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Work That Lasts

From Ryan Holiday’s Perennial Seller: The Art of Making and Marketing Work that Lasts: People claim to want to do something that matters, yet they measure themselves against things that don’t, and track their progress not in years but in microseconds. They want to make something timeless, but they focus instead on immediate payoffs and instant gratification. (…) We focus on all the wrong metrics for measuring our success and, in the process, actually diminish our chances for longevity. Read more...
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Book Reading Goal for 2017 (Update)

One of my goals for 2017 has been to read two non-fiction books and one novel per month. Inspired by Shane Parrish’s suggestion, my plan has been to read 25 pages a day. As of August 2017, I’ve read 12 non-fiction books and 17 novels. With some exceptions, I’ve managed to read 25 pages most days. I only wrote three book reviews (I’m not happy with this), and a summary for Kevin Kelly’s outstanding book The Inevitable, which you can download here for free or buy on Amazon. Read more...
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What You Don’t Know Will Help You at Problem-Solving

What’s your approach to problem solving? There are several frameworks available which you could use to give a better structure to your problem-solving process, but that’s not what I’m referring to. Some weeks ago, speaking with a colleague about a specific problem, her approach to solving the problem we had at hand surprised me. Unconsciously, she limited herself to solutions she could implement all by herself. Which were, of course, limited. Read more...

Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World, by Cal Newport

Cal Newport is an Associate Professor of Computer Science at Georgetown University, who specializes in the theory of distributed algorithms. According to Newport, the unprecedent growth and impact of technology are creating a massive restructuring of our economy. Deep Work is a book about thriving in this new economy, where jobs that can be automated will be replaced by software or outsourced. “In this new economy three groups will have a particular advantage: those who can work well and creatively with intelligent machines, those who are the best at what they do, and those with access to capital. Read more...
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The Power of Habit. Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business, by Charles Duhigg

Charles Duhigg is a Pulitzer-prize winning reporter for The New York Times. In The Power of Habit, the author proposes a framework for understanding the importance of habits and how habits work. Throughout the book, Duhigg uses stories —real stories— to exemplify his points, and he does a great job telling them. The stories are based, in part, on Duhigg’s interviews and journalistic research. Perhaps the most important concept in the book is the Habit Loop, the loop that governs any habit. Read more...
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