Business Book Exchange
Freelance business and book talk with Jacqueline Fisch & Michelle Guiliano.
Business Book Exchange
#5 Do You Have a Monkey on Your Back? Lessons from HBR's "On Managing Yourself"
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Jacq and Michelle discuss Harvard Business Review's 10 Must Reads, "On Managing Yourself," exploring how to double down on strengths, manage energy, find work-life symbiosis, and avoid babysitting other people's "monkeys."
We sat down for a candid, unscripted conversation about the book HBR's 10 Must Reads on Managing Yourself. We were a little surprised by the enduring wisdom in these classic articles (many are almost 20 years old!) and how the advice applies to freelancers and solopreneurs in 2026.
Our conversation covers key concepts that reach beyond the business world, from authors like Peter Drucker. We think you'll appreciate how this book focuses on the whole person — far beyond their professional life, covering mind, body, and spirit.
In this episode, discover:
- Why doubling down on your natural strengths is more effective than trying to achieve mediocrity in areas of low competence.
- The difference between managing your time and managing your energy (physical, mental, and spiritual).
- The life-changing mindset shift from "work-life balance" (a zero-sum game) to work-life symbiosis or harmony.
- Applying the "Four Wins" concept to your whole self to define success on your terms: Work, Family, Community, Self.
- How to avoid caring for other people's "monkeys" (their work and emergencies) so you can focus on your "gorilla" (your real work).
- Why the world is more accepting of second (and third, and even fifth) careers now.
What Book is Next?
We're reading A World Without Email: Reimagining Work in an Age of Communication Overload by Cal Newport, next. Care to join us?
Links from this episode:
- HBR's 10 Must Reads on Managing Yourself
- A World Without Email: Reimagining Work in an Age of Communication Overload by Cal Newport
- Business Book Exchange Website
- Jacq's Out of Office Email Replies (Get them free when you sign up to Jacq's Substack: Energy-First Writing)
Meet your hosts:
Jacqueline Fisch is a 3-time author, intuitive writing coach, and the founder of The Intuitive Writing School.
Michelle Guiliano is a podiatrist-turned-indexer and founder of Indexer Index, a directory website for working with freelance book indexers.
