Book Review #4 - The Ciccarellis
For February (our 6th book - wow, halfway already!) we read Rework by Jason Fried & David Heinemeier Hansson in our 12-in-12 book challenge. If you missed our 1st, 2nd, or 3rd review, catch up by clicking the link.
Scroll down to watch our live review via Vimeo or read our review instead just below the video.
Look at all those tabs! We pretty much tabbed each chapter between the two of us...
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Book #6: Rework
This is such an amazing book! We cannot say it enough. Please get this book if you are thinking about starting a business, if you own a business, or if you are a boss or work in a corporate setting. Chapters are 1-3 pages, quick and to the point. These guys don't mess around. They are blunt, have their own opinion, and make a ton of sense! We would list every chapter here as a take-away, but we'd run out of space and you'll want to read this one cover to cover... so we just picked 5 take-aways.
Take-Aways we use NOW:1. Workaholism - We see it all the time. People, especially in the US, equate working a lot with being successful. This book (like others we've read by Tim Ferriss) say no. Just because you're working 50 hours a week doesn't mean you're getting any more work done than the person who has streamlined their work by prioritizing and cutting out interruptions and gets it done in 20 hours/week. We always try to batch work, make lists, and cut out the unnecessary to make sure we have a life outside of work. This book will give you plenty of examples of how to cut it back if you feel overwhelmed by the hours you're currently working.2. Gear Doesn't Matter - The authors explain the most important part of your business is making money, not the shiny extras (although new computers and fancy technology are neat). This was a good reminder for us because there are definitely temptations to buy that new lens, but in reality it's probably best to spend that extra cash enhancing our website to get more clients so that our business grows. Priorities.3. Long Lists - ...don't get done. We totally agree. We usually have between 3-5 important tasks to finish each day. We make sure the first one is the most important and we keep crossing them off as we go. If our list was 10 tasks we'd never accomplish them all and would feel defeated. If we finish all 3-5 items each day then we have a feeling of great accomplishment!4. Don't copy or worry about the competition - It's very easy to use the internet to check out your competition and compare yourself or steal their ideas. Trust us, it's not worth it. The time spent worrying about someone else or trying to be like someone else could instead be spent making yourself more successful!5. Educate & Share - The authors explain that cooks are the best sharers. They make something delicious and put it in a book for everyone to try. Why can't we all be like cooks? No one is going to cook it exactly the same anyway so you may as well share. We truly believe in sharing and helping educate others as much as we can. The only way to get better at something is to learn...from others! We've been so lucky to have friends willing to teach us and have found amazing photographers in the business who share out their successes and failures and we wish to do the same.
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