#52: The Most Impactful Books of My Year
Category Design, Lifestyle Design and a melting pot of themes that made my year, ENJOY!!
Truthfully, I read a lot. From newsletters to printed books, I consume a lot of written content. I’d like to think of this as compensation for the things I lack, otherwise. (I can talk about this on a separate post!) My love for reading non-fictions started as a necessity, and a pretty common one at that: I wanted to be better at my work, be a lot more articulate as a designer and writer. Then it just escalated to something bigger until the task (‘To read more X’) became a pleasure.
Now, I just couldn’t get enough. At every chance I get, I would pick up a book and just start reading. I understand, we all have a finite amount of hours a day and it seems like there’s never enough time for a lot of things. It was a gradual improvement on my case. It is also a product of a lot of little experiments and behavior resets. Shared some tips for maximizing your reading list here:
and improving one’s content diet here:
For this year, the list is a pretty diverse one. I had no goal except to follow my curiosity, even if—especially if— the subject/s intimidates me. Besides that, I had a few other ~abstract thoughts in mind. I knew I wanted to read about venture capital and female leaders in tech. I also wanted a second Walter Isaacson book after reading Leonardo da Vinci. On top of that, I was seeking a productivity book that is timeless and non-obvious. Those were my informal heuristics for choosing which books to read this year. In hindsight, it’s pretty obvious now that I was just really hungry to learn more and more about creativity, innovation and human behaviors.
My reading list was half of that dish that satisfied that hunger. In no particular order, here are four of my top favorites this year:
Snow Leopard: How Legendary Writers Create A Category Of One by Category Pirates
This should not come as a surprise. If you’ve been following my work, you’re probably aware of my admiration and respect for what the guys of Category Pirates have built. They’ve created a completely new thing, a unique framework and POV for how to think about writing and business. This book is a good place to start if you are unfamiliar with their work but have always wanted to learn more about Category Design. It is both practical and theoretical, refreshing and astonishing. If you are a creator, writer, entrepreneur, maker and a slew of other job titles born on the internet era, this is for you.
How to Decide: Simple Tools for Making Better Choices by Annie Duke
Annie Duke is a fantastic writer and thinker. This is not the first time I’ve put this into writing, publicly. I love her work. She is a person worth following if you care about making better life and work decisions. At the risk of sounding presumptuous, I am sure you do too for it’s one of the central themes of this newsletter.
My first Annie Duke book is Thinking in Bets (from last year’s bibliography). It’s my most memorable read then. How to Decide is a follow-up to that book, to my understanding. It is also more a supplement. It is the answer to ‘What do I do now?’ after learning so much from the first book. It is, interestingly enough, a book that does not demand an ending. Its impact lies on the everyday application of it like a bible but for decision-making— a thing we do a thousand times a day. It did not discriminate on the type of decision either. One can use this book for simple, mundane, low-risk decisions all the way to more of the life-changing ones. It’s hard to overstate how amazing this book is.
Much like a lot of life-defining little gems of the literary world, you just have to read it for yourself.
80/20 Principle: The Secret to Achieving More With Less by Richard Koch
The title says it all. Of all the books I’ve read this year, this is the most evergreen one (in this case, this is a good thing!). I’ve personally struggled with productivity all my life, particularly with prioritization. I wasn’t horrible at it. I just knew that there’s a lot to be improved on that department.
What I liked most about this book is that it is—and I mean this in the best way— written for the lazy. “Doing it all” is a myth. It is catastrophic. Instead, it provided a much more realistic approach to defining and achieving personal and professional success which is so simple: Do more of what makes you feel happy, fulfilled, wealthy and productive. Double down on those things & find a way to outsource the rest. In order to do so, one has to learn how to figure out what those are first. This is not as easy as it sounds.
I’m not one to subscribe at rigid formulas, especially for designing lifestyles. I prefer a much more casual but calculated enough approach to how I live my life. It’s hard enough as it is. Choosing (& investing in) the parts that bring in more value than the others makes a lot of sense.
This is the secret. There’s absolutely nothing noble about doing everything. Smart people like Richard Koch knows that. I wish more people do. We’ll probably glorify exhaustion and overworking less & less, if this is the case.
How Design Makes the World by Scott Berkun
What’s not to like about this book. It’s insightful, it’s philosophical, it’s useful and above all, it is fun. It doesn’t take itself too seriously & it did a great job summarizing the value of design to a wider audience. I’m sure I am not the only one who thinks Design is oftentimes misunderstood as a profession, as a craft, as a discipline. Hell, I think most designers do, but don’t quote me on this.
So imagine my surprise when I found a book that explains what Design is so well, so succinctly, anyone can probably pick it up and get the message across. This is a worthy achievement. Scott Berkun has done well for himself with this title and for the community he serves. It is so difficult to paint an accurate picture of what Design is and why it is useful. Every once in a while, I attempt to do so myself (see: Design Literacy for Everyone). Scott has done it with this book and so much more.
He is right: The World Needs Designers. We should all rally behind people who root for a better world through Design. This is the right way to move forward to an unknowable and completely unpredictable future.
Other noteworthy titles that I’m still reading but would recommend:
Lean In: Women, Work, And the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg— for women in the workforce
The Innovators by Walter Isaacson— for fans of creativity, innovation and human progress
Ethics in the Real World: 86 Brief Essays on Things That Matter by Peter Singer— such a difficult read but arguably, the most important among the titles I’ve listed here
Cribsheet: A Data-Driven Guide to Better, More Relaxed Parenting From Birth to Preschool by Emily Oster— for first-time millennial parents like myself who are wrapped with anxiety and fear over this new & exciting life change
Venture Deals: Be Smarter Than Your Lawyer and Venture Capitalist by Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson— for students of venture capital and the whole tech startup digital ecosystem
Here’s to a new year. I’m excited for the next set of books to devour and learn from. I hope you are as well.
BUT BEFORE THAT…..Got a book recommendation for me? I’d love to hear it: nikkiespartinez@gmail.com
Thank you for your time,
Nikki
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