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- Summary: Rework
Summary: Rework
These book summaries are designed as captures for what I’ve read, and aren’t necessarily great standalone resources for those who have not read the book. Their purpose is to ensure that I capture what I learn from any given text, so as to avoid realizing years later that I have no idea what it was about or how I benefited from it.
Summary
External summary.
Lessons
ignore reality
planning is guessing
growing is an artificial goal, growing your user base is the right goal
don’t kill yourself working, get some damn sleep
the real world is full of pessimism and despair
assume society isn’t ready for change
you don’t have to fail before you can succeed
plans make you feel like you’re in control of things you’re not
big plans don’t get looked at
make decisions right before you do something
working without a plan is scary, following a big dumb plan is scarier
grow slow
big businesses always wish they were more agile
hire when it hurts
starter is a better word than entrepreneur
best way to make a product is to make something you want to use
if you’re solving someone else’s problem you’re disconnected from truth
the most important action is beginning
pitches are worthless; execution is everything
if you care enough you make time
great businesses have more than a product or service–they have a point of view
if nobody is upset by what you’re saying, you’re probably not different or forceful enough
if you stand for something decisions are more obvious
mission statement is what you do every day
outside money is plan z
start a business, not a startup
building to flip is building to flop
embrace the idea of being smaller
the more expensive it is to make a change the less likely you’ll do it
only one or two people on a project at a time
features to a minimum
cut the good stuff, only keep the great stuff
start at the center
ignore details early
low rez prototypes
change “let’s think about it” to “let’s decide on it”
your decisions are temporary; don’t stress them so much
long projects sap morale
be a curator, cut stuff
trim and polish
core of business is on things that don’t change, focus on those
don’t focus on your tools
sell your exhaust
launch now
don’t over document; it’s an illusion
if you need to explain something, make it simpler
why are you doing this? What problem are you solving? Is it useful? Are you adding value? What could you be doing instead? Is it worth it? Don’t throw good time after bad work.
interruption is the enemy of productivity
meetings are toxic
don’t break the day into a series of work moments
an hour meeting with 5 people is five hours of wasted productivity
end meetings on time
have a clear agenda
begin with specific problem
go to the problem not to the conference room
end with a solution to the problem
good enough is fine
find judo solutions to hard problems
break big things into smaller things
long lists don’t get done; make smaller pieces
make tiny decisions
don’t copy other peoples’ stuff
you can’t keep up if you copy
influence is fine; it’s different
decommoditize your project; you’ll be copied
make your DNA part of the product so it can’t be easily copied
if your competition sucks, be willing to say so
underdo your competition by doing less to solve the problem
stop thinking about what they do; stay on your game
say no by default
don’t avoid confrontation
let your customers outgrow you; if you chase your current customers you might be cutting off new ones
enthusiasm is not priority
don’t be the product that’s only good in the store; be the one that works at home
don’t make a list of what customers want; if it’s important enough everyone will have it in memory
if you keep forgetting a request it’s not that important
obscurity is ok because you can make mistakes without an audience
speak, write, blog, tweet, make videos
don’t outspend, outteach
emulate chefs by sharing everything you know
don’t be afraid to show people how your business works
don’t hide your flaws
don’t do generic press releases
call people and pitch passionately
don’t worry about big name media
make your products addictive and get people on them
marketing isn’t a department, it’s just what everyone does
it won’t happen overnight
don’t hire unless you’ve done it yourself first
see how long you can make it without
pass on great people if you don’t need them
you need to be able to tell people that ideas are bad
resumes are a joke
hire great writers because they’re usually great thinkers
the real difference in capability is intelligence, dedication, and personality
many people don’t test well; don’t go by academics
small team, everyone works
if you just delegate you’re not needed
find people who can build from scratch all the way through
the best are everywhere; embrace remote
test drive people
own bad news
speed changes everything; respond to things quickly
know how to say you’re sorry
everyone is on the front lines; nobody is behind in the kitchen
make decisions you’ll be prepared to back even if they’re unpopular
culture is what you do every day, not a document
don’t think about rock star people; think about rock star environment
treat people like they’re young and you get children’ work
stop at 5. You don’t need more hours, you need better hours
keep policies to a minimum
policies are collective punishment for individual misdeeds
sound small and unique ; it’s ok
avoid saying need, must, can’t, easy, just, only, and fast; they’re toxic
don’t say ASAP; use that language only when it’s an emergency
ideas last forever; inspiration doesn’t. If you’re inspired on Friday you should dive in; you can get a lot done in little time if you’re inspired
Read my other book summaries.