Knowledge

layout: post title: “books” date: 2025-01-17 categories: list —

preface: tidbits of knowledge

i find that i learn most from reading and listening (to podcasts). here are some tidbits of knowledge that i’ve picked up recently. ones that i find insightful, that may repeat things i’ve already known, that i intend to accept, test, or challenge.

  1. blink - malcolm gladwell
  2. startup notes - peter thiel, blake masters (i have a whole unpublished dump of my personal takeaways on this – a bit too raw though)
  3. principles - ray dalio

    truth is the essential foundation for producing good outcomes

    • stress-test your opinions with the smartest people.
    • set great expectations to build great capabilities (do NOT set goals based on feasibility).
    • it’s OK to make mistakes, it’s NOT OK to not identify and learn from them. pain is REQUIRED to become stronger.
    • get what you want, a process comprised of five distinct steps: 1. clarify goals 2. identify (don’t tolerate) obstacles (3) accurately diagnose those problems (4) design plans with explicit tasks (5) implement.
  4. getting things done - david allen
    • mind like water: rule your mind, or it will rule you.
    • maintain a collection bucket: what’s on your mind? what are intended outcomes? define next physical action.
    • 2 minute rule: if it takes less than 2 minutes, do it now.
    • in a nutshell, this book approaches things in a very structured manner. its approaches start big, encouraging a high-level visioning step that is broad and all-encompassing. then, it breaks down the steps into smaller, more manageable chunks with organization (through categorization and strategic prioritization). it then bookends with a review step. these steps should be executed distinctly, rather than altogether. it recommends dedicating time to plan, so that future actions are clearly defined and can be finished with greater productivity. it aims to eliminate decision anxiety (what action to do next?) by providing a clear next physical action.
  5. 48 laws of power - robert greene: read it out of morbid curiosity, gave up and did not finish. makes me lol.
  6. interviewing in design
    • what’s the point? achieve depth, build empathy and alignment, uncover new opportunities, refine hypotheses, and potentially redesign/relaunch.
    • go where the people are.
    • ask naive questions (indicate humility)
    • participatory design: show, don’t tell (ask for a demo, roleplay, mind mapping, concept testing, etc.)
    • asking questions: allow for silence, manage flow by framing questions as follow-ups or actively signaling “line changes” (i.e. repeat to establish continuity).
    • use the language of the participant. make sure to avoid lecture mode!
    • for short interviews, give homework to prime the interviewee
    • wrap up with analysis and synthesis (top line report with summary and early impressions, then deeply process to extract insights, patterns, and key quotes)