Sarah Schumacher
3.5 stars.
I read a lot of similar books, so the first 3/4 of the book felt like a uninteresting recap of things I already know, citing studies I've already read. (If you read enough popular productivity/psychology stuff you learn everyone cites the same people).
However, the last several chapters had some good points, and the very last chapter strategies on coping with choice. 1/2 star for those.
If you're skeptical of his premise, go ahead and read this. If you already have a grip on our society's curse of decision fatigue and want a book in this realm, I'd suggest Thinking Fast & Slow by Daniel Kahneman, or for a less clinical and more practical option, Decisive by Chip & Dan Heath.
In Chapter One alone, 106 f*cks were given. Fortunately the rest of the book is more reasonable.
Mark talks a lot about entitlement and taking responsibility; lessons he's personally acquainted with. Hard truths in quotable format. I think the reviewer who called this dressed up Buddhism nailed it.
I'd suggest reading a few of his blog posts first. You'll know really quick if you want to read a whole book of them.
If you're looking for a how-to guide, this is not it (with the exception of Chapter 6).
It's about the need for checklists and a culture of teamwork in a technologically complex world. He draws heavily from the practices and examples of airline pilots, which he applies mostly to surgery. There is a brief discussion of government application (natural disasters) and investing as well.
As a professional list maker, I did not need convinced of the effectiveness of checklists, so I didn't get a whole lot from this book. I think the most interesting thing was considering the (American?) ideal of an independent hero who knows all and gets it done on his own, vs the real world necessity of a team working in unison.
I hope things have changed in the 8 years since he wrote this book, but this would still be a recommended read for those in the medical field.
The book itself is great; the subtitle was poorly chosen. It should be something like “Why Mom Never Has Time” since it's almost entirely focused on working women with kids.
It covers a lot of ground, opening with a relatable description of The Overwhelm, discussion of negative workplace norms toward mothers and family-focused dads, family implications when there's inherent bias toward the “woman-as-homemaker” mindset, examples of people doing it better (Denmark) and why play is worth thinking about. If you read nothing else, read the section on Play.
While the author talks about herself, her family, and how she's made changes as a result of her research, this definitely reads more like investigative journalism (her profession) vs. a personal memoir, with an extensive list of endnotes.
TLDR: If you are an artist in need of encouragement or someone who thinks they're not creative but wishes to be: read this book immediately. It's inspiring, funny, packed full of uncommonly good advice and utterly delightful to read.
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I absolutely loved this book.
I love anything about creativity and I'd seen this book mentioned somewhere, so I dutifully added it to my massive Want To Read list for some much later date. I happened to walk past a display table at the library where it was sitting out, recognized the cover and grabbed it (I've run out of books to read twice this year; a tragedy).
When I finally quit the terrible book I was previously reading and picked this up, I was surprised to discover how much I loved it. I've never read anything by Elizabeth Gilbert and have not seen her TED talk (that I remember). I enjoy light-hearted, personable writing, which she has clearly mastered (as evidenced by the fact that 99% of my notes were written down as direct quotes), and I couldn't put this book down. There's so much good advice here. As an artist who's also incredibly practical, it was refreshing to read someone who can tell it like it is while simultaneously being insanely encouraging and delighted to do all of it. This is a book I will eventually purchase to add to my personal library, and it would make an excellent gift.
I did see another review negatively mention her spiritualization of creativity. There's definitely a thread of that running throughout, particularly in a couple areas, but it didn't bother me. Some of it I would describe more as anthropomorphism. Regardless, it shouldn't be something that would prevent you from reading it. I don't believe you need to agree with every single point to enjoy a book - take what you need, leave what you don't. I also believe her advice in regard to education in the arts is sound as well as respectful.
I have no idea why I've seen this book on so many recommended lists. He gets a star for a few good nuggets on basic mindfulness, but otherwise comes off sounding like a self-appointed prophet of esoteric nonsense. There is no science, there are no citations and he freely twists quotes from (insert religious figure here) while talking down to the reader, as if spending a year sleeping on park benches has granted him valid credentials.
I practice meditation daily and read a lot in the personal growth/mindfulness categories, so it's not like I had it out for this book. The few good lines were in the first half, after which I started speed-reading as it went steadily downhill. Upon seeing that the last half inch of pages does not consist of citations, like most other books I read, I'm moving this puzzler to unfinished and moving on with my life.
If you're interested in mindfulness and learning to be more present in your life, read something by Jon Kabat-Zinn. Or better yet, get yourself a subscription to Headspace and start practicing it.
I'm never sure what to do with books that feel like a collection of blog posts. The endorsement by Seth Godin is appropriate, since it feels similar to his daily blog posts, just in your face and wrapped up in book form. The content itself is great. I personally just don't prefer this type of format since I feel like I can read the whole thing in 20 minutes, will have covered 15 categories, and won't remember any of it.
If you would like to read bite-size chunks of unconventional business advice, this would be a good book to purchase, set on your shelf and read a chapter every morning before starting your workday.
Not sure how I feel about this book. A bit pretentious... like reading a grandiose description of how to tie a shoe.
What I got out of it:
- Skim books before reading.
- Ask questions as you read.
Appendices:
- List of recommended reading.
- Exercises to test reading levels.
Time will tell if the 15 rules for analytical reading actually improve comprehension of the content I shovel into my eyeballs.
If you read only one book on the importance of alternative schools, unschooling, or homeschooling, make it this one. If you have children, read this book.
It's easy to read, well organized and written, and very approachable, even if you don't have a strong interest in the topic (although, by the end, you might).
Quick note: I was surprised to see that he never mentioned the difference in kids personalities in regard to learning style, although it is slightly off topic. I believe different kids need a different style of parenting, and that should factor in to their education (a “free spirit” needing a bit more structure than a more organized child, for example). In the end it's like anything else - you have to do what works for you and your family, which usually involves a mashup of several different styles or systems.
