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The Achievement Habit: Stop Wishing, Start Doing, and Take Command of Your Life
The co-founder of the Stanford d.School introduces the power of design thinking to help you achieve goals you never thought possible. Achievement can be learned. It’s a muscle, and once you learn how to flex it, you’ll be able to meet life’s challenges and fulfill your goals, Bernard Roth, Academic Director at the Stanford d.school contends. In The Achievement Habit , Roth applies the remarkable insights that stem from design thinking—previously used to solve large scale projects—to help us realize the power for positive change we all have within us. Roth leads us through a series of discussions, stories, recommendations, and exercises designed to help us create a different experience in our lives. He shares invaluable insights we can use to gain confidence to do what we’ve always wanted and overcome obstacles that hamper us from reaching our potential, The brain is complex and is always working with our egos to sabotage our best intentions. But we can be mindful; we can create habits that make our lives better. Thoughtful and powerful The Achievement Habit shows you how.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published July 7, 2015
About the author
Bernard Roth
12 books38 followersBernie Roth is the Rodney H. Adams Professor of Engineering at Stanford University. A longtime veteran of the Stanford design scene, he first came to the Stanford Design Division faculty in 1962.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 431 reviews
December 18, 2015
Hmm. I'll start off by saying I've only gotten to page 63 and am debating whether it's worth my time to continue on. Most likely, I won't. Roth writes in a fluid, conversational tone that makes the reading smooth and easy to absorb. The problem however is that there is hardly any real substance to what he says. It's cotton candy. If you take to reading self-development books, a lot of his concepts--you'll realize--are hardly new. No problem there. Sometime, it take a new perspective on the concept for it to click into your stubborn head. I know that's often my case. However, that said, I felt Roth is attitude toward achievement was "just do it, already!" "Stop stopping yourself, just do it already!" Which is true and solid advice. However, the reason most people can't just "do it" because they've developed and internalized a lot of self-limitation which they cannot free themselves of. It is this handicap that I don't believe Roth truly engaged or tried to dismantle. Telling someone they're limiting themselves with self-imposed bullshit isn't the same as helping them try to remove it. You know?
Secondly, the concept of No Meaning as he portrays it didn't sit well with me. Basically Roth tells you to dismantle all associations you've projected on the world/people/things around you. To, essentially free yourself from the meaning so you can accomplish shit. He claims that once you've gone through the exercise of saying "such and such has no meaning" and really let it sink in, you break the chains and free yourself. THEN you are able to CHOOSE a new meaning that is more conducive in achieving your goals. Sounds good, right? It is. Super powerful tool. But limited, I believe.
IT IS self-empowering to stop ascribing and associating meaning to everything around you. YOU don't know that anything IS what you believe it to be. How could you being a human of limited perception? Good, that's solid. But that doesn't mean things do not have meaning. As a person of Faith, I choose to believe that ALL THINGS to a simple grain of sand have profound meaning known only by God, by His purpose. Just because I don't get it or see it, doesn't mean it's not there. Roth's approach completely dismisses the metaphysical reality of life, which in turn, is as limiting as you can get.
And I don't think this is a situation where I can separate my Faith from my approach in living life. The two come together. Our purpose and goals are set by values and beliefs. If you don't believe there is meaning in anything, then what's the essence of your push to achieve? It could be many things, but for me, it relates to my Faith. Furthermore, if nothing has meaning, then were is morality in accountability in our actions? You could go to argue that morals and values have no meaning, they're self created, imposed. But again, that overrides the natural law of things. We know for example, deep down in our bones, that taking a life has a powerful meaning.
I would amend Roth's No Meaning approach by saying: Things do have meaning. Profound meaning. Meaning you most likely cannot grasp. So, stop projecting your own limited meaning. Try to be open to the Universe around you, let it unveil itself to you. Roth's approach, in my opinion, is very postmodern and blindsided. That said, this book aside from all the empty just-do-it cheerleading, probably does have some tools and exercise that will help people break through their self-limitation. But unlike Roth, who literally says all paths end in death eventually, so what's the big deal, go ahead and achieve what you have to achieve--I would say, the path you choose is very important. The destination in the end is death, but how you get there makes all the difference. So, if you want to learn how to achieve things in life, it DOES matter how you go about it, how you program your mind in seeing life.
