Rework – Jason Fried | Free Book Summary

Rework – Jason Fried

“Rework” is a book written by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson, the founders of Basecamp. The book offers a different perspective on work and business, providing practical tips and real-life examples on how to improve productivity, efficiency, and success.

It covers a wide range of topics such as keeping things simple, embracing constraints, learning to say no, working smarter instead of harder, embracing failure, focusing on customers and embracing change. Written in a conversational tone, it’s a quick read and a great resource for entrepreneurs, small business owners and anyone looking to improve their work and business practices.

This Makes My Life Better

• You want your customers to say, “This makes my life better.” You want to feel that if you stopped doing what you do, people would notice.
• If you’re going to do something, do something that matters.
• The easiest, most straightforward way to create a great product or service is to make something you want to use.
• The most important thing is to begin.

Burn The Boats

A business without a path to profit isn’t a business, it’s a hobby.

You need a commitment strategy, not an exit strategy.

Lots of things get better as they get shorter.

Nail the basics first and worry about the specifics later.

You often can’t recognize the details that matter most until after you start building.

Show Your Flaws

• Don’t be afraid of sharing.
• Go behind the scenes.
• Nobody likes plastic flowers.
• Don’t be afraid to show your flaws.
• Press releases are spam.
• You want an easily digestible introduction to what you sell.
• Marketing is not a department.
• How long someone’s been doing it is overrated. What matters is how well they’ve been doing it.
• Forget about formal education.
• Hire great writers.

Be A Curator

• You don’t have to live with a decision forever. If you make a mistake, you can correct it later.
• A curator is involved, making conscious decisions about what should stay and what should go. There’s an editing process.
• It’s the stuff you leave out that matters.
• Be a curator. Stick to what’s truly essential.

Launch now

• Once your product does what it needs to do, get it out there.
• The quicker it’s in the hands of customers, the better off you’ll be.
• If you already spent too much time on something that wasn’t worth it, walk away.
• Your estimates suck.
• Break the big thing into smaller things.
• Start making smaller to-do lists too. Long lists collect dust.
• Make tiny decisions.

Say No!

• When you make tiny decisions, you can’t make big mistakes.
• Say no by default.
• Don’t confuse enthusiasm with priority.
• Clear writing is a sign of clear thinking. Great writers know how to communicate.

Test-drive employees

Hire them for a mini project, even if it’s for just twenty or forty hours. You’ll see how they make decisions. You’ll see if you get along. You’ll see what kind of questions they ask. You’ll get to judge them by their actions instead of just their words.

Own your bad news

• When something bad happens, tell your customers (even if they never noticed in the first place).
• People will respect you more if you are open, honest, public, and responsive during a crisis.
• A good apology accepts responsibility.
• Take a deep breath.
• People are creatures of habit. That’s why they react to change in such a negative way.

Four Letter Words

There are four-letter words you should never use in business. They’re not f*ck or sh*t.

They’re need, must, can’t, easy, just, only, and fast.

Stop saying ASAP.

If you want to do something, you’ve got to do it now. You can’t put it on a shelf and wait two months to get around to it. You can’t just say you’ll do it.