Porter Hall Library (c.1943). Image found in the University Archives, available online via our Digital Collections.
The University Libraries’ Career Collection is a treasure trove of valuable resources for professionals at any stage of their careers, from networking and interviewing to pursuing leadership positions. In this list, experts from the Libraries and the Career and Professional Development Center (CPDC) recommend ten books that focus on getting organized for your career exploration.
Building A Second Brain: A Proven Method to Organize Your Digital Life, and Unlock Your Creative Potential
Forte, Tiago (2022)
For the first time in history, we have instantaneous access to the world’s knowledge. There has never been a better time to learn, to contribute, and to improve ourselves. Yet, rather than feeling empowered, we are often left feeling overwhelmed by this constant influx of information. The very knowledge that was supposed to set us free has instead led to the paralyzing stress of believing we’ll never know or remember enough.
Now, this eye-opening and accessible guide shows how you can easily create your own personal system for knowledge management, otherwise known as a Second Brain. As a trusted and organized digital repository of your most valued ideas, notes, and creative work synced across all your devices and platforms, a Second Brain gives you the confidence to tackle your most important projects and ambitious goals. - Publisher's Description
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The PARA Method: Simplify, Organize, and Master Your Digital Life
Forte, Tiago (2023)
If you’re struggling to stay on top of your to-do list, you probably have a good reason: anxiety, fatigue, depression, ADHD, or lack of support. For therapist KC Davis, the birth of her second child triggered a stress-mess cycle. The more behind she felt, the less motivated she was to start. She didn’t fold a single piece of laundry for seven months. One life-changing realization restored her sanity—and the functionality of her home: You don’t work for your home; your home works for you.
In other words, messiness is not a moral failing. A new sense of calm washed over her as she let go of the shame-based messaging that interpreted a pile of dirty laundry as “I can never keep up” and a chaotic kitchen as “I’m a bad mother.” Instead, she looked at unwashed clothes and thought, “I am alive,” and at stacks of dishes and thought, “I cooked my family dinner three nights in a row.” - Publisher's Description
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How to Keep House While Drowning: A Gentle Approach to Cleaning and Organizing
Davis, K.C. (2022)
Living a modern life requires juggling a ton of information. But we were never taught how to manage this information effectively so that we can find what we need when we need it. In The PARA Method, Tiago Forte outlines a simple and intuitive four-step system that will help us sort all the information flooding our brains into four major categories—Projects, Areas, Resources, and Archives—allowing us to manage our commitments while achieving our goals and dreams.
With his easy-to-understand and engaging voice, Forte outlines his best practices and tips on how to successfully implement PARA, along with deep dives on everything from how to adopt habits to stay organized to how to use this system to enhance your focus. The PARA Method can be implemented in just seconds but has the power to transform the trajectory of your work and life using the power of digital organization. - Publisher's Description
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Self-care for People with ADHD: 100+ Ways to Recharge, De-stress, and Prioritize You!
Hamdani, Sasha (2023)
Destress, find your community, and practice self-love with these 100+ exercises to reinforce ADHD as a strength. When you have ADHD, it can be hard to stay on top of your wellness. "Self-Care for People with ADHD" is here to help!
This book can help you engage in some neurodiverse self-care—without pretending to be neurotypical. You’ll find more than 100 tips to accepting yourself, destigmatizing ADHD, finding your community, and taking care of your physical and mental health. You’ll find solutions for managing the negative aspects of ADHD, as well as ideas to bring out the positive aspects. With expert advice from psychiatrist and clinician Sasha Hamdani, MD, "Self-Care for People with ADHD" will help you live your life to the fullest! - Publisher's Description
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Options Are Power: Career Strategies for High Performers Who Want a Life
Peters, Donna (2022)
You’re a high performer who wants a career on your own terms.
Maybe you’re exploring the next best step. Maybe you feel stuck. Maybe you want more. No matter where you are right now, you need options. When you have options, you’re in control. You make decisions from a position of strength. You run to something, not from something.
