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Finished reading: The Product is Docs by Christopher Gales 📚 I skimmed through this one. Probably a good read for Technical Writers. I didn’t get much out of it.
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Uptime, by Laura Mae Martin
Finished reading: Uptime by Laura Mae Martin 📚
A well-written productivity book that’s full of actionable advice. However, as someone who is a productivity nerd, I didn’t get too much from the book. I would recommend it for anyone who is new to the productivity space.
The book covers Top 3 priorities, saying no, creating lists, deep work, zero-based calendaring, finding your “power hours”, time reviews, procrastination, downtime (rest), using your environment, setting boundaries, creating plans, make the most out of meetings, mastering email, creating routines, meditation, and mindfulness.
The book is focused on what Laura calls the “5 C’s of Productivity”, which include Capture, Consolidate, Close, Calm, and Create.
Urgent once, take care of it, Urgent seventeen times … something is wrong with the system.
You can think of to-do lists like a funnel: start with the highest level of everything you could possibly do, or want to do, and narrow it down into what you actually will do hour by hour, based on time, energy, and priorities.
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Storyworthy by Matthew Dicks
📚 I was listening to the Bookworm podcast and the next book that the hosts will be talking about is Storyworthy, by Matthew Dicks.
I wasn’t interested in the book at first, as I’m not a storyteller, but then I thought there could be some useful tips in here for writing. Anyone who reads my writing knows I need all the help I can get.
So, I picked up a paperback copy of the book and gave it a shot. Was it good? Well, I finished it (although I skipped a little here and there), so that’s a good sign.
As you would expect, Storyworthy, is about creating good stories, so obviously, the book was full of stories. Not long stories. Rather, short, easy to read stories (that didn’t stop the author from plugging the long versions that are available on the website and YouTube channel).
As far as storytelling/writing tips, I was able to abstract a few that I found could be useful for elaborating in some of my writing.
- Every story should have a five-second moment. This is the moment when the story contains a turning-point. A transformation.
- Every story must have an Elephant, which is a part of the story that is obvious. This may be a clear definition of the problem, or mystery. It signifies where the story is heading.
- Always provide a physical location for each moment of the story. This gives your audience something to visualize.
- The ideal connection between sentences is “but” and “therefore” including synonyms. Don’t use “and”. When your paragraphs can be connected by a silent “and”, then it feels like rambling. Instead, each should flow into the other.
- Stories about failure are more engaging than those about success.
- Your story must reflect change over time. Otherwise, what’s the point?
I admit, at times I got lost and didn’t understand the point of what was said. I’d have to reread parts or look back (or forward) to see where the actionable advice is.
There are also a few very short chapters in the book that didn’t have any rhyme or reason for being there. They felt like filler text to make the book a bit longer.
Although I found some parts of the book tedious and disjointed, I found Storyworthy had enough practical advice, with examples, to help strengthen my non-technical writing.
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Finished reading: Co-Intelligence by Ethan Mollick 📚
This book covers “AI” at a high level, including what AI is today and the possibilities of what it can be in the future. It touches on the ethics and regulation. Overall, the author was optimistic about AI if we learn to use it properly.
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Finished reading: A System for Writing by Bob Doto 📚
If you want a practical guide on how to use a Zettelkasten, this is it. The book doesn’t go too much into the history, but rather the implementation. Full of examples showing how to take notes and use your system for writing. Bob is the expert.
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Finished reading: How to ADHD by Jessica McCabe 📚
A solid book packed full of tips for those living with ADHD.
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Finished reading: Anxious People by Fredrik Backman 📚
A funny and sad story full of memorable characters. I enjoyed the flow of the book, as it often introduced something bizarre, but then shortly describes how it came to be.
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Currently reading: Anxious People by Fredrik Backman 📚
Anyone can nurture a myth about their life if they have enough manure, so if the grass looks greener on the other side of the fence, that’s probably because it’s full of shit.
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Finished reading: For You by Patrick Rhone 📚
Worth reading slowly, thoughtfully, and on multiple occasions.
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Finished reading: The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler 📚
Humans find an octopus colony that appears to have culture and language, and are defending themselves from the outside world (humans). While it may sound far-fetched, the book was very grounded in a near future reality. The story dives into deep topics such as AI, Androids, what is consciousness, and what makes us human.
This was a sci-fi book that felt real and made me think about these topics even when I wasn’t reading. I really enjoyed it.
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Currently reading: Chatter by Ethan Kross 📚
I’m hoping this book will help me learn from the voices in my head.
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Slow Productivity by Cal Newport
Finished reading: Slow Productivity by Cal Newport 📚
Cal Newport’s latest book fits his ongoing theme about slowing down and producing good work. His latest, Slow Productivity, doesn't disappoint.
Cal talks about three main aspects of slow productivity: do fewer things, work at a natural pace, and obsess over quality.
The book is structured in a way that makes it easy to digest. There are three main parts; each part starts with a story. Next, Cal translates what it means for knowledge workers and then provides several action items that can help your situation. Finally, he goes into details and attempts to dispel any contradictions.
If I were to rate the book on a 5-star system:
- Importance of the topic: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Structure of the book: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Actionable Advice: ⭐⭐⭐
If you already follow Cal's work, especially his podcast, Deep Questions, you're likely already familiar with the content in this book. I think it was still worth reading.
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Finished reading: A Philosophy of Software Design by John Ousterhout 📚
A good book that explains how to recognize the complexity of software design and provides many recommendations for how to overcome it, by making it obvious, using modular design, abstraction, comments, and naming conventions.
