Small” Goals

    We often fail because our goals are too ego-driven. We want to lose 20 pounds in a month or earn $10k in a week. When we fail, our momentum dies.

    Instead, set goals so small they almost feel embarrassing.

    • Read one page a day.
    • Save five dollars a week.
    • Walk for ten minutes.

    The magic happens when you inevitably exceed these tiny goals. These “small wins” provide a massive psychological boost, giving you the fuel to continue for years rather than weeks.


    Final Thoughts: The Secrets of the Millionaire Mind

    If you want to go deeper into the psychology of how your internal “wiring” dictates your external success, I highly recommend reading Secrets of the Millionaire Mind by T. Harv Eker. It is a foundational text for anyone looking to understand why their financial or personal growth has hit a ceiling.

    Remember: The book won’t change your life. You will change your life because the book confirmed you were ready to do the work.

    If you are someone who loves to read inspirational thoughts and ideas, i will highly recommed you to read my blog post on book ‘Buy Back Your Time‘ by Dan Martell.

  • THE HARD THING ABOUT HARD THINGS SUMMARY PDF

    The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Summary PDF

    Most self-help books offer “calm and cool” encouragement, but Ben Horowitz takes a different approach. In this summary, we dive into the “hard-core” reality of being a CEO—where stress increases, privileges are outweighed by responsibility, and decision dilemmas never truly leave your mind.+2

    Whether you are an aspiring leader or a business owner, these notes explore why the most important job of a CEO is building a “Communication Architecture” to ensure every fertile mind in the company is utilized. Leadership is an uphill battle, and this guide provides the practical tactics needed to survive the ride.

  • KAFKAESQUE OR JUST UNCLEAR? MY EXPERIENCE WITH THE TRIAL

    KAFKAESQUE OR JUST UNCLEAR? MY EXPERIENCE WITH THE TRIAL

    book cover The Trial by Franz Kafka

    Had I been someone who just started reading books, I would not have been so worried about failing to understand this one. However, after having read over 300 books, being unable to comprehend The Trial by Franz Kafka is shocking to me. Since the very beginning of my reading journey, I have been very open about popular literary classics that failed to inspire me. The Trial is now an addition to that list—books I believe have been made popular for no reason.

    What is Strange About ‘The Trial’?

    There are two unusual things about The Trial: the story itself and the author’s writing style.

    • The Story: The plot revolves around Joseph K., a 30-year-old man who wakes up one morning to discover he must undergo a trial. What that trial is about or what he has done is never revealed. Instead, he simply appears before a mysterious court multiple times and is executed at the end of a year.
    • The Court: The court is a unique institution in the novel. It is not an ordinary court; its members are unknown, its proceedings are private, and the way it reaches judgments is never made clear.

    Who is Joseph K?

    Joseph K. is the primary sufferer in The Trial. He is a reputable banker and a respected member of society. However, his life takes a strange turn one unfortunate morning when he learns he must undergo a trial. He endures an exhausting year-long process before a mysterious court, eventually being executed. Throughout the novel, he suffers from fear, shame, trauma, and helplessness—a victim of a powerful bureaucracy denied the right to representation.

    What’s Wrong with the Writing Style?

    Putting the plot aside, the thing that frustrated me most was Franz Kafka’s writing style. You will find long, unending paragraphs spanning three to four pages without a single break. Much of your focus remains on not losing your place rather than on the story itself.

    The English language is typically structured with breaks because it is the most logical way to produce literature. A reader deserves the pauses and spaces that good literature provides, but Kafka does not seem interested in any of that. Furthermore, characters appear and disappear without clear purpose, linkage, or connection. Keeping the story together is a constant challenge, leaving the reader concerned that they are simply not focused enough to understand the narrative.

    Is the Confusion Purposeful?

    Many “BookTubers” and book bloggers claim that the confusing nature of The Trial is intentional. They argue that Kafka’s style aims to keep the reader feeling as irritated and helpless as Joseph K.

    I don’t buy that logic. Hundreds of thousands of beautiful stories have been communicated in the simplest ways possible. Instead of irritating the reader with unrealistically lengthy paragraphs, a better choice of vocabulary could have achieved the same effect. Writing endless paragraphs without a break is something any writer on earth can do; I don’t see why Franz Kafka should be uniquely appreciated for it.

    What was Joseph K’s Crime?

    If you are searching for what crime Joseph K. committed, you don’t need to search any further: the book does not answer that question. This is one of the mysteries of The Trial that disappeared with the death of the author. Until the moment Joseph K. is executed, the story never reveals his supposed crime.

    Is ‘The Trial’ Overrated?

    I believe so. The Trial may be famous or a bestseller, but it is definitely not worth the hype. In my opinion, it falls into the category of unnecessarily popular books. If you are interested in reading deep, meaningful literature, I would instead recommend Autobiography of a Yogi” by Paramahansa Yogananda. That is a book that creates clarity about life, unlike The Trial, which lacks clarity itself.

  • Buy Back Your Time Summary – Bookish Talks

    Buy Back Your Time Summary – Bookish Talks

    Book Cover, Buy Back your Time by Dan Martell

    Introduction

    When it comes to reading, self-help, and personality development has been my area of interest for over a decade. However, it has recently been felt that recent books are merely stolen ideas from previous ones. Book ‘Buy Back Your Time’ by Dan Martell has proved to me yet again that there is still so much left to learn in this genre. This ‘Buy Back Your Time’ summary by Bookish Talks will give all the necessary details from the book.

    About The Author

    Dan Martell has been all over the internet in recent times. His website (https://www.danmartell.com/) introduces him as be Author, entrepreneur, coach, and Humanity’s Biggest Cheerleader. He is much more than that. Once you start listening to him, you will get hooked on his aura. Highly recommended to be listened to. 

    Having the book and the author introduced, it is time to dive deep into the basic teachings of the ‘Buy Back Your Time’ book.

    Dan Martell’s Tough Beginnings – Buy Back Your Time Summary

    Dan Martell had been an annoying Canadian kid from Moncton, New Brunswick. He was so off track in his early life that his mom had to call the police to get him arrested. He had a failed attempt to run away from the police and had to spend six months in adult prison for his violations and crimes. During his confinement in the prison cell, Dan Martell was counseled by policeman Brian. From that point onwards, he was never the same.

    Dan Martell Jumps Into Business at 18 – Buy Back Your Time Summary

    There is a reason why Dan Martell makes sense to all that he says and writes. He has been a business guy since 18 year age of. He first opened a vocational rental site in 1988 at the age of 18. Since then, he has been to various businesses. Apart from a dozen golden nuggets that he shared with the world about his life and experiences, ‘buy back your time’ is the most influential. It has touched the lives of millions and continues to do so.

    Playbook Formula For Growth – Buy Back Your Time Summary

    Dan Martell has introduced a unique concept in this group known as the ‘playbook’ formula. This explains the significance of having a set pattern recorded as to how things work. Through that concept, Dan wants to emphasize that a playbook should be able to define a totally nascent person, certain basic questions about you, and your work. This would be a roadmap for any new member and recruit of the company/business.

    Business Growth Must Not Take Away Your Life – Buy Back Your Time Summary

    It is a very common phenomenon for entrepreneurs. When their businesses grow to the level they always dreamed of, they find themselves stuck in the activities that keep sucking their life and relationships. It becomes very hard for them to step back and let others take on the reins from that point onwards. They consider it wrong to get things done by somebody else. Contrary to that, it is the most logical thing to do. One has to have a team to enable the leader in decision-making, instead of a leader being buried under files and emails all the time.

    80 % Done By Someone Else Is 100 % Freaking Awesome – Buy Back Your Time Summary

    You can’t expect anybody else to do your job the way only you can. That is okay. You must remember that you are trading all of your time in exchange for some drop in performance. It would apparently look like a drop, but the bigger picture of the story would reveal that, owing to your availability to the rest of the bigger tasks, your allocation of some tasks to others will actually be beneficial for businesses. Even if the person performing your job is not performing the way you would have. Remember, 80% done by someone else is 100 % freaking awesome.

