On Moneyball, Deep Work, and The Fish That Ate the Whale
On Moneyball, Deep Work, and The Fish That Ate the Whale
Books that changed my life
Hello all!
Here is your weekly dose of books that changed my life.
1. Sports
Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game
Summary
This book is so entertaining. And paired with the movie, you are in for a special treat. Moneyball serves as my reminder to think about a situation with new eyes; to filter the noise and make sure I am trying to solve the actual problem.
5 Simple Rules of Billy Bean when he’d trade players
No matter how successful you are, change is always good. There can never be a status quo. When you have no money you can’t afford long-term solutions, only short-term ones. You have to always be upgrading. Otherwise you are fucked.
The day you say you have to do something, you are screwed. Because you are going to make a bad deal. You can always recover from the player you didn’t sign. You may never recover from the player you signed at the wrong price.
Know exactly what every player in baseball is worth to you. You can put a dollar figure on it.
Know exactly who you want and go after him.
Every deal you do will be publicly scrutinized by subjective opinion. Ignore them.
Insight: One absolutely cannot tell, by watching, the difference between a .300 hitter and a .275 hitter. The difference is one hit every two weeks.
Quote: Titties are one of those things that just doesn’t matter in a ballplayer -Billy Beane
Author: Michael Lewis
Themes: Sports, Baseball, Leadership, Management, Decision making
My personal notes from the book
2. Productivity
Deepwork: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World
Summary
This is a heavy-hitter. A must read for anyone who feels overwhelmed, underwhelmed, or stuck. Deepwork sets the tone for how to operate in our distracted world. It’s like the anti-distraction bible. This and all of Newport’s books are highly recommended. You’ll gain insights and tools that will have an immediate impact on your life.
Principle: Develop the habit of letting small bad things happen. If you don't you'll never find time for the life-changing big things.
Insight: If I organize my life in such a way that I get lots of long, consecutive, uninterrupted time chunks, I can write novels. If instead, I get interrupted a lot what replaces it? Instead of a novel that will be around for a long time…there is a bunch of email messages that I have sent out to individual persons. (Don’t let people steal your time through your Inbox)
Quote: Think like an artist but work like an accountant. -Cal Newport
Author: Cal Newport
Themes: Productivity, Living a full life, Career advancement, Work hygiene
My personal notes from the book
3. History
The Fish That Ate the Whale. The Life and Times of America's Banana King
Summary
The banana world is much more entertaining than you’d think. The Fish That Ate the Whale is a story about Samuel Zemurray, the self-made banana mogul who went from penniless roadside banana peddler to kingmaker and capitalist revolutionary. This is a classic story about a poor immigrant who believes in himself, never gives up, and rises to the top ranks of the business world with influence on global politics. This is a surprisingly good book and one that you won’t want to put down.
Principle: What cannot be accomplished by threats can often be achieved by composure. Sit and stare and let your opponent fill the silence with his own demons.
Insight: He wanted to win. And would do whatever it took. Here was a self-made man, filled with the most dangerous kind of confidence: he had done it before and believed he could do it again. This gave him the air of a berserker, who says, If you're going to fight me, you better kill me.
Science: Because the plant is an herb, not a tree, the banana is properly classed as a berry. The plant grows from a rhizome, which, in the way of a potato, has no roots.
Author: Rich Cohen
Themes: Biography, History, Entrepreneurship
My personal notes from the book
That’s a wrap. Thanks for reading!
Please continue to share with me the books that changed your life!
Best,
Adam
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