Bookshelf

Philosophy

Linchpin: Are You Indispensable? by Seth Godin. How to think about your work, in order to do the work of a Linchpin, work that is both fulfilling and useful.
Principles by Ray Dalio (book, review)
The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss – I’m almost embarrassed to put it here but it brought home the lessons of (1) not overestimating others and underestimating yourself, (2) thinking big, thinking different, (3) dreamlining, which is the only goal-setting framework I’ve ever used consistently.
Never Let Go by Dan John – Philosophy as told through stories and lifting protocols. He just makes so much sense. Simultaneously makes you want to take your training seriously while adopting “reasonableness as a standard.” The storytelling is stellar. (Review)

Career

Gateless by Sebastian Marshall and Kai Zau — A guidebook on the modern career, especially when you don’t know yet know what to do with your life. (Review)
How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big: Kind of the Story of My Life by Scott Adams. The success formula: Every skill you acquire doubles your odds of success. Good + Good > Excellent Successwise, you’re better off being good at two complementary skills than being excellent at one. Work and life can be fun and enjoyable. (Notes)
Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi — The best book on networking: the what, the why, and the how. You are the average of the five people closest to you. Learn the value of building a network before you read anything about sales and marketing. It’s a multiplier. Read, especially if you don’t consider yourself to be the type of person who “networks” or should “network”.
Rise: 3 Practical Steps for Advancing Your Career, Standing Out as a Leader, and Liking Your Life by Patty Azzarello. If you’re working hard and wondering why your career is going nowhere, or slower than you’d like, read this book.
Knock ’em Dead: The Ultimate Job Search Guide by Martin Yate. The book that taught me that like anything else, job searching is a skill. It can be learned and honed. (Summary)

Productivity

Getting Things Done by David Allen — The Productivity Bible. I didn’t understand why most of my conversations and ideas don’t turn into projects. The answer is “next action thinking.” Read this book for the philosophy. Then the tactics, maybe.

Business

Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose. Permanently affected how I view customer service for the better. Treat your customers as humans and make them happy. They’ll reward you for it.
Running Lean: Iterate from Plan A to a Plan That Works (Lean Series) by Ash Maurya.

Product

Health

Why We Get Fat: And What to Do About It by Gary Taubes. The book that shaped my thinking on nutrition and helped me change to a paleo lifestyle. I shed a lot of fat through paleo. Being able to change my body changed my life.

Last updated: Wed, Oct 23, ’19