HN Books @HNBooksMonth

Someone read "4 Hour Work Week":

http://www.amazon.com/The-4-Hour-Workweek-Escape-Anywhere/dp...

⬐ suyash

Haha..funny yet true..well all the guy needed was his manager's permission..without official approval..this was a security breach!

Not sure that's going to happen here. Look at the reviews from the updated version of The 4HWW: http://www.amazon.com/4-Hour-Workweek-Expanded-Updated-Cutti...

The original edition didn't do quite as well, but it still has a huge quantity of great reviews: http://www.amazon.com/4-Hour-Workweek-Escape-Live-Anywhere/p...

⬐ jonhendry

It's a bit of a cult. But there are a more reasonable number of 1, 2, 3-star reviews.

And here's why you shouldn't http://www.amazon.com/4-Hour-Workweek-Escape-Live-Anywhere/p...

⬐ oscardelben

The post was more about rereading again the books that helped in you in one way or another.

⬐ None

None

I would be wary of self improvement programs that charge money. I'm not sure what exactly you've looked into, but there's a lot of information out there for free or cheap.

I've spent a decent amount of time reading self-improvement books/blogs, and for me the stuff that made the most impact were things that were tailored to the problems I was having at the time.

Here's an overview of what I've read over the years that have helped me to some extent:

I Can Do Anything if I Only Knew What it Was: http://www.amazon.com/Could-Anything-Only-Knew-What/dp/04405...

Paul Graham's Essays: http://www.paulgraham.com/articles.html

How to Win Friends and Influence People: http://www.amazon.com/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/14...

Four Hour Work Week: http://www.amazon.com/4-Hour-Workweek-Escape-Live-Anywhere/d...

Randy Pausch, Time Management: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTugjssqOT0

GTD: http://www.amazon.com/Getting-Things-Done-Stress-Free-Produc...

Steve Pavlina: http://www.stevepavlina.com/

7 Habits of Highly Effective People (reading this now): http://www.amazon.com/Habits-Highly-Effective-People/dp/0671...

So I would say "it depends" on what you want out of life and where you are now. Self improvement is a life-long task and you will need advice that changes as you progress.

There are similarly many blogs/books about working a "normal" work week or day (and some about less than "normal").

http://www.caterina.net/archive/001196.html

http://37signals.com/svn/posts/893-workplace-experiments

http://www.amazon.com/4-Hour-Workweek-Escape-Live-Anywhere/d...

But, I think that having passion and drive for your cause is more important than counting hours. Most people will and do burn out from long hours, they lose interest, etc... which obviously isn't good in the long run.

If you're thinking about using aids (Modafinil), you're probably comparing yourself to others in an attempt to catch up or keep up or something rather than shooting for personal success.

As for me, I'm more concerned about constant and continual self-improvement (and if possible, aiding others in their own self-improvement). If you continue on a route like that, you'd be better off finding what you're really after ;-).

⬐ thegoleffect

Of course, I talk about that but I'm awake coding on the east coast at 2 a.m. ^_^

⬐ dstorrs

> If you're thinking about using aids (Modafinil), you're > probably comparing yourself to others in an attempt to > catch up or keep up[....]

There's a certain amount of that behind this question. I'm 38. The talk on the news and YC pages about 18-24 year old founders being the norm, and 28 year olds who have already founded four or five successful startups--those don't help either. Then I start seeing these things about Modafinil and it's hard not to hear that little shoulder-demon whispering "you're past it...give up!" I don't intend to listen to him, but it's still daunting. I figured I'd get a reality check by asking here.

I've been very successful at a number of jobs because I'm smart, able to focus well and learn quickly, and willing to work as hard as needed. When I was 25, 100 hour weeks weren't a problem. But I'm 38 now, and I literally can't do that any more. I need to "work smarter" as they say; it's a hard and uncomfortable process to learn, since the old way has been so successful (and, honestly, so much fun).

>[...] constant and continual self-improvement [...]

Yep; been doing that for years. To mangle an adage: "Today in the workplace: the team of Age and Experience beat Youth and Endurance 5-0 in straight sets."

⬐ dstorrs

Oh and...just to be clear: part of the initial reason for this post was because I was horrified at the Modafinil thing. Caffeine and sugar are one thing...they are well understood, they provide only a temporary boost, and they are commodities (i.e., equally available to everyone who wants them). Modafinil is a brand-new prescription-only drug. Although it's FDA approved, that's only for limited classes of medical treatment. There is little to know understanding of the effects from using it as a "competitive edge" drug. I don't want to possibly wreck myself being the guinea pig, and I don't want to have to compete against people who are burning shorter-but-longer (to paraphrase Blade Runner).