    10-80-10 Rule By Dan Martell – Buy Back Your Time Summary

    Here is the trick of buying back your time without harming the results. Dan Martell calls it the 10-80-10 rule. According to this rule, if you are hiring someone under a buy-back strategy, the initial 10 percent of the task should be done by yourself. You should be the one who gives the initial direction to the project. The next 80 % of the task, that is, the meat of the project, should be done by the person you have hired. Lastly, the final 10 percent, i.e, packaging and presentation of the project, should be done by you again. That way, you avoid the time-consuming labor and at the same time produce the desired results.

    Only Do The Tasks That Light You Up, Allocate The Rest – Buy Back Your Time Summary

    As an entrepreneur, you will be good at only a handful of things. The rest of the things will have to be done to support those. For example, a world-class wedding photographer, who enjoys his job, must not be good at keeping accounts and preparing invoices. Anyone who would spend doing that would steal away his wealth and opportunity. He should only be focused on doing the things that light you up. Those are the things that will make you money. Buy back your time for the rest of the menial tasks on the principles as shared by the book.

    Only I Can Do This Right (That Is The Problem) Rest – Buy Back Your Time Summary

    If you are a business owner and you hear some say to you that you are the only one who can do it correctly, that is not a compliment. Being a business owner and entrepreneur, you have around you a team that can clone you. A team that can think like you and make decisions like you. That way, you are not only empowering others but freeing up your own time as well to do the things that are most valuable to you and your business.

    Doctors & Pilots Have Checklists,  So Should You – Buy Back Your Time Summary

    The checklists for anything are as boring as they probably can, but guess what, those get the job done. That is why the doctors and pilots, whose precision matters over life and death, have a certain checklist that they follow strictly. You adopt the same for your business, and you will be amazed to see that you miss out on important things less often.

    What I Learnt From The Book Buy Back Your Time by Dan Martell

    This book has taught me two valuable things. One, the importance of proper allocation of time for the entrepreneur. Two, how to hire properly. With these two principles learnt, any entrepreneur and business owner can benefit massively from this book.

    Similar Books To Read

    If you find books like this interesting, you might find BE 2.0 and The Psychology of Money very fascinating and interesting to read.

    Conclusion

    To conclude book ‘Buy Back Your Time’ by Dan Martell is a must-read for every aspiring entrepreneur. It teaches you how to allocate the transferable tasks to your team and do only the essential tasks by yourself. It also teaches you practical steps to take to buy back your time and live a happy life.

  • Are You Addicted to Your Devices? How Digital Minimalism Can Save Your Life

    Are You Addicted to Your Devices? How Digital Minimalism Can Save Your Life

    Cal Newport, with his bestselling book ‘Digital Minimalism’, has yet again proved that his writings resonate with the generations. His ‘Deep Work’ book had already served the lives of millions. However, in the recent dilemma of distractions and social media addiction, ‘Digital Minimalism’ is a book that reveals the ugly truth of how we as a society have become glued to white screens instead of living our lives.

    About The Author

    Cal Newport is a computer science professor at Georgetown University, USA. More for his services towards computer science, the author is loved and admired for his non-fiction self-help books. Arguably, the most famous amongst them was ‘Deep Work’. However, ‘The Digital Minimalism’ from Cal Newport has the potential to change the perspective of society like no book has ever done before.

    Digital Tools – Mix Harm With Benefits

    ‘Digital Minimalism’ beautifully explains why we as a society are unable to deal with the menace of digital distraction. According to the book. The evils of the media are served in a golden, shiny package of a few benefits. This becomes a trigger for society to continue using those tools. Thereby opening the ways for their distractions too.

    Did Steve Jobs Design Phones To Be as Addictive As Those Are Today?

    85 times, that is the number of times an ordinary man checks his phone in a day. This compulsive negative activity that is stealing a lot of our time must never have come to mind of Steve Jobs, the great, once he designed Apple Phones. However, that corporate culture and the audience’s innocence have brought us to the point of this destructive addiction to which we are all victims.

    Auto-Tagging Feature in Photos – An Uninvited but Liked Disturbance

    The social media applications are training their algorithms to recognize faces. When we upload a picture of a group of friends on Meta (formerly Facebook), it asks us whether we want to tag the people in the picture with us. It automatically recognizes the face and links that person’s profile with our post. All that we have to do is click ‘yes’. But the other person who receives the notification falsely assumes that you have been missing him badly. In reality, all that you had to do was click ‘yes’

    Digital Declutter – A Month-Long Divorce To Digital Distractions

    The book ‘Digital Minimalism’ by Cal Newport has given a unique approach to quitting social media in a systematic way. He starts undertaking a one-month ‘Digital Declutter’ exercise. During this exercise, you will be expected to get rid of all social media activities for a complete month. After the end of the month, you would be allowed to start getting back only those applications on your phone that are meant to provide value and service to you, instead of merely social distractions.

    Fear’ Is a Magnet for Social Media

    There is a long tail of fears that forces us to be in front of screens all the time. Fear of missing something interesting, fear of missing a call or message from some loved ones, fear of needing the phone unexpectedly, and fear of being bored. All these self-created fears have made us believe that in today’s society, mobile phone is a thing that is to be kept closer at all the times. Nothing pleases the attention economy more than this.

    Face-to-Face Communication is Richer Than Digital Communication

    One of the most celebrated and promoted benefits of social media is that it removes the compulsion of face-to-face talk. It can be replaced by a voice message, text, or video message. But, it is being totally ignored that there is no match to face-to-face talk when it comes to impact. Visiting your brother with his first child has no match to a comment on an Instagram photo of that baby. The coming generations need to realize this factor.

    Has Social Media Made Communications Better?

    For ages, human relationships have been flourishing. However, in recent times, the same are being questioned. What changed? The very source that some claim to be the cause of connectivity is increasing distances amongst us. Not many people were aware of that or talking about that. Until we read ‘Digital Minimalism’.

    The Desire for Recognition through Dance Instead of Handicraft

    Social media is exploiting the very basic desire of human beings. That is to be recognized and known. In the past, to achieve that recognition, one had to strive hard and achieve something notable. The same is not the case in the era of social media. A person with his phone can go online, do something silly, and gather the likes, comments, and visibility that was available only to famous stars in the past.

    Having undergone the basics of the book, it seems very pertinent to answer certain questions and queries that readers have regarding this book.

    What is Digital Minimalism?

    Digital Minimalism is a recently evolved concept of reducing our digital footprint for the overall betterment of mental state and social relationships.

    How To Minimize Digital Footprint?

    ‘Digital Declutter’ is a recent idea introduced by Cal Newport for reducing our Digital Footprint. According to this principle, we have to unplug all our digital tools for a month. After the passage of one month, we are allowed to reintroduce the digital platforms to our lives step by step. That return to digital tools will be planned according to our needs and requirements, not on the basis of the addictions we have developed over time. To stick to the habit of staying away from social media, you must read James Clear’s book Atomic Habits.

    How Can I Get Digital Minimalism?

    The first step to achieve Digital Minimalism is to get hold of the book titled the same. In order to achieve Digital Minimalism, it is very important to understand the philosophy behind how the distracted digital world works. Having gone through that, the desired step needed to be taken can be made easier to take.

    Conclusion

    To conclude, the Digital Minimalism book by Cal Newport is full of in-depth analysis of how we have reached where we are in terms of digital slavery. Having established the foundation of this trap, Cal Newport gives us step-by-step practical measures to get out of this menace. Highly recommended to be read. If you are considering some high-quality fiction of high quality, you must consider reading ‘Housemaid’ by Freida McFadden.

  • Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport – Honest Book Review & Key Lessons

    Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport – Honest Book Review & Key Lessons

    Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport – Honest Book Review & Key Lessons

    Introduction

    We are living in a distracted and cluttered world. The society is in dire need of literature that can bring us back to focus and attention. It was this focused approach that helped humanity survive the test of the times. However, today’s world seems to be glued to the white screen with a lost focus. Books like ‘Digital Minimalism’ come right in time to rescue us from our uncontrolled addiction to our devices. In the paragraphs that follow, an effort has been made to present you with an unbiased review of the book ‘Digital Minimalism’

    Who is Cal Newport? What qualifies him to write this book?

    Cal Newport is an American author who primarily focuses on the genre of self-help and personal development. His most appreciated works are books like ‘So Good They Can’t Ignore You’ and ‘Deep Work’. I believe the author of the book, Cal Newport, is more known for his book titled ‘Deep Work’. However, the ‘Digital Minimalism’ book, according to me, deserves far greater applause because its content is unique and scarce.

    Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World: The Subtitle of the book says it all

    If you ask me to grade the subtitle of the book ‘Digital Minimalism,’ I believe I would have to rank it among the top few books I have read so far. Cal Newport has done a tremendous job in presenting his book in the best possible title, subtitle, as well as beautiful cover.

    Why the Digital Minimalism Book Is Worth Reading

    The Digital Minimalism book provides a straightforward analysis of how social media is impacting our lives. It brings its readers out of the fake perception that they can use social media only to their best interest, and get out of that once our purpose is achieved. This is not the way social media applications are designed. These are designed to keep their users stuck to their apps for as much of the time as possible. The battle is between high-paid attention engineers of these companies vs common users, which the later are sure to lose.

    Should I read Deep Work first, or start with Digital Minimalism?

    Start with Deep Work first. Because that book makes us feel the importance of undistracted attention given to any task. Once that has been achieved, then we go on to battle our biggest attention-stealer, i.e, Gadgets. To counter that, the book ‘Digital Minimalism’ comes to our rescue.

    How long does the 30-day declutter take, and what happens during it?

    The 30-day declutter is an approach from the Digital Minimalism book by Cal Newport that helps in getting rid of the addiction to gadget use. Those participating in this campaign uninstall all social media apps from their devices for 30 days. After a period of 30 days, the users are gradually allowed to reinstall only those apps that are essential for their day-to-day business.

    How is Digital Minimalism different from similar books (e.g., Deep Work, Essentialism, etc.)?

    Cal Newport has taken a similar approach but a different style in the book. Digital Minimalism is different from the rest of the author’s creations in a way that it is more practical in nature than theoretical. To get the best out of this book, you will have to be willing to take the practical steps, as merely theoretical knowledge is not enough.

    What is “high-quality leisure” according to Newport, and how do you find or build it?

    Cal Newport in his book Digital Minimalism, portrays that it is not sensible to get rid of social media without getting it replaced with anything that you really enjoy doing. Those high-quality leisure activities are a must in order to succeed in this game for longer run. If the time that has been stolen from Social Media is not allocated to some other fruitful activity, then it only becomes a matter of time before we fall back into the same trap again.

    Is the Digital Minimalism Book Easy To Read?

    Yes, Cal Newport is known for his simple style of writing. He repeated the same in this book. Though the ‘Digital Minimalism’ book deals with a very complicated topic but the way it has been explained by Cal Newport in the book, it appears that the ideas shared in the book are not too tough to digest.

    How the Digital Minimalism Book Addresses FOMO (Fear of Missing Out)

    The Fear of missing out is a natural phenomenon that occurs when we stop using social media platforms the way the rest of the world does. The book addresses the issue in two ways. One, it gives practical steps to use social media only for the sake and purpose it was initially made for, i.e., connecting with friends and colleagues. Two, it brings the overall system of excessive connectivity into question. Cal Newport establishes a concept that the human mind is not designed to manage so many connections that we maintain through social media.

    From Mindless Scrolling to Meaningful Living

    ‘Digital Minimalism’ is a book that questions the use of social media the way we are doing now. The endless stream of posts and reels that social media apps show us is in no way fruitful for our mental health. However, if someone wants to get rid of the harmful effects of these tools but at the same time benefit from all the positive things it offers, the Digital Minimalism book by Cal Newport is a perfect book to start with.

    How Mobile Phones Turned Into Mini Billboards

    The social media applications have brilliantly used the addiction of public to their advantage. With the unending stream of advertisements that are being shown on social media apps, it makes sense for these companies to keep the user on their platforms for as long a duration as possible. Book Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport gives a deep insight into the methods of these social media applications and helps its readers to understand the game in a true sense and save themselves from this trap.

    Conclusion

    To conclude, the world needs to hear where we stand with all the buzz and noise of social media. We need more people around to question the status quo of our social structures and help us get out of it. In this regard, a beautiful book like Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport is a ray of hope. It gives hope that we are not at the mercy of those social media companies with our lives, and we have people around who can question the unquestionable. Overall, a wonderful book to read.

  • WHY WILL I NEVER STOP RECOMMENDING ‘DEEP WORK’ BY CAL NEWPORT

    WHY WILL I NEVER STOP RECOMMENDING ‘DEEP WORK’ BY CAL NEWPORT

    Book Cover Deep Work by Cal Newport

                The Deep Work by Cal Newport is amongst the category of books in which ‘Think & Grow Rich’ or ‘Atomic Habits’ fall.  

  • WHY BOOK ATOMIC HABITS IS GRADED SO HIGH?

    WHY BOOK ATOMIC HABITS IS GRADED SO HIGH?

    book cover atomic habits by james clear

    The Atomic Habits book by James Clear is considered one of the top-notch books in the self-help genre. In this blog, I will be discussing why this book gets ranked so high in the genre of self-help. I will also reveal certain key principles on habit forming from the book.

    I always believe that the real purpose of a book is to bring change. And why won’t we grade that book so high if there are thousands of people to acknowledge that the book revolutionized their lives? ‘Atomic Habits’ by James Clear is one such book. This blog is particularly important for people who love books, but can’t spare much time out of their busy lives to sit with a book in their lap.

    ‘Atomic Habits’ by James Clear is one such book that has the power to bring instant change in day-to-day life. In the field of self-help or personality development, this is among the few such books which does not merely throw philosophies onto the face of readers. It guides the reader through practical steps towards better habit forming.

    The book Atomic Habits can be termed as recent compared to other competitor books of the genre like ‘Think & Grow Rich’ and ‘How to Win Friends & Influence People’. The book was published in 2018. Astonishingly, it is a very small-sized book. It consists of only 306 pages, and if we exclude ‘Notes Section’ from the book, the book gets reduced to merely 207 pages. How would someone justify not reading a book that is only 207 pages, and can change their life significantly?

    Having given the intro to the book ‘Atomic Habits’, now I will be sharing the things that impressed me most from the book.

    The center of gravity of the book is ‘habit-forming’. The book relieves us from the pressure of believing that it takes lots of effort to develop a good habit. However, developing a good habit only requires a little understanding of how a habit is formed. For example, making your bed. Now this seems to be an insignificant work to be done at the morning. But once we consider that as the first achievement of the day, it would give a new angle of looking at the rest of the day. It would boost our confidence to follow the rest of the day in a disciplined way.

    This one task done well would lead to reading a chapter of the book, or spending half an hour exercising. Thus an apparently insignificant task can be transformed into a catalyst to push the day to a disciplined routine.

    As Warren Buffet had said that habit-forming works just like compounding. One habit builds on the next, and each good habit keeps assisting the next one. Moreover, the results are never linear in pattern. These work in a hockey-style pattern. At the start, results appear exciting due to high energy. With time, boredom starts taking over, and the results start declining. It is this phase of habit-forming that is very difficult to survive. If someone can get through this, then there appears to be a vertical upward trend in the path to progress.

