The Four Hour Work Week by Tim Ferris

I have been put off reading this book for quite a while because someone told me that Tim Ferris is not a particularly nice guy.  Well, it doesn't take long reading his book to realise that indeed he is not a particularly nice guy.  Early on he tells us a story about how he ruined some martial arts contest by gaming the rules.  It turned out that the framers of the rules of Chinese Kick Boxing had not taken into account someone like Tim Ferris.  By a bit of radical dehydration prior to the contest he managed to get into the wrong weight category, and so was able to literally punch above his weight.  Bully for Tim, who was doing it for a bet, rough on the enthusiasts who had trained properly for the big event in their sport.

How Planning Undermines What You Are Trying To Do

Planning is a great way to use your time more efficiently and enable you to get more done.  There is no doubt about that.  Dick Tracey says you save ten times the time you spend on planning.  (I am not sure where he gets that precise figure from, but it certainly fits in with my personal experience.)  But there is one huge drawback to planning that you absolutely have to be aware of, because if you aren't you will find that your planning will keep you busy but won't get much that matters done.

Time Management - Do not read blogs and above all do not write them.

Some serious time management advice from a blog post by Professor Serious.  The big thing with time management is to distinguish between what is important and what is urgent.  This is one of those things like walking a tight rope.  There is nothing conceptually difficult about it.  Actually doing it yourself though?  That is a different question.

Top Five Regrets of the Dying

The Guardian ran a post back in February that I have gone back to several times.  It was by a nurse who has kept note of all the regrets expressed by people who are dying.  It is a bit of mournful thing to consider, but on the other hand it is worth thinking what we are going to regret when we get to that stage.

Command of the Ocean by N.A.M.Rodger

I have been reading a book that details the rise to power of Britain's Royal Navy.  The story of how a fairly small island came to have such a large impact on the history of the world is an interesting one.  That I can expect a large number of people around the globe to be able to read this blog post written in English is one of those effects.   The efficiency of the navy was obviously a big part of it, and it isn't surprising to find that the British have been very proud of and confident in their naval achievements and abilities.

This book looks in a lot of detail at just how the navy managed to do what it did.  And like most success stories there is a lot of hard work that goes on behind the scenes.

We are not as smart as we think we are

We are not as smart as we think we are

Most of us overestimate how intelligent we are.  And not just intelligence, we harbour the belief that we are more competent than we really are.  Or at least Americans do.  East Asians tend to underestimate theirs.  I have only read a survey of the research which doesn't mention Europeans.  My guess is that they are probably a little less confident than Americans, but they'd be closer to Americans than they are to Asians.  What does all this mean?

The Lean Start Up by Eric Ries

This is the ideal book to read if you are starting a software business with plenty of funding and want to get some ideas for how to organise your research and development.  Its claim to have more general applicability is not a strong one.  It is full of industry specific examples and acronyms.  You need to have a reasonable grasp of the computer industry's jargon as well.  Having said that I did persevere to the end.