Books I’m Reading
Explaining how seven+one books are changing me, and encouraging you to seek them out if they fit.
Getting Things Done (David Allen)
Translation, not transformation: externalize intuition into visible next actions — in tolerable chunks.
- You’re not broken; the environment changed. Your brain was built for berries and tigers, not Jira and Slack. That’s why you feel scattered — and why there’s a sane way through it.
- One pipe for everything. Stop inventing a new hack for every mess. Work, home, ideas — run it all through a single, trusted flow, and the chaos starts organizing itself.
- Make your imagination work on command. You already “see” finished things in your head. This turns that daydream into a repeatable sequence you can start anytime.
- Build a cockpit, not a shrine. A clean surface, one capture tool, lists you trust, and a small standing time slot. It’s wiring the instruments so takeoff is calm.
- Free your RAM. The relief isn’t from finishing everything—it’s from parking everything where you know you’ll come back to it.
- Decide, don’t stash. Stress is mostly “undecided stuff.” Clear the intake and the windshield clears with it.
- Clear buckets kill hesitation. When everything has a home, your brain stops asking “where does this go?” and starts moving.
- Keep lists alive with a reset. Without a simple weekly sweep, lists turn into zombies. A quick reset brings the map back to the territory.
- Match action to the moment. No more guilt about “big rocks” at 10 pm. Use a simple filter to pick what fits the slot you’re in.
- Name the next move and watch the fog lift. “Fix the docs” is quicksand. “Open the draft and outline sections” is traction.
- Capture it all or second-guess it all. Trust shows up when every stray thought—from cat litter to launch plan—lands in the same net.
- Work toward a finish line, not a feeling. “Router reset and online, lights stable” beats “work on router.” A clear end state turns drudgery into progress.
If this resonates, buy the book.
Atomic Habits (James Clear)
Tiny moves, compounding over time. Identity first, outcomes second. Build an environment that makes the right thing the easy thing—and let consistency do the heavy lifting.
- Win by 1%—repeated. You don’t need heroics; you need small, repeatable moves that compound into something huge.
- Change your identity, not just your checklist. Don’t “finish a rewrite”—be the kind of writer who shows up.
- See the loop, then shape it. Every habit runs cue → craving → response → reward. Once you notice the wiring, you can edit it.
- Spot the trigger. Most slips are autopilot. Name the cue (time, place, mood, people) and you stop flying blind.
- Attach the new to the known. “After X, I do Y.” Habit stacking and tiny intentions make starts frictionless.
- Let the room do the work. Good cues obvious, bad cues invisible. Design spaces that steer you without effort.
- Real self-control is setup. Remove temptations upfront so you don’t need midnight willpower.
- Make it feel good now. Pair habits with immediate rewards and small wins—motivation loves quick feedback.
- Borrow a better normal. Join tribes where your target behavior is standard; culture pulls you forward.
- Debug the need, not just the habit. Every “bad” habit solves a problem. Keep the reward, swap in a better response.
- Show up beats speed. Never miss twice. Traction comes from consistency, not perfect days.
- Bend the path of least resistance. Lower friction for good habits, raise it for bad ones; convenience wins every time.
- Start in two minutes. Shrink entry points until starting is effortless—momentum will take it from there.
- Automate your better self. Commit devices, reminders, filters—install guardrails so the system helps you behave.
- Track what you treasure. Streaks and visible progress keep habits alive; your brain craves proof.
- Play where you have leverage. Aim habits at your natural strengths so discipline gets a tailwind.
- Live in the Goldilocks zone. Keep challenges “stretch but doable.” Too easy bores you; too hard breaks you.
- Refactor routines before they fossilize. Habits are a foundation, not a prison—review and refresh to keep growing.
If this clicks, buy the book.
Deep Work (Cal Newport)
Quiet intensity on purpose. Depth is rare and valuable—so you schedule it, defend it, and turn it into visible artifacts while the shallow stuff lives on a budget.
- Depth is your leverage. In a noisy economy, focus is a competitive edge most people never train.
- Focus doesn’t “show up”—you schedule it. If it isn’t on the calendar, shallow wins by default.
- One target per block. Pick a single outcome for the session, remove friction, and start.
- Choose a style that fits your life. Retreats, weekly chunks, daily rhythms, or seize-the-moment sprints—the point is consistency.
- Train boredom tolerance. The urge to switch is the muscle to train; resisting it is a rep toward deeper focus.
- Be ruthless about inputs. Keep tools and feeds that earn their keep; quit the ones that don’t pay rent in results.
- Drain the shallows. Batch low-value tasks and time-box them.
- Rituals are your runway. Start cues and a shutdown ritual protect attention.
- Ship proof, not vibes. End each block with an artifact—draft, commit, diagram—so progress is tangible.
- Defend your fortress politely. Use status messages and norms so people know when you’re heads-down.
- Make depth the default meaning. Shallow work is necessary; deep work is satisfying.
If this resonates, buy the book.
Thinking, Fast and Slow (Daniel Kahneman)
Two minds share your steering wheel: a fast, fluent autopilot and a slow, effortful pilot. Learn to spot shortcuts, catch traps, and route high-stakes calls through the right system.
- Catch your autopilot. Most errors start in fast mode; notice it, invite deliberate mode when it matters.
