I finished reading the newly released book, Rework, by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson not long after it was released and intended to give a bit of opinion about it here sooner but was distracted with other things. The book is under 300 pages but it is a pretty quick read consisting of a collection of essays by the two authors.
I know there are a million other reviews out on the web, many in great detail. I have to say this is a really great book, the content hits home in so many areas. Although the book is marketed as a business book for folks starting a company the ideas can be applied to many aspects of life.
Jason and David cover topics such as:
- Progress
- Productivity
- Competitors
- Evolution
- Promotion
- Culture
- Damage Control
- Hiring
They communicate their ideas in a very concise way, removing most of the fluff seen in so many business books. I have quite a collection of business books and it happens more often than not that I sit down to read one and it turns out the author is off on some wild topic trying to explain to me why he is so great, why I should follow his advice. I can count on one hand how many of these books I have actually finished, Rework is one of those I started AND finished.
I think what makes the advice in these pages hit home so well and mean so much is because they are not surrounded by pages of filler. Points are presented, examples given, and they move on to the next topic.
The points shared in this book can be applied to more than just running a company, but so many aspects of life. I think after reading the book that so many lessons here are simply commonsense. The problem everyone faces is actually using the commonsense we have.
I recommend this book highly, it is a quick read and contains great life lessons.