John Shea, Owner of No Shame Income Blog, Learned to Prioritize in Business Thanks to Books

John Shea is the creator of No Shame Income, a blog where he teaches people how to make money online, in an honest and transparent way.

From our talk you’ll find out more about John’s reading habits and favorite books, the ones that led him to “wow” moments and helped him realize the trap he was caught in.

What’s your favorite book and why? Business and non-business, if possible.

Currently my favorite book is The Magic Of Thinking Big, this was a recommendation by one of my first mentors and the book always resonated with me as a personal development book to want to dream big and do bigger things with my life.

In terms of a business book I’d have to say Essentialism the Disciplined Pursuit Of Less is my favorite, it really helped me realize the trap I was in of going down a path of doing too many things and taking on so many projects at once.

Was there a moment, specifically, when something you read in a book helped you? Can you tell me about it?

In the Essentialism book I really had a “wow” moment when I realized I was taking on lots of new opportunities that while on the surface seemed like a good idea, I found myself spinning my wheels trying to do too many things at once. This book helped me see that this was a huge problem.

What books had the biggest impact on you? (perhaps changed the way you see things, dramatically changed your career path)

I’d say the same 2 books, I also really enjoyed reading The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson.

What books would you recommend to youngsters interested in your professional path? Why? (no number limit here)

One that I’m reading right now that I haven’t finished yet is Expert Secrets by Russell Brunson. The reason being is this book really emphasizes the idea that anyone can teach someone else how to accomplish something and make money doing it.

How do you make time for reading?

I try to do it at night during the week but it’s definitely been something I’ve wanted to get better at by doing it more consistently.

Do you take notes or have any other technique for conquering the torrent of information?

I typically make quick notes and to-do lists with an application called Nozbe, if I find something I want to take action on I make a note of it there and make it happen.

How do you choose what books to read next?

I honestly don’t have a good system for this, if I see something I like I’ll just pick it up and read it.

Do you prioritize the books recommended by certain people? Is there anyone that you consider a book-recommendations guru?

I don’t really, lots of people recommend books to read so it’s hard to pick and choose sometimes.

Last question: what book are you currently reading and what are you expecting to gain from it?

I’m currently reading FU Money by Dan Lok and Expert Secrets by Russell Brunson. I’d say overall just gaining more confidence in what it is I’m already working towards.

Links where you can follow John Shea or find out more about his projects:

• No Shame Income
• Read John’s story
• John’s courses on Udemy
• Follow John @ Twitter
• Interview @ IndieHackers

All books mentioned by John Shea in this interview:

• The Magic of Thinking Big by David J. Schwartz
• Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown
• The Slight Edge: Turning Simple Disciplines into Massive Success and Happiness by Jeff Olson
• Expert Secrets: The Underground Playbook for Finding Your Message, Building a Tribe, and Changing the World by Russell Brunson
• F.U. Money: Make As Much Money As You Damn Well Want And Live Your LIfe As YOu Damn Well Please! by Dan Lok