The latest book review; The Practice by Seth Godin
hello
Hi ,
And happy first day of summer for my Southern Hemisphere friends.
Last week the podcast turned 100. 100 weekly episodes of the the big ideas from some of the best non-fiction books. And some of the not-so-best ones too.
I celebrated by inviting author coach, Kelly Irving, onto the podcast to have a chat about books, reading and habits. My favourite question was 'what does a healthy reading pyramid look like?'. Something I'm still noodling on, weeks later.
It reminded me how good it is to have a big, geeky book chat with someone. I highly recommend borrowing some of Kel's questions and taking them to your bookish friends or book groups. Other favourites questions were:
what got you into reading (or re-introduced you to reading)?
you're at the airport and have forgotten your reading material before a big flight, how do you choose a book quickly in WH Smith?
what makes a book unfinishable?
If you haven't listened to that episode, you can do so on Spotify or Apple.
Here's what you'll find in this email:
- a review: The Practice by Seth Godin
- currently reading
- ear food (podcast recommendations)
- over on the bookshelf
Let's get into it.
Yours in book chats,
Steph
PS. the next bookmark newsletter (15 Dec) will be the last one until 12 January. If you have anything you'd like me to cover, before you head into your summer/winter holiday reading, hit reply and let me know.
review: The Practice by Seth Godin
Let me preface by saying that I've been looking forward to this book for months. I've had it on pre-order on my Kindle since August and am a big fan of Seth's work, blog and workshops.
here’s a short synopsis: this book is all about showing up everyday and putting your best work out into the world, regardless of how you feel. It's also about aiming your work at the right people, not the masses. "It's about throwing, not catching. Starting, not finishing. Improving, not being perfect."
The book is split into 11 'chapters' (more themes) and 219 short sections written in the style of Seth's blogs. Some are a paragraph, some are a page.
the good bits
I have highlighted this book more than any others. It's full of tiny bits of direct wisdom, with little fluff. The overall message is do the work -> show your work, and be generous in the process. There's a good section where he takes down the idea of writers block, saying that this is more of a lack of a practice, and inspiration won't show up unless we do.
Throughout the book, Seth uses the term 'creative'. He uses this to describe anyone who isn't a 'cog in the system', simply going through motions. If you have a role where you solve problems, lead people, lead yourself or make things better for your team, your clients, those around you, you're a creative. The faster we can stop using 'creative work' as hallowed turf for those who paint/draw/sing/play something, the better.
Another important point repeated throughout the book is to know your audience. And not just from an empathy perspective, as he has written about extensively in his previous marketing books, but know who you're actually creating for. And don't worry about the rest. A reminder we all need.
the not so good bits
It's repetitive. Now, the good thing about this is that you are under no illusion what the book is about, and will clearly remember the key points and lessons. The not so good thing is that it's not very enjoyable to read as constant prose. The 219 sections start to blend into one another and overlap a little too much, after not long.
That said, I think this would be a great book to have by your bedside table. Every morning you could read one section to give you a pep talk (or ass kick) to go into your day and create something you're proud of, that's generous and of value for your chosen audience.
the lessons
1) define what your practice is, and do this every day, even when (especially when) the result is not guaranteed
2) define your audience, show up every day for them with generosity
3) don't be a hack (ie don't lose yourself / your point of view to play to the masses)
4) there's no such thing as writers block
5) don't try and change the world, focus on 'the smallest unit of available genius'
what I'm currently reading
Here's what else I read in November...
Own Your Career, Own Your Life by Andy Storch
Verdict: Andy's done a great job at summarising the best bits of advice on shaping your career. He covers goal setting, skill building, networking and taking more responsibility to avoid drifting. This would be a great read for anyone who's in their first few years of work, or has been working a while but feeling stuck.
Ikigai by Hector García and Albert Liebermann.
Verdict: a short and enjoyable read on how the long-living residents of the Japanese town of Ogimi (a blue-zone) live to 100, and beyond, whilst still in good physical and mental health. Features many ideas that go against a more Western-centric approach to life, that we'd all be wise to put into practice.
Who not How by Dan Sullivan and Dr Benjamin Hardy
Verdict: a long winded way to say 'you should delegate more', containing an eye-rolling amount of stereotypical examples of busy men finding women to outsource their life/organisational work to. Don't recommend.
PS. don't forget, if you'd like a 15% discount on your copy of the Archley's Book of Books book journal to keep all your book notes and lessons in, click here^.
ear food
Cautionary Tales - this episode talks about missed opportunities to be more prepared for disasters that subsequently happened, notably Hurricane Katrina. And asks the question of whether this pandemic is actually a warning sign for the next one, rather than the main event. (Spotify / Apple)
Unlocking Us - Brené Brown interviews Priya Parker in a conversation packed with meaning and challenge on how we gather and what needs challenge and redesign post-2020. And if you still haven't read Priya's book 'The Art of Gathering', stop everything and read it. (Spotify / Apple)
The full recording of Nick Cave's 'Idiot Prayer', his 'alone' show from Alexander Palace, is now available. And I haven't stopped listening to it. It's all the spine-tingling, haunting-ness you want from Nick Cave, and more. Incredible. (Spotify).
meanwhile, on the bookshelf
Recent Steph's Business Bookshelf podcast episodes, in case you missed them...
Own Your Career, Own Your Life by Andy Storch
(Spotify / Apple)
Special: talking books with Kelly Irving
(Spotify / Apple)