    Another aspect of good-habit forming, which has been projected by ‘Atomic Habits’ is that progress on the path of habit forming will not always be observable to the person changing. It is similar to going to the gym. In that, for initial weeks, months, or even years, there appear to be no visible changes. However, after considerable time has been spent doing that, people start observing the change in your physique. Similar is the case with reading books. One can’t become Aristotle after having read a couple of books. It takes time for the results to appear.

    Another myth cleared by the Atomic Habits book is that of setting high aims. Since childhood, we have been hearing about having big, bold aims. James Clear suggests that having big goals is not significant. Thousands of people set big goals but can’t achieve anything significant. Instead of having tall goals, it is important to have better systems. The systems are the keys to achieving bigger targets, and merely big goals can’t achieve anything.

    According to James Clear, habit forming needs a particular path. Without having created that path, the progress to that habit can’t be measured. Just, for example, you decide to eat healthy food from now on. The moment you decide that out of motivation, you need to sketch out the eating plan on a piece of paper. Having prepared that plan, you need to be assured that you follow that path. Without having a measured way of approaching the goals, progress is not be possible.

    A brilliant trick that I learn from this book is regarding attaching our new habits to the existing habits. James Clear says that it would become far easier to develop a habit if we attach that habit to the thing that we are already doing. For example, we can do 20 push-ups before brushing our teeth. Now every time we would go for a toothbrush (which we often do effortlessly), we would be reminded of doing push-ups, and we are least likely to miss out on doing that. Over time, our new habit would also be as effortless as our former habit had been.

    The Atomic Habits book gives so much importance to measured progress. James Clear suggests that measuring progress not only sets the parameters for accountability. But it also gives a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. Nothing can be more relaxing than having the ability to measure the progress made on the path to success.

    Moreover, another key aspect that no one escapes is that of boredom. The path towards progress is very slow and takes lots of courage to face continuous boredom with no apparent results in front of us. However, if one can cope with the boredom of forming good habits, the results of that habit will shock the rest of the world.

    If you are someone who is into the field of reading self-help books. I highly recommend you read the book that I just finished. It was Jonathan Eig’s Ali: A Life. You will love the journey of Mohammad Ali’s life, and how he overcame the hurdles of life.

    To conclude, Atomic Habits by James Clear is a powerful book on defining the science behind habit forming in the simplest and logical way. It empowers the reader to master the art of habit formation. If you are interested in reading this book, here is the Amazon link to order the book online: https://amzn.to/4kPxTQK  

  • Why This Is The Best Biography Ever Written on Muhammad Ali?

    Why This Is The Best Biography Ever Written on Muhammad Ali?

    ‘Ali : A Life’ is the best biography I have ever read on the life of legendary boxer Muhammad Ali. In this blog I dive deep into my reason in believing that Jonathan Eig has produced the best work on the life of GOAT Muhammad Ali.

    Muhammad Ali — whose name before embracing Islam was Cassius Clay — is a personality who stands apart in world history. We are often told by parents and teachers to be humble and modest. But Muhammad Ali grew up shouting and howling “I am the greatest of all time.”

    At just 12, he had already declared that he would become a famous man. However, due to poverty, he did not have access to a good education — nor was he particularly fond of studying. So he chose a path where education wasn’t necessary: boxing.

    While still in school, he would give autographs to his friends. And what did he write in those autographs?

    Cassius Clay, World Heavyweight Champion.

    He won 31 consecutive professional fights and brought a unique style to boxing.
    Instead of just beating his opponent, he would tire his opponents out.  He was so great at analyzing his opponents that he could predict the exact round in which he would be able to knock them out.

    He became World Heavyweight Champion three times, and his passion and preparation were unmatched. Even when facing top fighters of the world, whenever journalists asked him about his match preparation, he would say: “This match is nothing more than a warm-up for me. Right now, there’s no boxer in the world at my level who can compete with me.”

    But if you only recognize Muhammad Ali as a boxer, it would be unfair to his life story. He was a complete personality. If you’re a teacher and read about Ali’s life, your teaching will improve. If you’re a doctor, you’ll become a better doctor.

    Because many boxers came and went. But the world remembers Muhammad Ali because of his principles. At a time when Black Americans would accept whatever the government said to please them, Muhammad Ali had the courage to call wrong wrong, and right right. The entire American government stood united in trying to send him to fight in the Vietnam War. But when Ali took a stand and said the war was unjust, even if it meant going to jail or losing his title, no one could make him bow down.

    Yes, this book is quite lengthy. And usually, I tend to stay away from long books — because you can’t always match your pace of progress. For example, if you set a goal to finish a book in one week but end up taking 20 days, if the book is good, you still feel a sense of accomplishment. But if it’s not as good as expected, it can leave you disappointed. Just like I’m currently stuck in a book — more on that in another review. But this book is not one of those. In fact, it’s one of those rare books that as you approach the ending, you wish it were even longer.

    This book was published in 2017, authored by Jonathan Eig. It has 623 pages and is divided into three parts:

    Part 1: Covers Muhammad Ali’s early life — his childhood, family background, and upbringing.

    Part 2: Covers the peak of his boxing career, as well as his political and religious activities. This section also includes a detailed account of Muhammad Ali’s famous fight with Joe Frazier. And I say this with full confidence.  I have seen the footage of that fight (it’s available on YouTube), but the way Jonathan Eig has described that fight in the book — you’ll truly enjoy reading it.

    Part 3: Covers the later part of his life. Most notably, it includes the Rumble in the Jungle — the fight between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman that was followed by people all over the world.

    The most beautiful thing about this book is that it doesn’t portray Muhammad Ali as a flawless hero. It presents a realistic picture of his life. If he liked money — the author tells you so, plainly and honestly.

    After reading this book, you’ll get to know the strengths and weaknesses of Muhammad Ali realistically, and you’ll be convinced that he was truly a great man.

    There’s another similarly inspirational book titled Man’s Search for Meaning,
    written by a psychologist who spent time in Hitler’s prisoner camps. I’ll be sharing a brief review of that book too — be sure to check it out.

    If you are interested in purchasing out this book, here is the Amazon link : https://amzn.to/4kpPHlM

  • Breaking Free from Social Anxiety with The Power of Now – Focus24 Book Club

    Breaking Free from Social Anxiety with The Power of Now – Focus24 Book Club

    book cover the power of now, focus24 book club

    Social anxiety is becoming a dominant issue in modern society, but it can be tackled effectively with the insights from The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle. Let me explain how.

    The Root Cause of Social Anxiety

    Before diving into how this book can help, let’s first understand the root cause of rising social anxiety.

    Did you know that, according to the Global Overview Report 2024, the average American spends 7 hours and 3 minutes every day on internet-connected screens? That’s a staggering amount of time! But why have we reached this point? Let’s explore the answer through The Power of Now.

    Escaping the Present Moment

    One of the key reasons for excessive screen time is our inability to sit with our own thoughts. People seek distractions to escape their minds, avoiding self-reflection at all costs.

    Social media provides the perfect escape. It creates a win-win situation for advertisers and users—users find a distraction from their thoughts, while advertisers profit from increased engagement.

    However, let’s not be fooled—social media companies do not design their algorithms for our well-being. Their goal is to keep us hooked by feeding content we like, ultimately exploiting our addictive tendencies.

    The Loss of the Present Moment

    Eckhart Tolle argues that modern society has lost connection with the present moment. We are constantly bombarded with notifications and digital distractions, preventing our minds from achieving peace and clarity.

    This leads to chronic anxiety, as our thoughts are either stuck in past regrets or future worries. As Tolle says in his book:

    “If you cannot be at ease with yourself when you are alone, you will seek a relationship to cover up your unease.”

    Social Media and Its Hidden Impact

    Our biggest problem today is that we do not spend time with ourselves. Boredom, which should lead to deep introspection, has been hijacked by social media notifications.

    Now, I’m not against social media. It has revolutionized communication. However, we need to acknowledge who benefits from these addictive algorithms. It’s not you or me—it’s the tech giants profiting from bombarding us with ads, making us feel incomplete until we buy their products.

