Have you ever started something full of motivation and discipline, with a proper defined end goal in mind only to call it quits before the halfway point? Are you a pathological procrastinator? Do you oversell and underdeliver? Do you suffer shiny object syndrome?

We all set goals in life, especially around the New Year. Lose weight, go to the gym, do more of what we love, less of what we hate…

Nobody needs any convincing on the purpose of setting goals, but a big debate on the interwebs nowadays is how to find motivation and discipline to achieve them. There’s millions of YouTube videos and books or blogposts on the topic. Few realize both motivation and discipline don’t exist on their own, but they’re consequences on your inner drive, on what fuels you.

Jim Harmer refers to this as “Work Energy” which is also the title of his latest book. Harmer is mostly known from his blog Improve Photography and his business Income School where he has helped thousands of aspiring online entrepreneurs start their own online content business.

Cold Fish Sticks

Work Energy’s first chapter tells the backstory of how Harmer’s online empire started. Like a lot people who end up accomplishing greatness, he went trough hardship, attending law school while having to work night shifts at the local Dollar Store to provide for his wife and firstborn, Jim tells you how he turned his hobby into a blog and later on his blog into a business.

The personal stories in the book make it a lot easier to read than just dry repetition of the point you’re trying to make while it also helps you see the events trough the eyes of the writer, this makes it easy to devour the chapters and finish it in one or two sittings.

Groundhogging Success

While not wanting to spoil the content of the book, Harmer gives you the formula that works for everyone. Like a combination of Start with why and Atomic Habits. Do more of what works and less of what doesn’t, easy said but harder done.

Now don’t start thinking it’s one of those books where you can summarize it in five minutes, the book is packed with great advice and backstory telling you how you can accomplish any goal. From running marathons to building an online business.

Visionary Poison

The book also identifies some potential traps you might run into on your journey and Jim advises you on how to best avoid and overcome them while sharing his personal setbacks on building his photography blog. Work on your basics first before you start optimizing.

The value in achieving a goal is not the thing conquered, but the muscle you have grown in conquering it.

Jim Harmer – Work Energy

Work Energy is one of those good mindset books you might want to read when you want to accomplish things in life. It contains advice applicable to everybody, whether you want to build a business, get a promotion or become a better parent or partner.

Work Energy is available on Amazon as paperback, e-book and audiobook. We definitely recommend a read. In fact, we liked it so much we’ve added it to our recommended book list.