"Options Are Power" provides strategies for surrounding yourself with options. You’ll learn to lead with a Me-Suite mindset, cultivating the role you want work to play in your life. - Publisher's Description
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What Next?: Your Five-Year Plan for Life after College
Gross, Elana Lyn (2020)
Create a five-year plan that covers all aspects of daily life—including work, finances, and health—with this all-inclusive guide to successfully reaching your goals after college graduation.
The celebrations have ended and you’ve finally graduated from college. But the one looming question remains over every recent grad’s head: what’s next? In this book, you’ll find a detailed guide to putting together a five-year plan to set yourself up for success. No need to stress about having the rest of your life mapped out—instead, you’ll focus on how to make the most after graduation so you can thrive in the years to come. Whether you’re looking for advice on turning your first job out of college to a long-term career or need some tips on managing your money so you can pay down your student debt (and treat yourself), you’ll find all that and more in "What Next?." - Publisher's Description
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Tiny Habits: The Small Changes that Change Everything
Fogg, B.J. (2020)
B.J. Fogg is here to change your life—and revolutionize how we think about human behavior. Based on twenty years of research and Fogg’s experience coaching more than 40,000 people, "Tiny Habits" cracks the code of habit formation. With breakthrough discoveries in every chapter, you’ll learn the simplest proven ways to transform your life. Fogg shows you how to feel good about your successes instead of bad about your failures.
This proven, step-by-step guide will help you design habits and make them stick through positive emotion and celebrating small successes. Whether you want to lose weight, de-stress, sleep better, or be more productive each day, "Tiny Habits" makes it easy to achieve—by starting small. - Publisher's Description
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How to Begin: Start Doing Something that Matters
Bungay Stanier, Michael (2022)
We unlock our greatness by working on the hard things.
With "The Coaching Habit," Michael Bungay Stanier wrote the bestselling coaching book of the century. With "The Advice Trap," he showed you how to tame your Advice Monster. Now, he’s here to help you reclaim your ambition, figure out what you should do that matters… and begin.
This is your practical guide to finding the focus and courage to set a Worthy Goal: one that lights you up, compels you to grow, and serves a bigger game by being thrilling, important, and daunting. - Publisher's Description
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One Person/Multiple Careers: A New Model for Work/Life Success
Alboher, Marci (2007)
Are you a "slash"? With technology giving us the ability to work from anywhere and the nine-to-five grind becoming a thing of the past, more and more people are building careers filled with slashes.
From lawyer/chefs to police officer/personal trainers to mom/CEOs, these creative thinkers have discovered the antidote to boredom, burnout, job insecurity, and many other workplace woes. Filled with the stories of scores of those who have achieved financial and career success with "The Slash Effect," ONE PERSON/MULTIPLE CAREERS will show you how to: balance multiple careers without feeling overworked, and still have time for friends and family, prepare a résumé, bio, or Web site that best presents your unique and varied talents, use your current career to help you cultivate slashes, and negotiate a customized work arrangement with employers. - Publisher's Description
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Rituals for Work: 50 Ways to Create Engagement, Shared Purpose, and a Culture that Can Adapt to Change
Ozenc, Kursat; Hagan, Margaret (2019)
"Rituals for Work" shows us how creative rituals can make our personal and business lives more meaningful and rewarding. Rituals are powerful tools: they reinforce good habits, motivate personal and professional achievement, create a common bond between co-workers and build shared values; they can transform an organization’s culture and provide a foundation to achieve common goals. Focusing on real-world examples, this book takes a practical approach to the power and benefits of workplace rituals. This insightful guide presents 50 creative rituals, from business and management to design and personal development. Specific case studies highlight the use of rituals and their positive impact to real-world organizations, while vivid visuals allow us to feel their energy and emotion.
A ritual is only effective when its purpose is clearly defined. This book goes beyond simple analysis to provide actual recipes for individual rituals designed to promote specific habits, change negative behaviors, and instill values. Each ritual can be adapted to achieve a multitude of goals and tailored to fit your organization or team’s specific needs. - Publisher's Description
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For additional information, check out the Libraries’ Career Collection resources. Physical copies of books are located on the second floor of Hunt Library, and eBooks can be found in the catalog. You can also visit the CPDC website to find additional resources, or make an appointment with a Career Consultant.