Consult Thyself!

If you are a consultant, you better stay well informed. But do a reality check, consultant. How many business books did you look at (dare I say "read?") in the month of February? You are not alone. Most professionals find the time for reading to be a problem.

Read what the Independent Consultant's Association (ICA) has to say:

Consultant's Tip Of The Day For February 23

You are a consultant. Consultants are expected to be better
informed than others. Consult with yourself. It begins with
priorities, moves on to organization, and ends/begins with
action. Here are some hints:

1. Priorities - what are the musts vs. terrific to know vs.
not really necessary, but nice.

2. Time - go down that scale and devote more time at the top.

3. Organization - stuff you read and throw away and stuff you
file, put on a shelf, or otherwise organize. Piles usually
don't work. Clipping is another technique some use
successfully... an extra step to be sure but potentially
allows for better organization and less space. Post-its,
highlighters, bend corners, and margin notes are additional
tools used by many.

4. Action - best to do your reading (at least an overview)
immediately. Start by reading the tables of contents for
every book or magazine that comes your way, then filing it
where it is clearly retrievable.

5. Time/place for reading - stake out some likely to work
for you, e.g. start or end of day, weekends, airline, before
or after meals, treadmill, etc.

Tip: Discipline/regularity is key to making
this all work.

P.S. And don't forget we also read to get leads for
consulting work.

P.P.S. Year-end throw-out practices will help with space.

Do you have a question or problem?
You can discuss this and other tips with other consultants
in the Independent Consultants Forums, found on the ICA Web
site at www.ica-assn.org.

End of quote...

This organization also has a Consultant's Report available for members only.

What have you found that helps you stay abreast of what you need to know? Personally, I'm finding some good stuff online, and through blogs. But these are more personal musings, that stimulate my thoughts. Nothing beats a good book for in depth understanding, reliable data, and making one think!

Patsi
The BizBook Worm