This caught my eye from my local library (whoever buys books for that library has impeccable taste) as one of those productivity hack books and I admiThis caught my eye from my local library (whoever buys books for that library has impeccable taste) as one of those productivity hack books and I admit to checking it out to hate-read it. I was pleasantly surprised that this is kind of an anti-productivity book and a really good read. One caveat is that it talks about things from a privileged, white collar/knowledge-worker, point of view, but this knowledge-worker found it really insightful.
We mostly read things to reaffirm our world-view and reading this is no different, but I liked how philosophical this book got. Sometimes, when I get overwhelmed with stuff at work or just general things going on, I look into the night sky. Seeing the stars and realizing how small and inconsequential we are in the grand scheme of the universe is calming because it puts into perspective what nothing-burgers most of our problems actually are. Reading this book is kind of like that....more
A short and to the point business-type book that's extremely helpful in conducting customer research. I heard about this book through an IndieHackers A short and to the point business-type book that's extremely helpful in conducting customer research. I heard about this book through an IndieHackers podcast episode and while one could get the gist of this book by just listening to the podcast, the details and examples in the actual book were worth the price of admission....more
A book that describes the structure of some organizations and how they work or don't work. I liked the message, but was frustrated by the fact that thA book that describes the structure of some organizations and how they work or don't work. I liked the message, but was frustrated by the fact that the book pretty much said if you're a worker bee in an org and you'd like to change its structure to something different, fat chance, you're better off looking for a different place to work....more
Like parenting books, I take these business-type books with a grain of salt. That being said, there were a lot of things I agreed with in here. I can'Like parenting books, I take these business-type books with a grain of salt. That being said, there were a lot of things I agreed with in here. I can't help but think this book came about as a series of Medium posts, since some chapters were either repetitive with the point, or covered something an earlier chapter already mentioned. If the book was merely to serve as marketing/recruiting material to join the unicorn fantasyland of Basecamp, where all employees get 8 hours of sleep and plenty of time off, then it definitely succeeded....more
The first half was interesting, especially when they used real-world companies as examples. The later half, more details about business models than I'The first half was interesting, especially when they used real-world companies as examples. The later half, more details about business models than I'd like, bored me so I just skimmed those chapters. For a business book, the design and diagrams were great....more
As far as business-books go, this was was not bad. I enjoyed the first part about Hsieh's childhood and college years more than the middle or last parAs far as business-books go, this was was not bad. I enjoyed the first part about Hsieh's childhood and college years more than the middle or last parts. I've read the gist of the last parts through various other articles so it wasn't news to me and I have the admit that I skimmed through most of the *slow clap* feel-good sections. The writing isn't the best, which Hsieh is modest enough to admit, but it did let his voice come through, which I think was the point. I only wish he went into more detail of the technical problems he faced when expanding the site to accomodate more users....more
Rework is quick and easy to read, which speaks to the philosophy the book is shilling: get things done -- which coincidentally speaks to me.
Nothing inRework is quick and easy to read, which speaks to the philosophy the book is shilling: get things done -- which coincidentally speaks to me.
Nothing in this book can be learned that can't be learned from the Signal vs. Noise blog from 37signals. That doesn't mean this book is unnecessary. On the contrary, it's handy to have a collection of business tips and anecdotes bound in one neat little volume.
This was my first business book and I think I got off pretty easy. There was a minimum of douchery in each page and a lot of tidbits that inspired me to get going on my side-project, which had been sitting around for months. The book's not just for aspiring CEOs and business owners. It's also for developers, marketing people, accountants, pretty much anyone who wants to get things done in an efficient manner.
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