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One of the best investment books ever.
This book talks about how to get deep work done.
Chapter 0:
Deep work: Professional activities performed in a state of distraction free concentration that push your cognitive capabilities to their limit. Their efforts create new value, improve your skill and are hard to replicate.
Shallow work: Non cognitively demanding, logistical-style tasks, often performed while distracted. These efforts tend to not create much new value in the world and are easy to replicate.
Deep work is so important that we might consider it, to use the phrasing of businesswriter Eric Barker "the superpower of the 21st century".
Chapter 1:
Type of workers:
Two core abilities for thriving in the New Economy: The ability to quickly master hard things. The ability to produce at an elite level, in terms of both quality and speed.
Law of productivity: High-Quality Work Produced = (Time Spent) X (Intensity of Focus)
Exceptions: High executives like Jack Dorsey that thrives in lots of shallow work.
Chapter 2:
Deep work is rare. Deep work is hard to quantify and measure.
The principle of Least Resistance: people will tend to the behaviour that is the easiest at the moment.
Busyness as a Proxy for Productivity
"If it's high tech, we began to instead assume then it's good". This is called technopoly.
"It does not make them illegal. It does not make them immoral. It does not even make them unpopular. It makes them invisible and therefore irrelevant" --The Brave New World by Aldous Huxley.
Chapter 3:
Deep work is meaningful. Helps to create "Flow" (Another great book by the way). Craftsman use this to connect deeply with their work.
Part 2:
Rule 1: Work deeply
"You have a finite amount of willpower that becomes depleted as you use it" -- Roy Baumeister
Decide on your depth philosophy
1) The Monastic Philosophy: completely disconnect
2) Bimodal Philosophy: have clearly defined stretches of uninterrupted time
3) Rhythmic Philosophy: chain method: do the same thing every day
Ritualise it.
Book about how to find deep satisfaction in work.
1st Challenging task with a chance to complete
2nd Able to concentrate
3rd Clear Goals
4th Immediate Feedback
5th Deep and effortless involvement
6th Enjoyable experiences allow sense of control
7th Concern for self disappears
8th Sense of duration of time altered
Book explains why vision, mission and values are so important.
Good book for interpersonal relationships.
This book is important to understand humanity, where we are today, and where we are headed in the future.
To be added
Book of hot tips on how to ship.
His personal pilot, Mike Flint once asked Warren Buffett which of his career goals Flint should prioritize. The business magnate suggested this method:
Step 1: Write down your top 25 career goals on a single piece of paper.
Step 2: Circle only your top five options.
Step 3: Put the top five on one list and the remaining 20 on a second list.
Easy, right? List A and List B. With this exercise done, Flint confirmed that he'd start working on List A -- his top five goals -- right away. ... Buffett shook his head: 'No. You've got it all wrong, Mike. Everything you didn't circle just became your Avoid-at-All-Costs List. No matter what, these things get no attention from you until you've succeeded with your top five.
The "Avoid at All Costs List" comprises your second-tier priorities. That's focus. They're what you don't do. It's what you ahve the focus and determination to not do. It's saying no (or at least not right now). Eliminate the distractions.
I hate this book but man... >.<
Make sure those above you feel superior. Violate this and you will be punished.
Friends can never get enough, and sometimes might bite you. Converted enemies will work for you.
Opponents find it hard to guess your true intentions and they are scared.
Say little and be ambiguous, leaving the meaning to others to interpret. The less you say, the more intimidating and powerful you are. People love mysteries.
Nurture and guard your reputation because reputation is integral to power. With a strong reputation, you can influence and intimidate others.
Any attention — positive or negative — is better than being ignored. Attention brings you wealth.
Use their skill, time, and energy to further your ambitions while taking full credit. You’ll be admired for your efficiency.
Use Bait if Necessary Make your opponent come to you. When you force others to act, you’re in control. Bait them, then attack. Home ground always give you more control.
Demonstrate your point rather than arguing. Arguing rarely changes anyone’s mind, but people believe what they see. They’re also less likely to be offended.
Avoid miserable people.
The perpetually miserable spread misery like an infection, and they’ll drown you in it.
Make your superior dependent on you. The more she needs you, the more security and freedom you have to pursue your goals.
Use honesty and generosity to disarm and distract others from your schemes. Even the most suspicious people respond to acts of kindness, leaving them vulnerable to manipulation.
When you need help from someone in a position of power, appeal to their self-interest.
They’ll be glad to help if they’ll get something in return, and you’ll get what you want without seeming desperate or irritating.
