I’ve been reading a library book called Rework, by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hanson. They are founders of a software company, 37signals, and in 2010 published this business book for entrepreneurs.
It is a fast read, consisting of a large number of pithy mini-chapters. They back up many of their points with examples of successful businesses that use those principles, giving an interesting look at how those companies operate.
I noticed that much of their contrarian business advice would translate well to the home environment, so I went back through it with that in mind and ended up with a couple of pages of notes.
Most of the ideas in the book were things that I am already doing: keeping things simple and flexible and mindful, creatively using and re-using what you have, doing quick prototypes and testing, taking adequate time for rest and recreation, doing things just “good enough” to reach the goal, doing work that is meaningful, looking beyond current fads, and so on.
What is helpful for me now is the idea of using big markers to sketch out ideas, to prevent being pulled down into the details too soon. Also, their assertion that in business you will learn more from successes than from failures.
Some quotes from the book: “Culture is the byproduct of consistent behavior.” “The environment has a lot more to do with great work than most people realize.” “Inspiration is perishable.”
The book’s copyright page is at the end; I found that unhelpful as I was trying to find the year of publication.
Overall, I found the book worth reading.
No comments:
Post a Comment