Do The Work

Do the Work by Steven Pressfield

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


To be honest, I chose to read and finish this one now to get closer to my Goodreads challenge. However, I've wanted to read it for a very long time. And I'm glad I did. Although this should be read while having a project in mind or working on, because it will help you along the way.

Do the Work talks about overcoming Resistance. And the only way to do that is to actually start. Do the work, get started, and follow along on the ride. It will be rough, there will be a lot of things working against you, trying to make you stop, telling you you're not good enough. And it will succeed, if you let it.

Steven Pressfield's writing is quick and easy to read, but harder to put in practice. But for anyone doing it, they will be better off in the end. Read this, and follow through, and you will be good to go.



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Turning Pro

Turning Pro by Steven Pressfield

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I'm hesitating between 3 and 4 starsl for this one, as I'd ideally put it more at 3.5, but this will do. Turning Pro is the state where you decide that you don't want to be an amateur anymore in whatever creative endeavor you are undertaking, but actually want to be serious in your commitment. It reads similarly to the War of Art, short chapters of personal stories interspersed with recommendations/statements of how a true pro acts.

It's a quick read, and a fair amount of stuff to pick up from. But it's too similar to The War of Art for me, and feels mostly like a continuation that isn't too particularly necessary to read or know. At the same time though, it's something that's definitely worth reading if just as a push to actually take the step and turn pro.



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The Wisdom of Teams

The Wisdom of Teams by Jon R. Katzenbach

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


What is it that makes teams strong? According to Katzenbach and Smith, it's an emphasis on performance. That's the essence of the book in a nutshell.

So why should you read it? The Wisdom of Teams shares a number of stories and experiences from companies of different scale, and how they managed to progress through the different stages of groups and teams to become high-performing teams. Overall, the main point that is being made is that groups don't become high-performing on their own, and especially not if the focus is solely on the group becoming a better group. When clear performance goals and challenges are given to a group, that is when individuals can take the step up and form real teams.

It feels like the book could've been shorter. Although there are a number of suggestions and recommendations on what to do and how to form teams, and some really good lists, I think there's just too much text and not enough benefit from reading it all. Focus on setting performance goals, and you can help groups turn into teams.



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Between the World and Me

Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I should start this by saying that not growing up in North America, I have been spared of a lot of the race issues, and as such I am probably ignorant of a lot of the more subtle undertones in the book. Regardless, there is so much here to read for anyone that I can definitely recommend it.

Ta-Nehisi writes to his son, and it reads as a biography of his own life growing up as a black man. There is a lot of anger in the book, but it is understandable, having the feeling of not being in control of his own body, and that at any time, his life can be taken away from him. It's a sad state that the US is in, where a large portion of the population has been dehumanized and lives in constant fear.

The book is a quick read, but a very good one. There is a lot to learn from and reflect on, and think of how we can contribute to a better society for us all.



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The Timeless Way of Building

The Timeless Way of Building by Christopher W. Alexander

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


While I'm not a student or master of architecture, this book still had a lot of insights to bring to me. I was suggested to read it by a coworker as it forms the basis of design patterns in computer science as well. As such, it does a great job at introducing the concept of patterns, searching for "the quality without a name" in architecture, and discovering and forming a universal language for how to design everything from the smallest corner in a room to entire neighborhoods and cities.

There were some great points in the book that can anyone working in a professional environment can relate to and which made me think, such as knowing how to speak to people without the same experience and knowledge. Do we speak to them in a language they can understand, or do we try to appear advanced and knowledgable while speaking over their head and level of understanding?

In terms of style and quality of writing, someone else described it as "not a masterpiece", and I think that's very accurate. While I really enjoyed reading reading the book and how the build-up went, there were a lot of unnecessary commas used throughout the book. Each sentence, felt split up, kind of like this, and it got really annoying. But that doesn't detract from the overall feel I got of the book, that there definitely is a better way of building and designing, and that it perhaps is time for us to pay a bit more attention to how things make us feel rather than just some standardized design and architecture.



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something about this door of the Shrine just makes me so happy. and I really enjoyed the way the shadow fell on half of it. #bahai

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