Jason Fried

freaking awesome

expresses in a clear concise manner a ton of topics that have been half formed and bouncing around in my head for a while (even saying that feels arrogant because this book is brilliant in its simplicity and clarity of vision, more than likely it is just so good and makes so much sense that it makes you think you've had the ideas all along)

just plain elegant. captures the idea of "actually doing stuff"

take a stand. its not going to be perfect now. leave stuff out on purpose. show more

Do less...BUT actually DO something...don't talk about it...don't write about it...Do it.

"good ideas with out implementation are worthless"
"enthusiasm is everything" -Pele, not from the book (just my favorite quote) but captured in the book's statement of the importance of passion

small groups, constant iteration, attention to detail...

fantastic, quick, can't put down read. The one book I've made the time to read in an incredibly busy last 2 months here in Afghanistan

specifically about web development, but truly is a vision that can be applied to life and everything. Found it practically inspirational.

Not easy though.

This is a spirit that I felt was lacking in every course I never liked, and unfortunately is counter to much of what we were forced to sit through.

Really unfortunately I feel that this is the exact opposite of how the Army, particularly staff, works. but thats enough on that.


Oh and i forgot one of the best parts. I read it all for free online.

http://gettingreal.37signals.com/toc.php

...enjoy show less

The COVID pandemic forced the global workforce to become used to working from home, and many of us transitioned there permanently. I grew up with my professor-father often working from home in the evenings and trudged through graduate school studying and writing in a home office. Thus, working from home was not entirely new to me. In 2013, when this book was written, this idea was still a relatively fresh management technique, and this short guide sought to pioneer its concepts to the wider show more working world.

I read this book in search of understanding early actions that spurred remote work. For almost 30 years, I’ve found having a separate workspace for work helpful, but I’ve also found that this desk does not necessarily need a long commute affixed to it. Many of us feel the same way coming out of a global pandemic. This book sought to popularize that attitude seven years before it was forced upon us all.

The book itself is short. About 30-50% of the pages are filled with illustrations, so the actual text is extremely concise. It provides more inspiration and persuasion than it does tips and tools. It does directly address common objections to remote work – like the mistaken idea that no collaboration gets done. One chapter even deals about hiring remote workers, but legal nuances are left to the lawyers, unaddressed here.

In 2024, this book is more of a historical artifact than a relevant work. Many of the counterarguments to remote work remain the same, but most of the world working in business desks are well-aware of how remote work functions. Better guides to practicalities exist in today’s bookstores. We might continue to have generational disagreements about remote work’s value, but I suspect that those arguments will fade with time. For me, commuting ten hours per week is not worth the hassle. Driving to a central office occasionally makes sense, but I can do the daily grind with excellence without city traffic. This book shone the way over a decade ago, and I’m reaping some benefits from it. show less

Rework is an example of the business-inspirational genre by the founders of 37Signals, a software company. I like 37Signals because they’re straightforward, even pithy, and because founder Jason Fried has some right-on things to say about business culture, such as the stupidity of insisting that all workers come to an office and stay for eight hours, whether they are productive there or not. Rework follows the format of a lot of these books, which alternates extremely short chapters with show more crude page-sized art. Usually this format follows naturally when the author is reworking his blog into a book, which is the case here.

A lot of the little chapters pretend to upend the common wisdom. There are chapters titled “Welcome Obscurity,” “Good Enough is Fine” and “Drug Dealers Get It Right.” This gives even completely passive readers the feeling of boldly thinking outside the box. There is a chance, I suppose, that some readers really will be jolted into changing their way of thinking, and I think that’s what the authors are aiming for. But I’m skeptical. You’re either ready to be bold, or you’re not, and if you are ready, you’ll quickly find your own path and won’t need this book.

Ultimately, Rework is not a lot different from a traditional book of business wisdom (say, Winning by Jack Welch of GE). People are hungry for advice and seek it from those they consider brilliant, and what higher proof of brilliance is there than success in the market? But consider: 37Signals began as a Web-design company just as the Web was becoming a truly mass phenomenon. The company then switched to developing Web apps just as the iPhone came out and apps became a very big commercial thing. These guys are very smart, no doubt, but they’re also lucky; like the rock musicians of the ‘50s and ‘60s, they were there just as the market demanded their particular skills for the very first time. If they’d been born ten years earlier or later, they would have found much less rewarding outlets or would have faced much stiffer competition.

If you’ve already begun a startup company, this book may be the encouragement you need and may even give you a few good ideas. If you’re looking for a book to inspire you to action, look within yourself instead. show less

Very good book - funny, witty, to the point, and great illustrations (both the picture kind and the example kind). Each chapter has smaller topics, each of which last only a page or two and have some sort of picture or design on the facing page. This kept each zinger short and to the point.

The book is full of snarky humor and blunt honesty.

I was prepared to rate it five stars until the second half - when some crude language began to filter in. I'm sure they had a point, but I'm also sure it show more didn't necessitate bad language. Came off as unprofessional. show less