    The Power of Now: A Solution to Overthinking

    Tolle’s book is a masterpiece when it comes to taking control of your thoughts. It prevents your mind from wandering aimlessly and teaches you to focus on the present moment.

    One of my favorite illustrations in the book explains why people enjoy extreme sports like skydiving and free-climbing. According to Tolle, the pleasure in these activities comes from their ability to force complete focus on the present—freeing the mind from regrets and anxieties.

    Understanding Your Thought Patterns

    Tolle encourages readers to observe their own thinking patterns. How often do we check what our minds are dwelling on? He explains that the human mind naturally fluctuates between the past and the future because it survives on time—while the present moment is timeless.

    Bringing our attention back to the present requires effort, but doing so frees us from unnecessary stress and worry.

    The Impact of The Power of Now

    This book has made a monumental impact in the self-help field. It sheds light on the dangers of social media and explains how we use it as an escape from the now moment—which is the exact opposite of what we need for happiness.

    Many of us spend most of our lives dwelling on past mistakes or worrying about uncertain futures. However, history shows that many of these worries never come true, yet we waste countless hours stressing over them.

    The Law of Attraction and Thought Patterns

    Our minds have the power to shape reality. If we constantly adopt negative thought patterns, we will unknowingly create negative experiences. Preparing for the worst may seem like a smart strategy, but it ignores the law of attraction—which states that what we focus on expands.

    Conclusion

    Social anxiety is a growing problem, and social media companies won’t help solve it—because it doesn’t serve their business model. However, books like The Power of Now provide the tools to break free from anxiety and reclaim control over our thoughts.

    If you’re ready to embrace the present moment and transform your mindset, this book is a must-read!

    ➡️ Get your copy of The Power of Now today!

  • THE HOUSEMAID BOOK SUMMARY – FOCUS24 BOOK CLUB

    THE HOUSEMAID BOOK SUMMARY – FOCUS24 BOOK CLUB

    THE HOUSEMAID BOOK SUMMARY - FOCUS24 BOOK CLUB

    Book Summary

    Thriller, Suspense, Romance, and Murder. You name it, this has it. An incredible Story ‘The Housemaid’ from Fredia McFadden.

    The story is of a psychopathic millionaire Mr Andrew Winchester. A young, handsome, and successful businessman. He tricks one of his employees, Nina to marry him. Nina is a single mother with a baby girl named Cecelia.

    Long after being accepted as Mr Winchester’s wife, Nina discovers how insanely psychopathic her husband was. He punishes her like an insane prisoners by locking her in attic.

    He locks her in the attic over small mistakes. He tortures her by giving commands from outside the room. He monitors her through the camera. Nina gets tortured by being orders to pluck her hair, spray pepper into her eyes and things like that.

    Due to his influence and wealth, Mr Andrew Winchester succeeds in getting his wife declared as mentally sick. He portrays to the world that it was she herself who does this to her.

    Nina can’t get out of this marriage easily. Mr Winchester threatens to take away her daughter from her if she tried to do so.

    Nina gets an idea to get out of this miserable life. She hires a beautiful young maid with a criminal background

    Lilly is convicted of a murder and on parole from the jail. Nina hires Lilly on purpose. She wants her husband to get attracted to her, so that she could get a safe exit.

    Nina succeeds in her plan. Andrew gets attracted to Lilly. Lilly does not resist, as she had been intentionally treated badly by Nina. Lily feels no pity for cheating on Nina’s husband because Nina has been abusive to her.

    Andrew threw Nina out of his house. She acts to be upset about it. But deep inside, it was her own plan.

    In the execution of all this, Nina is helped by her gardener of the house, an Italian guy named Enzo. Nina later on even sleeps with Enzo in his house.

    It does not take long for Lilly to realize that her former boss and now husband was insane psychopath. She is punished by him the same way Nina was being done. However, Lilly was not the one to suffer and without resistance.

    Lilly gets locked in the attic for torture over a small mistake she commits. This time, once Lilly comes out of the locked attic, she traps Andrew into the same place, and tortures him the way he had done to her and Nina.

    The torture goes to extremes and Andres dies during that.

    Nina visits the house to see her husband dead. But she was happy to be relieved of this evil guy.

    However, she does not want Lilly to suffer for that. Feeling pity for Lily to be punished for the murder, asks Lily to Leave. Nina convinces herself to accept the responsibility of the murder and calls the police.

    When police arrive. The head of the team appears to be the father of Mr Andrew’s former fiancé. He knew that his daughter was tortured by this insane psychopath lying dead.

    He understands the possible reason behind all this. He helps Nina in getting this murder declared an accident.

    My experience of reading ‘The Housemaid’

    The way the story has been told is very, very interesting. The communicators of the story are Nina and Lilly. The reader gets an extremely thrilling experience reading the story from start to end.

    The story is full of twits and surprises.

    Honestly speaking, unto half of the book, I wanted this to end as soon as possible. But for the remaining half I never wanted it to end.

    What is the book housemaid about?

    The book Housemaid is a thriller story of a maid who gets hired by a rich woman to get her psychopath husband murdered. Before murdering, Andrew falls in love with maid Lilly and the story takes an interesting turn.

    Is The Housemaid scary to read?

    No, the book cover as well as the title of the book has given it the shape of a scary book. The Housemaid is not a scary novel. It falls in the category of thrill, suspense, love, and crime.

    Is The Housemaid based on a true story?

    No, the Housemaid is not based on true story. The author Fredia McFadden has never mentioned it to be true story. From story point of view as well, the Novel appears too taboo to be true.

    Did Nina and Enzo sleep together?

    Yes they did. Nina, the wife of Andrew Winchester did sleep with her gardener Enzo in the story.

    Does The Housemaid have romance?

    The housemaid story is not primarily based on romance, but it does have a little bit of that. Romance between Nina and Andrew, between Nina and Enzo, and between Andrew and Lilly are few to mention.

    Who is the bad guy in The Housemaid?

    Mr Andrew Winchester is the bad guy in the housemaid. He is a psychopath who tortures his wife like a criminal. He does that over small mistakes of hers. He ends up being killed by his maid after he tortures her too.

    Is The Housemaid an easy read?

    Yes, The Housemaid is pretty easy to read. The story goes smoothly as we proceed in the book. The story is narrated by the characters of the story – Nina and Lilly.

    Does Enzo speak English in The Housemaid?

    Yes, Enzo does speak English in the housemaid. Initially, he appears to be an Italian guy who barely even understands English. But at the later part of the story it is revealed that he can speak English fluently.

    He, being too attractive to be a gardener, disguises himself as a person who does not understand English at all. His purpose behind this is to avoid those wives in the colony who wanted to be seduced by him.

    Who is the main character in the Housemaid book?

    The story is equally distributed between Nina and Milly. However, Nina has a far more significant role in the story than Lilly. She is the one who plans the murder of her psychopathic husband, Andrew Winchester.

    Conclusion

    The Housemaid is a story full of thriller, suspense, romance, and surprises. It is the story of a lady who gets trapped into becoming the wife of psychopathic millionaire.

    She gets tortured and punished by him like a criminal.

    As a means of getting rid of that life, she hires a beautiful maid with a criminal record. She sets the stage in such a way that the maid ends up murdering her husband.

    Highly recommended the Focus24 Book Club. Here is the link https://amzn.to/3Fxbj01 . Grab your copy of the book.

    If you are interested in Romantic novels like this, ‘It Ends With Us‘ should be your next pick. Here is the review of the novel.

  • HOW TO DOWNLOAD KINDLE BOOKS TO PDF (STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE)

    HOW TO DOWNLOAD KINDLE BOOKS TO PDF (STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE)

    PDF is one of the most widely used formats for reading. Readers often ask, “How can I download Kindle books as a PDF?”. Here is a step-by-step guide that will enable you to download any Kindle book to PDF for free.