- Budget attention like fuel. Thinking hard burns energy; save it for complex work.
- Fluent ≠ true. If it feels smooth and obvious, double-check.
- Ask the right question. Don’t let your brain substitute an easier one.
- Break the anchor. First numbers drag judgment; reset before deciding.
- Vivid ≠ likely. Stories distort risk; use data.
- Use base rates, not vibes. Probabilities beat prototypes.
- Don’t fall for the “and.” The appealing combo is often less probable than the plain fact.
- Expect regression. Hot streaks cool and slumps rebound.
- Forecast humbly. Prefer ranges and updates.
- Design for loss aversion. Frame gains as avoided losses too.
- Beware endowment. Ownership inflates value.
- Make policies, not one-offs. Simple rules beat ad-hoc choices.
- Mind the frame. Rephrase until math, not wording, drives you.
- Serve both selves. Plan for living well and remembering well.
- Chase attention, not just income. Presence boosts happiness more than dollars.
If this resonates, buy the book.
The One Thing (Gary Keller)
Find the lever that moves the week. Ask a better daily question, line up your dominoes, and protect the block that makes everything else easier—or unnecessary.
- Find the lever, not the pile. You need the one action that tilts the system.
- Ask a better question daily. “What’s the one thing I can do…?”—then answer it.
- Make a success list, not a to-do list. Keep the few that move the needle.
- Time-block the crown jewel. Put your One Thing on the calendar first.
- Domino your work. Start small; momentum beats motivation.
- Say “no” to serve the big “yes.” Decline by default, opt-in with intent.
- Goal-set to now. Work backward from someday to today.
- Protect the block. Status on, door closed, notifications off.
- Measure by results. Busy ≠ progress.
- Expect some chaos. Let it wobble.
- Engineer your environment. Let space nudge you toward focus.
- Energy is prerequisite. Sleep, food, movement power the block.
- Make it visible. Keep the One Thing where you’ll see it.
- One block, every day. Consistency wins.
- Extraordinary is sequential, not simultaneous.
If this hits home, buy the book.
Essentialism (Greg McKeown)
Do less, better. Trade noise for clarity, prune by design, and give your best work your best hours.
- Choose on purpose. Essentialism is deliberate yes and graceful no.
- Say no to the good to protect the great. If it isn’t a near-10/10, it’s a no.
- Make space to think. Clarity requires quiet.
- Name your Essential Intent. A clear “why/what” simplifies every choice.
- Edit your life like a pro. Cut scenes, not lines.
- Trade-offs are strategy. Own the math and move forward.
- Design default “no.” Templates and boundaries save time.
- Protect the asset. Energy fuels quality.
- Buffer for reality. Add slack to plans.
- One decision, many actions. Rules replace willpower.
- Remove the obstacle. Make essential paths easy, others awkward.
- Schedule essentials first. Guard prime hours.
- Small wins, visible progress. Momentum beats volume.
- Stand firm, kindly. Clear no = self-respect.
- Live it, don’t perform it. Less, but better.
If this resonates, buy the book.
Behave (Robert Sapolsky)
Behavior isn’t a moment—it’s a stack of moments. Milliseconds of neural spikes, minutes of hormones, days of context, years of development, and millennia of evolution—all pushing on the same lever.
- Think in time layers. What you do now was biased seconds, hours, and years ago.
- State beats story. Physiology tilts perception before thought.
- Use your brake pedal. Pause, breathe, label, regain control.
- Design the baseline. Sleep, food, movement, sunlight.
- Yesterday leaks into today. Plan high-stakes work after recovery.
- Adolescence is biology. Coach the brake, not just the gas.
- Early life sets thresholds. The dials aren’t at zero.
- Genes are levers, not scripts. Setup ≠ fate.
- Culture writes on biology. Choose tribes that fit who you’re becoming.
- Regulate before you reason. Downshift first.
- Name it to tame it. Label feelings to loosen grip.
- Engineer anti-triggers. Environment beats restraint.
- Swap the reward, keep the need. Replace bad responses, not needs.
- Lead with framing. Present for shared goals, not threats.
- Justice needs context. Design systems that prevent harm.
- Op-amp mindset. Adjust gain and feedback; outputs improve.
If this hits, buy the book.
The Mediterranean Diet
Food as focus fuel. An abundant, delicious way to eat that steadies energy, lifts mood, and compounds long-term health.
- Eat abundantly, feel lighter. Plants, grains, legumes, olive oil—steady energy, no crash.
- Swap, don’t suffer. Butter→olive oil; red meat→fish; dessert→fruit.
- Let your kitchen set the defaults. Stock smart staples.
- Flavor over rules. Herbs, citrus, garlic, spices.
- Portable, not precious. It’s a pattern, not a passport.
- Make plants the base layer. Add fish, poultry, eggs a few times a week.
- “Sometimes” foods stay special. Treats occasional.
- Optional wine, never random. Ritual, not impulse.
- Walk it in. Move daily; stroll after meals.
- Eat with people. Slow, shared meals lower stress.
- Cook simple, cook often. Five-ingredient staples beat takeout.
- Plan once, glide all week. Simple list, loose plan.
- Environment beats willpower. Keep fruit visible, hide junk.
- Backed by decades, not hype. Proven pattern.
If this resonates, buy the book.
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