Be friendly, sympathetic, and interested to get people to reveal their deepest thoughts and feelings. When you know your opponent’s secrets, you can predict his behavior and control him.
If you leave even one ember smoldering, it will eventually ignite. You can’t afford to be lenient.
Once you’ve become well-known, don’t wear out your welcome. The more you’re seen and heard from, the more you cheapen your brand.
Throw others off balance and unnerve them with random, unpredictable acts. You’ll gain the upper hand.
Never isolate yourself when under pressure. This cuts you off from information you need, and when real danger arises you won’t see it coming.
When attempting to deceive someone, know who you’re dealing with, so you don’t waste your time or stir up a hornets’ nest in reaction.
By maintaining your independence, you remain in control — others will vie for your attention. You also have the ability to pit the sides against each other.
Make your intended victims feel as though they’re smarter than you are, and they won’t suspect you of having ulterior motives.
When you’re weaker, surrender rather than fighting for the sake of honor.
This gives you time to build strength and undermine your victor. You’ll win in the end.
Focus your resources and energies where you’ll have the most impact or get the most benefit.
Otherwise, you’ll waste limited time and energy.
Learn the rules of the society you’re playing in, and follow them to avoid attracting unfavorable attention. This includes appearing like a team player and being careful about criticizing diplomatically.
Create a powerful image that stands out, rather than letting others define you. Change your appearance and emotions to suit the occasion. People who seem larger than life attract admiration and power.
You’ll inevitably make mistakes or need to take care of unpleasant problems. But keep your hands clean by finding others to do the dirty work, and scapegoats to blame.
Offer people something to believe in and someone to follow. Promise the world but keep it vague; whip up enthusiasm. People will respond to a desperate need for belonging. Followers line your pockets, and your opponents are afraid to rile them.
When you act, do so boldly — and if you make mistakes, correct them with even greater boldness. Boldness brings admiration and power.
Make detailed plans with a clear ending. Take into account all possible developments. Then don’t be tempted from your path. Otherwise, you risk being surprised and forced to react without time to think.
Make difficult feats seem effortless and you’ll inspire awe in others and seem powerful. By contrast, when you make too much of your efforts, your achievement will seem less impressive and you’ll lose respect.
Get Others to Play with the Cards You Deal: To deceive people, seem to give them a meaningful choice. But sharply limit their options to a few that work in your favor regardless of which they choose. Your victims will feel in control, but you’ll pull the strings.
Conjure up alluring fantasies in contrast to the gloomy realities of life, and people will flock to you. Spin the right tale and wealth and power will follow.
Everyone has a weakness, a hole in his armor. Find it and it’s leverage that you can use to your advantage.
Act Like a King to Be Treated Like One: Act like royalty and people will treat you that way. Project dignity and supreme confidence that you’re destined for great things, and others will believe it.
Recognize when the time is right, and align yourself with the right side. Be patient and wait for your moment. Bad timing ends careers and ambitions.
Ignoring Them Is the Best Revenge: Sometimes it’s better to ignore things because reacting can make small problems worse, make you look bad, and give your enemy attention.
In addition to words, use visuals and symbols to underscore your power. What people see makes a greater impression on them than what they hear.
Don’t make a show of being different, or people will think you look down on them and will retaliate against you.
Always stay calm and objective. When you get angry, you’ve lost control. But if you can make your enemies angry, you gain an advantage.
Use gifts to build a reputation of generosity, and also to obligate people to you.
If you succeed a great leader or famous parent, find or create your own space to fill.
Sharply separate from the past and set your own standards — or you’ll be deemed a failure for not being a clone of your predecessor.
Trouble in a group often starts with a single individual who stirs the pot. Stop them before others succumb to their influence.
Play on their emotions and weaknesses, and appeal to their self-interest. You’ll have them eating out of your hand, and they’ll be less likely to turn on you.
Seduce people by mirroring their emotions and interests; create the illusion that you share their values. They’ll be so grateful to be understood that they won’t notice your ulterior motives.
Talk change but move slowly. Evoke revered history and cloak your changes in familiar rituals. Too much change is unsettling and will spark backlash.
To forestall or mitigate envy, admit to a flaw or weakness, emphasize the role of luck, or downplay your talents. If you don’t recognize and nip envy in the bud, it will grow and the envious will work insidiously against you.
In Victory, Learn When to Stop: When you’ve won, don’t let emotions push you past your goal. The moment of victory is dangerous because if you press your luck, you’ll blunder into something you haven’t planned for.
Be flexible, fluid, and unpredictable — formless — so your opponents can’t get a fix on you and can’t figure out how to respond.
The most important Bitcoin book