    STEP 1 – Download and Install Kindle for PC

    The first thing you need is to download and install Kindle for PC on your computer. You can do that by typing ‘Kindle for PC’ in your internet browser.

    Or, you can also find the same by typing ‘Kindle Download’ in the Amazon Search bar. You will have to click the topmost result of the search, as shown in the image down below.

    DOWNLOAD KINDLE BOOKS TO PDF - FOCUS24 BOOK CLUB

    After clicking on ‘Download Now’ you will have another screen pop up in front you. Click on ‘Download for PC and Mac’ as shown with the arrow. After you click on that, a file will start downloading.

    DOWNLOAD KINDLE BOOKS TO PDF - FOCUS24 BOOK CLUB

    Once the download has completed, you will have a setup icon shown in the downloaded files. 

    Now you need to install the ‘Kindle for PC’ from that setup file. By clicking on that and clicking on ‘agree’ to the terms and conditions, your installation process will have begun.

    By the completion of the installation process, there should have appeared a ‘Kindle Icon’ on the desktop of your PC.

    KINDLE ICON ON DEKSTOP - DOWNLOAD KINDLE BOOKS TO PDF - FOCUS24 BOOK CLUB

    STEP 2 – Download Kindle Book from Amazon

    Now, once the Kindle software has been installed into the PC. You need a Kindle book to convert into PDF. If you did not have Kindle before, there must be no books in the library of your kindle.

    As a first step, we need to get the book we want to convert to be shown in our Kindle library. For that, you need to visit Amazon again.

    Type ‘Free Kindle Books’ in the search bar of Amazon.com, as shown below.

    DOWNLOAD KINDLE BOOKS TO PDF - FOCUS24 BOOK CLUB

    You will have to select the book of your choice. As we are just going through the ‘free books’ only, the range of choice might not be very diverse.

    Click on the book that you are interested in converting into PDF. Select ‘By Now’ and ‘Deliver Other Device’. If you have logged into your account, this will deliver the selected book into your Kindle library.

    Now, the book you selected must have been delivered in your Kindle app. You can open your Kindle app and locate the book that you just downloaded.

    You need to have a quick scan of the file to ensure that you have downloaded the correct book and not some book summary or synopsis.  

    Step 3 – Download ‘Atomi System’ Software Into Your PC

    After you have got your required book in Kindle. Now, you need software to convert the Kindle format into video first. Software like Atomi System are used to carry out the screen recordings.  

    You can also use other similar software to record the screen by opening the book at ‘full-screen’ and clicking on the next page one by one after a second gap.

    It is important to skip to the next page of the book after a set interval of time i.e 1 second, because this will help us in getting automatic screenshots of the video. That will be discussed in next step.

    Having completed the book from start to end, stop the recording. Download the video from the software onto your PC.

    By now, you must have a screen recording of the book, having displayed each of the pages for one second or so.

    Step 4 – Convert Video / Images Into PDF

    Now, first we need to convert video into jpg images first, and then convert those images will be converted into PDF. For both these tasks, you need separate software for each of the tasks. Both the software can be downloaded from ‘https://heyletslearnsomething.com/‘

    DOWNLOAD KINDLE BOOKS TO PDF - FOCUS24 BOOK CLUB

    Download and Install both the software.

    First, you need to convert the video into JPG by using ‘videos to jpg converter’. This software will allow you to get automatic screenshots of the video at the set interval of time.

    As your time for clicking the ‘next page’ of the book while recording the video was 1 second, you will select the same here. Through this software, you can acquire JPG images of all the pages of the book in 1 click.

    You will not need to click each of the screenshots manually. The software will automatically click the images from the video after each 1-second interval.

    Now, you can download all the images from the video into a folder. Give a quick overview to all images to see if there are duplicate images i.e, more than one image of 1 page, you should delete the duplicate images.

    Now open ‘JPG to PDF’ software. Drag all the images of the book into the software. And you will be able to download the pdf file from the software.

    That is how we can download Kindle books to pdf.

  • IT ENDS WITH US – STORY OF ROMANCE & ABUSE

    IT ENDS WITH US – STORY OF ROMANCE & ABUSE

    It Ends with us - Focus24 Book Club

    It Ends With Us Story – Summary

    About The Book

    It Ends With Us Movie

    What Is It Ends With Us About?

    Why Women Spend Life With People Who Abuse Them?

    Shortcomings In The Story – It Ends With Us

    Conclusion

  • Ikigai Book Summary – focus24 Book Club

    Ikigai Book Summary – focus24 Book Club

    Ikigai: the Japanese secret to a long and happy life

    Ikigai book cover - Focus24 Book club

    Ikigai book broke the myth propagated by motivational speakers

    BATNA (Best Alternative to Negotiated Agreement)— Concept from Ikigai

    Why don’t we pursue our dreams? Ikigai book’s answer on the issue

    Action first, then Details : Ikigai Book Concept

    Complacency as a bigger threat than failure – Ikigai Book Concept

    Ikigai book proves through history that pain is inevitable.

    Ikigai Book teaches the value of time

    The ‘luck factor’ according to the book Ikigai

    ‘Want to write a great book? Free yourself to write a bad book first’ – Ikigai book concept

    Major part of your journey towards success will remain unrecognized

    Is Ikigai a self-help book?

    Is Ikigai a good book?

    Conclusion

  • Good Books To Read : 3 Book Recommendations from 15 Years Of Reading – Focus24 Book Club

    Good Books To Read : 3 Book Recommendations from 15 Years Of Reading – Focus24 Book Club

    Good Books To Read - Focus24 Book Club

    Introduction

    I remember the year 2010 exactly, when winning a speech competition in my school helped me get hooked on books. I was awarded a pack of 7 books as a prize for 1st position in the competition. I don’t remember the titles of all those seven books, but about two I am pretty sure.

    One was ‘7 Habits of Highly Effective People’ by Stephen R.Covery, and the other one was ‘How To Win Friends & Influence People’ by Dale Carnegie. These two books are the main culprits for making me a book-addicted, hard-to-reach person.

    Not Every Book Is Worth Reading

    I don’t know about rest of the readers, but my gut keeps telling me all the time to write a book. The same happens to many of my friends that have read a couple of dozen books in their lives. Assuming that every reader feels like the same, and some of them do write and publish books. Even then there is a hell lot of traffic of books being published and it is very important for readers to decide what books to read and what not.

    3 x Books Which I Can’t Stop Recommending

    I have been reading on average 20 books a year since 2010 (sometimes more). One of the best favors which I did to myself quite early was keeping the record of the books which I read.

    Over the passage of the time I have developed a huge list of books which not only have I read, but have also written my remarks about.

    It is not very easy to pick and choose from those, but there are three books on the list that I cannot stop recommending at all. Here are these

    How To Win Friends And Influence People by Dale Carnegie

    book cover how to win friends and influence people - Focus24 book club

    I have read this book at least 5 times since I read it first back in 2010. Initially, it was shocking for me to realize that someone could write such a book, which can literally change someone’s life.

     As human being, we tend to resist the ideas that are not in line with our thought. It takes a lot of effort even from our parents and friends to make us realize that we are wrong at certain things.

    However, this book made me realize about a dozen of things that I had been doing wrong. Dale Carnegie has given so many examples in the book from history that one can’t get ahead with the book without having his strong ideas shaken from the roots.

    The book is so much of value that it is worth reading over and over again. We often forget how we have to behave around others, and sometimes forget implementing the lessons from ‘How To Win Friends & Influence People’. Therefore, it is very important to keep reading the book over and over again as time passes by.

    The Richest Man In The Babylon by George Samuel Clason

    book cover 'The richest man in Babylon' focus24 book club

    If you had to ask me the simplest, yet the most effective book on finances, I will surely put forward this book.

    The book is so small that you can finish it cover to cover in one sitting, yet the lessons you will get out of it will remain with you forever.

