I actually finished this about two weeks ago. I've been procrastinating about writing this blog post, which is really kind of funny given the subject of the book. Don't let my lack of finishing this post right away keep you from reading the book, though. There's a lot in here that's great food for thought, and I think quite a bit of this is going to be useful.
Part of why I couldn't get started on writing this is because I felt like I have too much to say about the book, and I wanted to be concise and write something good and so on. Then I remembered to actually take some advice from the book; I changed my goal, simplified, made it easier. What I'm going to do instead of the big, complicated post I thought I needed is give you some lists. So, here you go.
Things I Especially Liked:
- Every chapter gives you steps to take, actual actions you can do to help you
- There are lots of examples of people using these ideas (I do wish there weren't so many about weight loss and sports, but they're still helpful)
- There's a whole chapter on ways to measure your progress
- There's a focus on making goals smaller, giving yourself more time--all the Kaizen Muse small step goodness
- The whole chapter about hiding places and noble obstacles (ways we can avoid trying to reach our goals and still feel like we're doing something good)
Favorite Advice:
- Make it fun if you want it done (joyless goals fail)
- Don't try to get everything in place before taking action
- Choose what to bomb (aka strategic incompetence)
- Attainable goals are motivating
- Finishers make things easier and simpler
- This is our life's work--it should be something we love that feels important to us and that we get enjoyment and satisfaction from
So that's it. Short-ish and to the point. Read the book. Definitely take the steps. Most importantly, let's all get out there and finish our stuff!
