rework by 37 signals - notes

Rework Notes - 37 Signals

The book is good, but light.

I am a big fan of the other book, Get Real, by 37 signals, and this book is in the same vein, and has some good points, but I liked Get Real more, and actually think it is the better business book.

One thing that bothered me about Rework, is that a company who does so well at clean and simple, managed to fill a book with bad pictures that really add nothing.  The actual content is well done, but probably fills a third of the book, the rest is white page or the pictures apparently made in sharpie, their favorite pen.

Could have been a great simple book.
Too bad the book isn't as well thought out and executed as their software.


Notes;

there is no such thing as the real world, there is no ideal model

planning is guessing, the longer the timeline, the more useless, estimates are always wrong

failure happens, but success teaches you what works

growing for no reason is ridiculous

work smart, but have a life

make a dent in the universe, do something that matters, make stand, believe in it and live it

your products should be what you need

ideas are just ideas, and are not valuable. action is valuable, doing something is valuable

no time means you have no plan

avoid outside money, the costs are too high, you need less than you think, you are making a business, not a start up.

keep it simple and lean

constraints are good, they force creativity

do the stuff you have to do for your product, ignore details, and get it out there, launch quickly and then respond

decisions and actions are progress

focus on what won't change, don't follow fashion

tone is in the fingers, practice, hard work, pays off

sell your byproducts

interruption is the enemy of productivity/ meetings are useless

go for quick wins, make quick tiny decisions

 

don't be a same as, or copy, make a stand, make sure your product isn't a commodity even when it is (zappos), make it you

 

make your product what it needs to be, under do, make it simple, robust, and fast

 

don't outspend your competition, out teach them, don't let everyone define you, you define you, thinks chefs, they all cook with the same ingredients, but a select few can add their personality to make it more. people can read fake and they respond to real.

 

everyone and every part of a business is marketing, make the business always reflect what you stand for

 

hire when it hurts, and hire the person, the attitude, not the background, not the resume

 

decisions are temporary

 

D