Rework - Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson

Do you want to start your own business or already have a small business and aim to improve results? If the answer is yes, the book "Rework", by authors Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson, was made for you.

For both cases, it manages to approach corporate conduct in a punctual and provocative way, in addition to bringing up the most important issues of everyday life in companies simply and directly.

Want to know more? So continue reading this PocketBook and revolutionize your way of thinking about business!

About the book "Rework"

Released in 2012 in the United States, "Rework", by authors Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson, received the Goodreads Choice Award nomination for Best Non-Fiction.

The book has 197 pages and is structured in short chapters with simple and direct language, which makes its reading fluid. Another interesting feature is its beautiful and striking layout.

The authors break paradigms, give productivity tips, and show what really works (rather than what most people just call right). And, by the way, the work is full of practical business wisdom!

About the authors Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson

Jason Fried is a writer, blogger, and founder of Basecamp, an American small business project management software company. Jason is also co-founder and CEO of 37signals, a company that has Highrise (CRM) among its successful products.

David Heinemeier Hansson is a Danish programmer responsible for creating the Ruby on Rails web development framework and the Instiki Wiki.

David is also a Basecamp partner and has written the book "Agile Web Development with Rails", in partnership with Dave Thomas. In 2013, also with Jason Fried, he was a co-author of "Remote: Office Not Required".

To whom is this book indicated?

The book "Rework" is more than suitable for people who dream of starting their own business. In addition, reading is recommended for people who want to revolutionize their current work.

Main ideas of the book "Rework"

• "Why should you start your business now and think about processes later?";
• "Your product should be a unique experience for you and not for the competition";
• "Things can go wrong and it's important to stay focused at these times";
• "Define what you want with your business and then develop your goals";
• "Why should you not be disturbed by the competition?";
• "Why should you work in a startup as in big business?";
• "Why less is more after all?";
• "Do you have to warm your head about what can go wrong?";
• "Which is better: more meetings or breaking projects into small tasks?";
• "Hire for people's life experience or just for the curriculum?".

In this summary, we will explain the three main concepts that can help you take the first step toward full professional fulfillment.

So, let's go?

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Overview: Create Half Product, Not Sloppy Product

Do you know the concept of doing "more with less" and simplifying the product to the fullest?

Well, it has been on the authors' agenda in an entire chapter of the book "Rework". The detail is that this happened even before the Lean concept became present in the universe of large corporations and startups, starting in 2010.

In a very didactic way, the authors prove that:

"It is possible to quickly turn many great ideas into a bad product when trying to accomplish all the tasks at the same time."

At this point, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson set an example of the work of architects. They are dedicated to making a general project well done, to dedicate themselves to details such as tiles, for example, only at this specific stage of the work.

So worrying about these details early in the project would be a waste not only of time, but also of energy.

Another thing is that, with the unnecessary complexity of the initial project, the team could easily get lost in the middle of a messy execution. That way, you would never have a perfect "middle product"; just a whole sloppy product.

And, let's face it, a sloppy product is not what we want!

The key ideas Jason and David come up with when designing a product are:

• Focus: you won't be able to do everything you want in a well-done way;
• Many things get better as they get smaller;
• Start at the epicenter: what to do;
• Ignore the details at the beginning;
• Get the basics right first, specifics may come later.

Overview: Don't Become A Workaholic

Workaholics are those people who do not leave their posts, and even if they do, do not stop working.

The authors Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson assume that if you work exhaustively, in practice it becomes less effective.

The workaholic is not (as you think) a real hero. In the authors' view, a real hero is one who finds the most efficient and fastest ways to do what needs to be done in the best way possible.

Here are some key aspects of this concept covered in the book "Rework":

• Working harder means nothing: just working harder;
• No one can take a long time: sooner or later, workaholics collapse or go crazy;
• Workaholics try to compensate for intellectual laziness with brute force;
• Workaholics are not efficient: it is in overtime that they feel like heroes;
• When you work nonstop, you don't make balanced assessments;
• Workaholics are not heroes: heroes do a good job in less time and "go home".

Overview: Growing Why and For What?

Another interesting thought discussed in the book "Rework" comes to the meeting of young entrepreneurs.

Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson pose a very important question to those who are now undertaking and wants to grow fast, whatever the cost. The question is: "grow why and for what?".

According to the authors, there is no ideal business size. And that's why you should focus more on doing something that you feel good about and grow, albeit slowly.

For that, it is necessary to master the pressure to grow "by leaps and bounds"; the most important, guarantee Jason and David, is the profitability and sustainability of the business.

In addition, they share a recurring question with the reader:

"How big is your company?"

In summary, the authors articulate that:

• You can find the right size for business and stay that way;
• The ideal for your business maybe five, forty, or two hundred employees (or just you and a notebook);
• Don't make size assumptions early on, but grow slowly and with balance;
• Premature hiring can bankrupt your company;
• Avoid sudden growth, you can go beyond the appropriate size;
• Small companies want to be bigger, big companies want to be agile and flexible;
• Rest assured: your goal may be to have a small business;
• A sustainable and profitable business, large or small, is always a source of pride.

What do other authors say about it?

In the book "Reinventing Organizations", Frederic Laloux says that organizations shape themselves according to the evolution of human consciousness.

Today, there are some companies that encourage their employees to participate in more complex decision making. The tendency, according to him, is for organizations to become increasingly horizontal, disregarding the traditional hierarchical system of power.

In "Scaling Up", author Verne Harnish gives some tips for the pursuit of continuous improvements, such as:

• Employee feedback should be constantly collected to identify obstacles and opportunities for improvement;
• The pace of communication must be well established, making the flow of information within the organization fast and accurate.

Finally, authors Jim Collins and Jerry Porras, in "Built to Last", found that most visionary companies didn't start with a revolutionary idea that made them successful early on. In fact, they had a slow start and eventually overpowered their markets.

Okay, but how can I apply this to my life?

• You have to define "what you want" with your company and then develop your goals;
• Do not be disturbed by the competition, focus on your own achievements;
• Be more objective going forward: many things get better as they get smaller;
• Stay zen: don't heat your head about what can go wrong;
• Avoid meetings: as you have seen, splitting your projects into small tasks can be very good;
• Hire for people's life experience: go beyond the curriculum;
• Don't work too hard, that doesn't mean anything: just work too hard;
• No, don't be a workaholic: do your best work in less time and "enjoy your life";
• Put aside the obsession with "being big";
• Think twice about hiring: premature hiring can bankrupt your company;
• Rest assured: starting today, your goal may be to have a "big" small business!

Did you like this summary of the book "Rework"?

We hope you enjoyed our summary and are able to apply the entrepreneurship strategies, developed by authors Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson, in your company. Leave your opinion in the comments, your feedback is very important to us!

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