039: Creating Your Ideal Life, with Books & Booze Founder John Leven

 

On this Worth It episode, John Leven, the host host of the Books & Booze podcast joins Dustin and I to talk about how he is able to read one hundred books a year, why he recommends liquid networking, and how he selects which books to read out of the thousands that are recommended to him. If you love to read, love a good beverage (alcoholic or otherwise), or are just looking for more ways to live your ideal life, this episode is for you! Grab a drink and enjoy!

Here’s What You’ll Learn

[1:15] John Leven from the Books and Booze Podcast joins the show!

[4:00] How the Books & Booze podcast got started

[10:00] John read 100 books in 2017 - Here’s how he did it

[13:15] How he selects which books to read

[15:00] Have you ever tried book surfing?

[20:30] Goodreads.com

[21:45] Which books get reviewed on the Books and Booze podcast?

[25:30] John’s system for remembering everything he has ever read

[31:30] The value of curating content

[34:00] John describes his ideal life

The Art Of Liquid Networking

John Leven is a financial analyst who has never met a spreadsheet or database he didn’t like. When he is not at work, John hosts the Books & Booze Podcast, a “free-wheeling show that combines books, booze, and interesting guests to create thought-provoking conversations.” Before he started the podcast, John found himself reading, on average 85-100 books a year. In addition to this passion for reading, John practices the art of liquid networking or gathering with a small group of friends to share a drink and talk about all manner of subjects, including psychology, technology, finance, philosophy and human behavior. Dustin R. Granger, CFP® shares John’s thirst for knowledge (and a well-crafted cocktail), so this collaboration was inevitable!

Optimize your day to help you reach your goals

If you are wondering how John manages to read 100 books year, you are not alone! The simple answer is he dedicates most of his spare time to reading. John says if you read for two hours a day, you can easily read 75-80 books in a year. He suggests this number after he found that a two-hour train ride to and from work every day had enabled him to read nearly 75 books between January and July. You may not have a two-hour train ride each day, but if you are passionate about reading more, or even just living more of what YOUR ideal life looks like, there is a good chance you can cut certain things from your schedule. Netflix, anyone?

There are thousands of books, how do you choose what to read?

With so many books to choose from, knowing which ones to read is critical, right? John says goodreads.com has an exceptional list of books worth looking at. Besides his own personal lists, organized by subject, he says there are public lists where books can be upvoted! Imagine a list that is constantly being updated with the absolute best books for that subject...that’s goodreads. John has 10-12 core subjects that he is interested in, and under each subject, a list of 20-40 books that he wants to read. He uses the library as often as he can but is not against purchasing a physical copy of a book he really wants to read.

With so much information from so many books, how do you remember it all?

“I use the notes app on my iPhone” John says. As he is reading a book, he will make lists, highlight thoughts and takeaways and summarize short paragraphs. After he is done with the book, John uploads all of his notes into a google sheets document that is organized by subject. He promised Dustin and I that at some point in the future, he would distill his wealth of knowledge into a book. When a guy who has read hundreds and hundreds of books says “here are my top picks,” we lean forward in anticipation!

Resources & People Mentioned Goodreads.com WorkFlowy Johnleven.com Twitter Youtube Soundcloud Books & Booze Podcast - Episode 12: The Magic of Thinking Big The Magic of Thinking Big By David Schwartz BOOK Connect With Danielle and Dustin Ask your questions! On Facebook On Twitter Connect with Dustin on Twitter: @DRGranger