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This is a solid book about focusing. All angles of being able to focus. It's pretty deep, and will require re-reading to review some of the points that you may be working on.

Having read a good deal of self-help/productivity books, very little of this content was new to me. Most of these topics he covers have been said elsewhere, usually in pieces though. The value of this book is it's focus on focus. haha

It's broken into small chapters of several pages each, and each chapter has a summary of the main points. Good for the focus devotee who isn't there yet.

It has 7 parts/themes each with several chapters. Part 3 as "Hack Back External Triggers" was my favorite and most valuable part. The last three parts weren't as valuable to me, being Work, Children and Other Relationships. Work because, it's rare that one can impact the work culture for a larger group.

All in all, a good book. I'll probably re-read this in a year or so to see if I get anything of it that I missed or discounted during this read.

The author is a podcaster and content creator. I heard her as a guest on Cal Newport's podcast and thought I'd borrow her recent book from the library. The book is geared for readers who have tried other productivity systems and didn't click with them.

It's geared for women. But many of the topics and approaches also work for men. Overall she has a really good, down to earth way for one to look at their life and do several things to improve it. The book is chock full of words where the first letter is a term or phrase.

Probably geared for your bookshelf vs a library loan, one would need to revisit the book a few times as they begin to work on her plan. The book is a great reference and it was a quick read. It has a glossary, and a very interesting Pep Talk section of many scenarios and a page, page and a half to hep you through that type of problem.

The chapters are pretty short, so it suits those who are real busy and may not be able to spend long periods reading.

That said, not everyone's productivity system will feel comfortable on you. It may work for a period of time and then you change, and need a different plan. Do read this book if you've had productivity problems, as maybe there are some new ideas to try out. You may want to re-read this in a year or two as well. This is a journey, not a race.

I recently discovered the authors and was happy to get this book. It's 106 pages, and a smaller book form. Looks good next to Sharon Lebell's Art of Living, as they are closely sized.

The authors cover 14 topics as they were seen by the ancient Stoics and how they approached them in their daily lives. Each chapter is several pages long and makes references to the ancient texts and how the idea was then seen. Greek sometimes doesn't translate straight into English.

The end of the book has a Glossary, Notes, and Recommended Reading chapters. It's well written and easy to understand. The Glossary would help someone new to Stoicism who hasn't been exposed to the terminology.

Who's this book good for? Anyone who may be interested in Stoicism or who has been following it for a bit of time and is in need to review the basics. This book is like a very good Cliff Notes for Stoicism, summarizing each of the main parts of this philosophy. For others who have more experience with Stoicism, the book can be a good reference material and something you'd loan out to friends for their encouragement.

9 transcribed interviews, 10 if you include the Intro between Kristin Hersh and Sinead O'Connor, that span 1986 through 2021. Can be a quick read if one has a couple hours, or easily digested over a few days. One or two of the interviews are quite lengthy and involved. Most of them feel whole.

As you read them, you can feel the mood of Sinead - at times and especially earlier there is a lot of angst and energy. The Spin and View interviews appear to be very lucid. It's obvious she was a talented and tortured soul, and it's visible through these interviews. As a young adult when she broke into the music business, I saw the manufactured side of her persona. These interviews show what she was dealing with, sometimes with her demons.

As Ms. Hersh closes her intro: "So where is the beauty? In all of it: in the pain, the joy, the mess, the person, and her music."

Backstory is this well regarded Navy admiral retires, gives a commencement speech which goes viral, then writes this book with stories from his career. It's a fast read about 140 pages and a smaller form. Won't take long to read.

Does have stories from his past trainings and expeditions in the military in just about every chapter. Some of the stories he tells are pretty intense. Each demonstrate something you can start doing in your life (will take a bit to figure that part out).

The last section of the book is the commencement speech, and it does touch on several of the areas earlier in the book. You'll get a little deja vu feeling. Many of the stories won't be relatable, such as being a sugar cookie (wet and coated with sand all day), up to your armpits in mud, paddling rafts through 10 foot waves and surf, jumping out of helicopters more than a mile up.

I did like this. I read it in 2 hours

This is a great modern Stoicism book. Mark Tuitert is a former Olympian speed skater. This book has 10 chapters, each on a Stoic topic with analysis and exercises. It's about 140 pages, is very attractive in a red/black/white graphics. There are graphics to start off each chapter and within it.

The chapters: * Use Setbacks as Signposts * Judge Less, Understand More * Win by Not Focusing on Winning * What's Good for the Team is Good for You * Accept Your Fate (And Love it) * Death Makes Life Epic * Happiness Is a Side Effect * A Map Is Good, A Compass is Better * Character Is Your Most Important Project * Actions Speak Louder Than Words

Each chapter starts out with a quote from the 3 big ancient Stoics, then has 4-7 pages of text, a "Stoicism In Practice" page, and an exercise page.

The author must be a visual person, as 8 of the 10 exercises involve "Grabbing a piece of paper".

Who would this book be good for? Anyone learning about Stoicism and interested in philosophy who wants to learn and get a modern take on the ancient philosophy.

The book has no page numbers. It has 297 riffs (his term) which very from a third of a page to maybe 3 pages for the longer ones. Thus this is a good book to read in short bits. Some of the riffs may not make sense, while others are completely relatable. I found most to be at least partially relatable or covering past business news events.

As an example, a later riff talks about shipping work that isn't yet done. He compares this with shipping an incomplete boat, which isn't as functional and potentially not safe.

A earlier riff he talks of traffic that one might be stuck in. In this case, it's not about you being stuck in the traffic, as you are part of the traffic and the problem.

Other riffs cover recent business actions and news that most might be familiar with - along with his take or an angle on the situation.

Subtitle is "Make Better Plans". Back of the book says "Today is your best chance to improve tomorrow" and 14 other sub points. Purpose of the book is to make people think about how to have conversations about plans and to think about situations they are facing. Not reacting per se, but planning/plotting with the future in mind.

This is one of the better introduction to Stoicism books out there, based on the near dozen I've read. The writing style is very easy to read, and the chapters are short and to the point. It's the type of book you could read a bit of, put down, and revisit later starting on a new topic.

He assumes you know nothing, so there is a fair amount of core basics at the start, and discussion of the usual three, being Marcus Aurelius, Seneca and Epictetus. He starts with Freedom being a choice, and then aspects of being free: Being Present, Free of the Past, no emotional roller coaster, no fear, no anxiety, and being festive about life.

Part 4 is titled after his website, The Stoic Gym. This part is where you work out and revisit topics, pulling them together as needed. He mentions he's on the path, and that anyone can be on it as well as it's not a fantasy and is achievable. He closes this part on Physical and Mental fitness, which complete the studies and actions, essentially the gym.

Part 5 covers reference material. There are several pages on various coping techniques, and reading recommendations.

All in all, I thought this was a very good book and would recommend it to anyone who has recently started their Stoicism journey or wants to learn more about Stoicism.