So Good They Can't Ignore You [Review]
This book (So Good They Can't Ignore You) is a classic for self-improvement. And while it does do a good job pushing against the conventional advice that society gives, I find it lacking in much more than that; Newport guides readers on many stories to illustrate a few key points yet there's not too much beyond those key points. The points (see the section headers below) are great, but they're not exactly life changing. In fact, the title sums it up; just get so good that others can't ignore you.
That's what I'll try to do. 8.2/10.
notes:
- (xxiv intro) - working right >> right work
- Section 1: Don't Follow Your Passion.
- (18) - look for Autonomy and Compotence, not passion; if you're compotent and your work does stuff (and some other stuff) -> happy
- (22) - "you were meant for this" - no; carve your own hole of yourself into the world
- (37) - be So Good They Can't Ignore You. --> At anything.
- (ch 5) - if a career switch/work switch is needed, switch to an adjacent field (marketing -> design) rather than to a disparate field because of "passion" (e.g. nature -> blogging)
- (ch 7, 84) - Deliberate practice. NOTHING else beats it. Do that to get better.
- (91) - some sorta 5 step process that is lowkey convoluted and hard and ??? towards figuring out what area of practice you need practice in.
- Note: DP (delib. practice) is utually not enjoyable
- Note 2: Getting good at anything takes a while --> you'll need to be able to DP for a bit without giving up to get good.
- (100) - "Rule" #2: Don't follow passion, instead accumulate career capital (skills) through DP to the point where you're just too damn good.
- Rule 3: Control - Autonomy
- (ch 8) - control over work ~ happy :>
- (117) - get control over work via career capital (skills)
- (131) - "second control trap" -- once you get good at your job and want to get autonomy, that's the point where your employer will probably want to block you from getting that autonomy (cuz then they might needa pay you more)
- (ch 11) - Derek Sivers mentioned!!!
- (139) - Interesting law (Law of Financial Viability) - To decide if an idea is worth pursuing, see if it is financially viable (e.g. is there a market for it)
- (142) - rule 3 summary: get control over work to be happy but be ready to back up your worth with your skills.
- Rule 4: Mission (Think Small, Act Big)
- (159) - to do anything great, always be on the lookout in the "adjacent possible" (which is ever-expanding due to technological advances; also see the concept of interest-first sampling)
- (161) - (Newport's Mission Theory) - "A good career mission should be an innovation waiting to happen (in the adjacent possible)" (paraphrased)
- (167) - Think Small, Act Big -> Become good at a niche, then tackle an adjacent, bigger mission.
- (ch 14, 178) - missions form from incremental leaps and bounds
- (ch 15) - 'Law of Remarkability' (both definitions) as proof of a good mission
- (190) - Purple vs Brown cows - do the purple cow thing
- Conclusion!!!!
- (206) ~ [Try not to study past dinnertime :P]
- (213) - an overview of Newport's structured DP while he was in college
- (213) - DP Hour tracker chart!!!!!