    Richest Man In The Babylon is over a century old book, but the principles it preaches are as relevant as those were back then. The book is in a story form about a person who teaches people in the Babylon City about finances. He shows them the principles that made him rich over the period of time.

    Klara & The Sun Novel by Kazuo Ishiguro

    book cover 'Klara and the sun' - focus24 book club

    I am completely a non-fiction guy. My complete reading history has revolved around reading non-fiction. I happened to read this book because the author of the book had been awarded ‘Nobel Prize in Literature’.

    However, having read this Novel, I have changed my flavor of reading a lot. More often than not, I pick up novels and other fiction.

    However, having read this Novel, I have changed my flavor of reading a lot. More often than not, I pick up novels and other fiction.

    The point I wanted to convey was that the book was worth reading.

    Klara & The Sun Novel is about a robot named Klara that has feelings just like humans. Klara’s life sees a drastic end as she sacrifices her entire existence for a family that owns her, but later, she gets abandoned to be dismantled.

    Having read Klara & The Sun Novel, we come to realize that even good-hearted people can not reach the level of goodness from robots, if they had feelings.

    Which Book Is A Must-Read

    I would say ‘How To Win Friends & Influence People’ by Dale Carnegie.

    Keeping in view the impact which this book had in my life and the potential it has to impact other lives – I would give this book top position in list of my book recommendations.

    Though ‘Klara & The Sun’ Novel is also good, but for me, it does not reach the level of ‘How To Win Friends & Influence People’ by Dale Carnegie.

    Which Book Will Change My Life

    I will come up with 2 book recommendations to answer this question. The first one would be ‘HOW TO WIN FRIENDS AND INFLUENCE PEOPLE’ by Dale Carngie and the second one would be ‘ATOMIC HABITS’ by James Clear.

    The former book will change your relationships with people around you, and the latter one will take care of your habit-forming issues – both good and bad.

    Having tackled these two issues, you will be a completely transformed person.

    How Can I Choose The Right Book

    Before learning what book is right for you, it is very important to understand the jargon of books you want to read. Two main divisions are fiction and non-fiction. Within these main sections, there are so many sections in which you can find thousands of the books.

    Having chosen the category of the books, it becomes easier to pick the books that are highly recommended by book-bloggers and other active readers.

    Conclusion

    Having read at least 20 books a year over the past 15 years, I believe I am in a position to recommend ‘Good Book To Read’. Here is the priority-wise list of the books that I highly recommend to all book lovers.

    1. How To Win Friends And Influence People by Dale Carnegies
    2. The Richest Man In The Babylon by George Samuel Clason
    3. Klara & The Sun Novel by Kazuo Ishiguro

  • The Mountain Is You Book Review – Focus24 Book Club

    The Mountain Is You Book Review – Focus24 Book Club

    Book 'The Mountain is You' by Brianna Wiest

    Introduction: The Mountain is you by Brianna Wiest

    What Is The Book ‘The Mountain Is You’ About

    For What Type of Readers is the Book ‘The Mountain is You’ by Brianna Wiest about?

    What Does The Title Of The Book ‘The Mountain is You’ by Brianna Wiest Mean

    Your Previous Self Is Not Able To Carry You Forward From This Point Onwards

    Criticism Comes From Anything Created For Public

    ‘The Mountain is You’ by Brianna Wiest Supports ‘Let Them Go’ Approach

    ‘The Mountain is You’ Emphasizes on Execution Today, Then The Plans For Tomorrow

    Intentional Disorganization As an Excuse To Delay Priority Task

    Seeking Fake ‘Protection’ By Remaining Busy- ‘The Mountain is You’

    The Behavior of Dopamine Explained

    Why People With Extremely High IQ Do Not Fit Into The Society

    The World Expects You To Carry On No Matter What

    If Its Your Genuine Path, The Future Won’t Be Clear

    Is ‘The Mountain Is You’ a Christian Book

    Book Summary : The Mountain Is You

    Conclusion

  • The Psychology of Money Summary – Focus24 Book Club

    The Psychology of Money Summary – Focus24 Book Club

    Free PDF Download ‘The Psychology Of Money’ by Morgan Housel

    Free pdf downlead book the psychology of money by Morgan housel

    Before we get into the deep insights of the book, if at all you are interested in getting a free pdf file of the book ‘The Psychology Of Money’ by Morgan Housel, there is a way to do that. All you need to do is visit pdfdrive.com and type the title of the book in the search bar. You will find a free pdf file on the site which you can download in your pc and mobile.

    Free download audiobook ‘The Psychology Of Money’ by Morgan Housel

    Free pdf downlead book the psychology of money by Morgan housel

    The Audiobook of ‘The Psychology Of Money’ by Morgan Housel’ can be sought for free by registering on Amazon Audible. Amazon is offering 1 month of free audible simply by registering. Use this link (The Psychology Of Money)to get a free audiobook of Morgan Housel’s The Psychology of Money.

    Introduction to the Book ‘Psychology of Money’ by Morgan Housel

    The book is one of the bestsellers in the field of financial education. It was first published in 2020 and has sold millions of copies since then. The book gives an in-depth analysis of how money works, what makes the rich richer & poor poorer, and what can be done to attract as well as to keep money.

    Hardest Financial Decision according to ‘The Psychology of Money’

    According to Morgan Housel, the hardest financial decision in anybody’s life is ‘to stop the goal post from moving’. What he means by it is that in our lives, we struggle with lots of ambitions. We keep jumping from one to the next target of the financial journey. We upgrade our-life style just as our bank balance gets upgraded. This cycle goes on and on. Without having a clear goal in our mind, we just keep going, not knowing whether we have reached the goal. Moving away from the goal? Or have already reached the goal. When it comes to finances, we need to have measurable financial goals in our minds and stop re-arranging those with time.

    Why Pessimism Is More Heard And Valued Then Optimism?

    We have formulated society in a way that if a person can point out why such and such thing is a bad idea and why it is not going to work, the person is considered as an intelligent guy – someone who can oversee a danger ahead. Contrary to that, the person who just gives a thumbs up and good luck after listening to an idea is generally considered someone who hasn’t listened to the proposal with interest. We do not have full trust in ourselves and rely on other people’s votes to execute our ideas. Thousands of ideas ended up in the graveyard because someone in the audience, to prove how genius they were, discouraged the presenter by giving reasons why it was never going to work out.

    Understanding the Difference between ‘Bad Decisions’ and ‘Risk’

    The book helps us understand the difference between ‘bad decision’ and ‘risk’ in managing money. We manipulate and sugar-coat our losses by labeling it as the ‘cost of risk’. But, while judging other people’s failures on financial decisions, we label that as the result of ‘bad decisions’. It is very important for financial freedom to have a rationalized approach towards money.

    How To Know Whether We Are Successful or Failure in Finances

    Morgan Housel has given a very simple scale to judge whether you are successful in finance or not. He says that if you wake up in the morning and you realize that you can do whatever want or like to do for the day, that is the peak of financial success. Any step forward from that point onwards can be called passion, ferocity, or anything similar to that. But, financial freedom has been accomplished by you.

    Conclusion

    The ‘Psychology of Money’ by Morgan Housel is the book on managing finances, which is going to guide you right from the beginning, holding your finger from the start, and showing you all the areas of life where money comes into play. The book is not about how to make more money, but it is about how the money works. It would answer your basic questions about the money as to why we are not able to keep it once it gets into our hands. Reading this book was the best thing that happened to me in the recent past and hope for the same thing happening to you. Here is the link through which you can order your book online (‘The Psychology of Money‘). Please share your opinion about this book review in the comments sections below. With that being said, stay hard, stay strong, stay focused with Focus24.

  • Atomic Habits by James Clear – Book Summary (Focus24 Book Club)

    Atomic Habits by James Clear – Book Summary (Focus24 Book Club)

    What is atomic habits about?

