The 18 Best Business Books To Read During Your Lunch Break

The average American reads four books a year. Successful entrepreneurs like Bill Gates read 50. The fact is, reading is a fundamental part of your growth as an entrepreneur or workplace professional. Not only does decrease stress; it also keeps you mentally sharp and teaches you things you’d never learn otherwise.

The problem for many of us is that we are so absorbed in our routines that we seldom find the time to give reading that much attention. Unfortunately, if you’re already pressed for time, then your schedule probably won’t let up anytime soon.

Man in suit eating big hamburger with vegetables

Photo by Sander Dalhuisen

The good news is that you don’t have to make any significant changes. To fit reading into your schedule, all you really need to do is take advantage of the gaps in your day. For instance, your lunch break. Rather than socializing each time you have lunch, take three of those breaks a week and devote the time to reading.

Choose The Right Bus

You’ve probably heard of Jim Collins and his book Good To Great. In this book, he shares that we must make sure the right people are on the right bus.

So we focus on that. We put our effort and energy into putting our people into the right areas.

While doing this, we forget to ask ourselves an important question: Am I on the right bus?

The right bus matters

What Bus Is The Right One?

Choosing the right bus to lead is a daunting task. The opportunities are plenty. Especially if you’re being courted by different organizations.

Everywhere we look, the “bus” looks right.

Company A offers great health benefits. Company B is willing to give you more time off of work. Company C wants to give you autonomy.

All of these sound great. But which one is right?

What To Do When You’ve Reached The End Of Your 20 Mile March?

The 20 mile march is all about taking consistent action so we can reach a specific goal. For Roald Amundsen it was trudging 20 miles every day until he and his team reached the South Pole. For you it may be completing your book manuscript. Helping your team reach record sales. Or getting into shape.

Image By Darcy McCarty

Image By Darcy McCarty

But what happens once you reach the finish line of your 20 mile march? What happens then?

It’s a great question to ask yourself. You need to have an idea of what you’ll do after accomplishing your current goal.

I have a few suggestions on what to do after completing the journey of the 20 mile march:

Take A Break: It takes a lot of work to go 20 miles every day. Day after day. You’ve exerted a lot of effort to get to the end. There needs to be a time of rest.

The 20 Mile March

South PoleYou have a vision, a goal. You want to accomplish it. More than that, you need to accomplish it.

Every time you start your journey, you get hit by a setback. You need to move forward but you do not know how.

You need a 20 mile march in your life.

This is a term I first heard coined by Jim Collins, the author of Good To Great and Great By Choice.

In Great By Choice, Collins refers to the adventure Roald Amundsen and Robert Falcon Scott set out upon. The adventure was to be the first person to reach the South Pole.

Both, Amundsen and Scott, set out at the same time. Only one group of explorers returned.

Robert Falcon Scott was said to have let the weather decide when they should move. Some days they would push great distances, others they would not move at all. In the end, it is believed that this is what caused the death of his whole expedition team.