Paperback, 256 pages
Czech language
Published 2024 by Jan Melvil.
NESTÍHÁTE? NEDAŘÍ SE VÁM SOUSTŘEDIT NA DŮLEŽITÉ ÚKOLY? NEBO DOKONCE STOJÍTE NA PRAHU VYHOŘENÍ? Zaneprázdněnost a stres vnímáme jako synonyma produktivního úsilí, což vede k sáhodlouhým to-do listům, neustálému multitaskingu a roztěkané mysli. A pokud i přesto nemáme vše hotovo, musíme ještě zrychlit!
Cal Newport však v další melvilí knize ukazuje, že opak je pravdou: klíčem k vynikajícím výsledkům je dělat věcí méně. Na pracovních návycích významných myslitelů, vědců nebo umělců demonstruje, proč je současná definice produktivity zvrácená, a přichází s udržitelnějším způsobem práce. Takovým, který zaručuje více soustředění, kreativity a skvělých výsledků.
Some good advice and a lot of good ideas to think about. Most of the examples and stories are all from creative individuals (authors, painters, etc.) and difficult to relate when I work in an office. Still some great concepts though and I love Newport's books.
Generic examples well built but read the creative independent for the messy life everyone lives
There was a few good things in there - especially about diagnosing the "problem" of using "visible activity" as a proxy for productivity, and about the associated anxiety. His first part about "do fewer things" is probably the one that spoke the most to me. I didn't like his second part at all about "work at a natural pace" because I read that discourse as "slow down, and nobody has to/will actually know", which strikes me as exactly what I cannot do, because it feels far too much like trying to trick people and circumvent (implicit) rules, which is exactly the kind of things I'm trying to do. His last part, "obsess over quality", glazes over the issue of perfectionism with essentially "... don't", which I also didn't find super helpful. However, I did enjoy the various anecdotes and stories - some people find them "padding", I definitely see their …
There was a few good things in there - especially about diagnosing the "problem" of using "visible activity" as a proxy for productivity, and about the associated anxiety. His first part about "do fewer things" is probably the one that spoke the most to me. I didn't like his second part at all about "work at a natural pace" because I read that discourse as "slow down, and nobody has to/will actually know", which strikes me as exactly what I cannot do, because it feels far too much like trying to trick people and circumvent (implicit) rules, which is exactly the kind of things I'm trying to do. His last part, "obsess over quality", glazes over the issue of perfectionism with essentially "... don't", which I also didn't find super helpful. However, I did enjoy the various anecdotes and stories - some people find them "padding", I definitely see their value in making his points more memorable.
Cal Newport’s latest advice book tackles the question of productivity in knowledge work. Factory work can much more easily be measured and systematized. Newport points out that office workers, writers, artists, and scholars are often assigned tasks and must come up with their own individual system to be productive. These systems are opaque to managers, who end up relying on “visible activity” (which many busy office workers are familiar with) as the proxy for productivity. Add in always-on email and instant messaging apps, plus a global pandemic and people trying to work from busy homes, and you end up with a lot of burnout.
However…
See rest of review micro.chadkohalyk.com/2024/04/22/just-enough-capitalism.html
I do enjoy Cal Newports work and his approach. This book builds upon some of his recent essays and podcasts, and is specifically targeted at knowledge workers. It's harder to measure work of this bunch due to it's often intangelibity. He wants through his advice to deal with this by doing fewer things, working at a natural pace, and obsessing over quality.
The book touches each topic and brings some recent and current day examples to the dialog. He hints at a potential series of titles about working in the modern age. Between this, his recent two titles "Digital Minimalism", "A World Without Email" kind of set the stage for a natural progression, all starting from "Deep Work".
It's written in a very readable tone, and might take a focused reader 2-4 hours to read speed depending from cover to cover. If you've read his other books, this is the …
I do enjoy Cal Newports work and his approach. This book builds upon some of his recent essays and podcasts, and is specifically targeted at knowledge workers. It's harder to measure work of this bunch due to it's often intangelibity. He wants through his advice to deal with this by doing fewer things, working at a natural pace, and obsessing over quality.
The book touches each topic and brings some recent and current day examples to the dialog. He hints at a potential series of titles about working in the modern age. Between this, his recent two titles "Digital Minimalism", "A World Without Email" kind of set the stage for a natural progression, all starting from "Deep Work".
It's written in a very readable tone, and might take a focused reader 2-4 hours to read speed depending from cover to cover. If you've read his other books, this is the same form.
Cal Newports Buchs bietet Wissensarbeitern, die eine hohe Autonomie im Hinblick auf die Gestaltung ihrer Arbeit genießen, wertvolle Hinweise. Er nimmt sich insbesondere dem Druck an, immer beschäftigt aussehen zu müssen und bietet mehr oder weniger praxisnahe Tipps, fokussierte Arbeitszeit für die wirklich wichtigen - aber meist eben nicht dringlichen - Aufgaben zu sichern.