    Book Cover, Atomic Habits by James Clear, Focus24 Book Club

    How ‘Atomic Habits by James Clear’ makes habit forming easy?

    Habit forming process from atomic habits by james clear

    If you have repeatedly failed to form the habit of going to the gym, here is what James Clear suggests you do. For the initial 30 days, do not focus on how much training you do. Just focus on getting into the gym only. Let that be for 5 minutes a day, a few pushups, or anything like that. Do not stop doing something because there is no measured progress. Initially, your aim should not be to lose weight, but it should be to become the person who is habitual in going to the gym.

    Habit Forming Method From Atomic Habits by James Clear

    There are many researches around, few claiming 21 days, few 66, and few even jump to 90 days, as the period required for a habit to be formed in such a way that it becomes easier to stick to that than leaving it. That way, following the principles of Atomic Habits book by James Clear, one gets into the repetitive hook of performing a habit.

    What are atomic habits?

    Atomic habits by james clear, healthy habit of working out
    athletic people practicing exercise characters vector illustration design

    Atomic Habits are those tiny habits that seem insignificant, but over some time, these amalgamate to be game-changers. Tiny habits like making your bed after waking up, or clearing the desk of unnecessary material at the end of the day turn into the loop of ever-productive life habits.

    How Many Chapters in Atomic Habits by James Clear?

    The Atomic Habits by James Clear consists of following six chapter:-

    • Chapter I – The Fundamentals
    • Chapter II – The 1st Law (Make It Obvious)
    • Chapter III – The 2nd Las (Make It Attractive)
    • Chapter IV – The 3rd Law (Make It Easy)
    • Chaper V – The 4th Law (Make It Satisfying)
    • Chapter VI – Advanced Tactics

    Key To Habit Forming – Shifting Focus From Product To The Process

    Author James Clear reveals in Atomic Habits that to formulate any habit, it is very important that we are deeply engaged in the process of habit forming. We must not delay our happiness until the end product, but rather we should cherish the path which we have taken. Repeating the example of maintaining fitness, we must not be only focused on the number of pounds we have lost in weight. But rather we need to encourage ourselves for the progress which has been achieved in that path i.e habit of going to the gym.

    Atomic Habit Easy Rule For Habit Forming – Make It Effortless

    How difficult would it be for you to enter your room in the dark and switch on the lights? Probably not much. Because of familiarity with the room, and having practiced it enough times. The same is required to be done with our habits. Doing the things that you intend to do so much of times that it becomes effortless for you to perform that action. Repetitive action itself is called a habit.

    Atomic Habits Productivity Hack – Every Habit Should Have a Home

    working productively on laptop, atomic habits by james clear

    In the era where social media platforms are at war against each other to get their users glued to the screens more often than their competitors, our smartphones have become monstrous thieves of our time. We pick up the phone pretending to check email or return some important message, but end up spending another 30-40 minutes surfing social media, shrugging our heads at the end of the session about our wasted time. We can stop this from happening if we give every work a separate home. Like for example, our tablet can only be for checking mail, our laptop to be only for writing, and our phone be only for social media engagements. That way, we do not get caught up doing the thing that we never intended to do.

    Atomic Habits Formula For Habit Tracking

    James Clear rightly believes that tracking is the fundamental method to remain on the path of progress. That each mark and cross on your calendar makes you accountable. A pattern starts to develop and a guilt starts emerging if you do not follow the habit you promised to. Having written the plan in advance and measuring the progress as the days go by, increases the chances of sticking to good habit manifolds.

    Fundamental Atomic Habits Rule – Missing Once Is Accident, Missing Twice Is A New Habit

    One of the basic principles of sticking to the habit you just have started is not to use the excuse of missing it once to change the plan altogether. That is a form of disguise. It’s okay to have skipped something once or twice. Even Olympians have been seen to have skipped a session or two to regain the strength to go. Once you are fully committed, missing once is a mild, coverable accident. However, deep inside, if you have made up your mind not to continue with the habit, you would use ‘missing once’ as an excuse that you are not capable of doing so you better not try.

    CONCLUSION

    A personality is nothing more than the sum of all the habits. A habit is the building block of who we are. If there is anything that needs most of our focus in our lives is our daily habits. This brilliant book by James Clear has not only helped us understand how habits work but has also given practical tips to amend those. What’s your opinion on the book, feel free to share your opinion in the comments section down below. You can claim your copy of the book by clicking here ATOMIC HABITS BY JAMES CLEAR. That’s all for today, till the next review, stay hard, stay strong, stay focused, with focus24.

  • Klara And The Sun Novel (Book Review / Summary) – Focus24 Book Club

    Klara And The Sun Novel (Book Review / Summary) – Focus24 Book Club

    book cover klara and the sun novel - focus24 book club

    Book Review / Book Summary

    When you sit down with a piece of literature, that you know has been produced by someone with a Nobel Prize in the field, there comes an added responsibility onto you. Being a book reviewer and avid reader for the past 15 years, I convinced myself to review the novel ‘Klara & The Son’ completely overlooking the fact that it was written by, Kazuo Ishiguor, a Japanese author who holds a Nobel Prize in literature.

    The novel revolves around Klara, who is the main character as well as the narrator of the story. She is not a human being but rather an AF (or Artificial Friend), which gets its energy from the sun. She is a sort of Robot, but different in a way that it has feelings, can think, and makes decisions based upon the thoughts that come to her mind.

    Klara gets purchased by the family of a girl named Josie. Josie has been suffering from a life-threatening illness. The mother of Josie expects Klara to learn all the traits of Josie so that once she passes away, Klara can fill her absence. The mother even gets a dummy of her daughter prepared to make Klara take over her place later on. The disease of Josie, who is a kid of 14 years old, is sort of hereditary and had killed her sister as well in the recent past.

    Klara, however, has a firm belief that if it could perform a couple of tasks, then Josie would be fine again. She had seen in the past that the Sun had given life to a beggar and his dog after they died. She expects the same to happen for Josie. She thinks if she could dismantle a polluting machine, which according to her was making the sun angry over the pollution, the sun would grant her friend health. She creates malfunction in the machine out of some liquid which she takes out of her own body. Neither Josie nor her mother are aware of Klara’s sincerity and sacrifice. Then she requests Sun to give her little friend strength and recovery. The sun is supposed to have listened to the wish of this robot and makes Rosie healthier again.

    During her stay with the family of Josie, Klara observes a lot of characters around her. Like Josie’s mother, her father, her boyfriend Rick, Mr Capaldi and many more. Each of these characters helps Klara understand the human psyche and behavior.

    The passion, love, and sacrifice of Klara do not get any reward to her in the end. People move on in their lives. Klara gets abandoned and thrown to be dismantled in the yard.

    Frequently Asked Questions About Klara And The Sun

    What is Klara and Sun About?

    Klara and Sun is about a humanoid Robot named Klara which gets its energy from the sun. She is a super-intelligent humanoid robot that gets attached to a family. She has an owner, a 14-year-old girl named Rosie. Klara helps Rosie recover from a fatal disease through the power of sun.

    What are oblongs in klara and the sun?

    The Klara is an intelligent humanoid Robot. She is very intelligent but her ability to see around things is through oblongs. The oblongs in the Klara and the sun are visual dimensions or squares that help Klara in looking around.

    What disease does Josie have in Klara and the sun?

    Josie has a fatal disease in Klara and Sun. It is a hereditary disease which had killed her sister in the recent past. However, the exact details of the disease are not given.

    Will there be a Klara and the Sun movie?

    No such movie has been released yet. However, the movie of the novel Klara and the Sun is planned to be made.

    Klara and the sun summary?

    The summary of the novel Klara and Sun is that it is the story of a humanoid Robot Klara. Klara gets purchased by a family. She helps her owner Josie recover from a fatal illness. However, in the end, she gets abandoned and her sacrifices forgotten.