Secondly, the concept of No Meaning as he portrays it didn't sit well with me. Basically Roth tells you to dismantle all associations you've projected on the world/people/things around you. To, essentially free yourself from the meaning so you can accomplish shit. He claims that once you've gone through the exercise of saying "such and such has no meaning" and really let it sink in, you break the chains and free yourself. THEN you are able to CHOOSE a new meaning that is more conducive in achieving your goals. Sounds good, right? It is. Super powerful tool. But limited, I believe.
IT IS self-empowering to stop ascribing and associating meaning to everything around you. YOU don't know that anything IS what you believe it to be. How could you being a human of limited perception? Good, that's solid. But that doesn't mean things do not have meaning. As a person of Faith, I choose to believe that ALL THINGS to a simple grain of sand have profound meaning known only by God, by His purpose. Just because I don't get it or see it, doesn't mean it's not there. Roth's approach completely dismisses the metaphysical reality of life, which in turn, is as limiting as you can get.
And I don't think this is a situation where I can separate my Faith from my approach in living life. The two come together. Our purpose and goals are set by values and beliefs. If you don't believe there is meaning in anything, then what's the essence of your push to achieve? It could be many things, but for me, it relates to my Faith. Furthermore, if nothing has meaning, then were is morality in accountability in our actions? You could go to argue that morals and values have no meaning, they're self created, imposed. But again, that overrides the natural law of things. We know for example, deep down in our bones, that taking a life has a powerful meaning.
I would amend Roth's No Meaning approach by saying: Things do have meaning. Profound meaning. Meaning you most likely cannot grasp. So, stop projecting your own limited meaning. Try to be open to the Universe around you, let it unveil itself to you. Roth's approach, in my opinion, is very postmodern and blindsided. That said, this book aside from all the empty just-do-it cheerleading, probably does have some tools and exercise that will help people break through their self-limitation. But unlike Roth, who literally says all paths end in death eventually, so what's the big deal, go ahead and achieve what you have to achieve--I would say, the path you choose is very important. The destination in the end is death, but how you get there makes all the difference. So, if you want to learn how to achieve things in life, it DOES matter how you go about it, how you program your mind in seeing life.
August 5, 2015
I really enjoyed this book. Some books have a great message but are a chore to read. Some are easy reads but don't have great content. This book has both.
There were so many great messages, like reasons are often just excuses that keep us from doing the things we really want to do. There are also tips on how to get unstuck - the author explains that you have to change the way you think about a problem - and then he tells you how to do that using "design thinking." He also provides 22 creative strategies to use when you're stuck.
In each chapter, he includes a section called "Your Turn" where he provides exercises you can do to apply what you've just read. I didn't do them all, but I did the ones in the areas where I most needed help and found them very effective.
A few quotes from the book I particularly liked:
"You can make a decision right now to see yourself differently, and then to become different." This was a good reminder to me that the past does not have to equal the future. If there's an area we'd like to change, we can.
...and...
"Nothing is what you think it is." His point was that WE give things their meaning.
...and...
"It's not about me." This thought comes in handy when we find ourselves thinking that other people's actions are related to what we did or did not do. Their actions are usually about them & what's going on in their lives, not us.
Loved the book!
There were so many great messages, like reasons are often just excuses that keep us from doing the things we really want to do. There are also tips on how to get unstuck - the author explains that you have to change the way you think about a problem - and then he tells you how to do that using "design thinking." He also provides 22 creative strategies to use when you're stuck.
In each chapter, he includes a section called "Your Turn" where he provides exercises you can do to apply what you've just read. I didn't do them all, but I did the ones in the areas where I most needed help and found them very effective.
A few quotes from the book I particularly liked:
"You can make a decision right now to see yourself differently, and then to become different." This was a good reminder to me that the past does not have to equal the future. If there's an area we'd like to change, we can.
...and...
"Nothing is what you think it is." His point was that WE give things their meaning.
...and...
"It's not about me." This thought comes in handy when we find ourselves thinking that other people's actions are related to what we did or did not do. Their actions are usually about them & what's going on in their lives, not us.
Loved the book!
August 23, 2015
I like this book but it's uneven. Starts off strong and ends strong. The middle is OK. Simply a review of leadership exercises that are really undergrad level and not what I would have imagined gets used at the Stanford d.school. Also, there is some overreach with the relativism. That being said, there are also many helpful anecdotes that cut right to the heart of the matter.
July 19, 2019
کتاب راحتخوانیه و میشه تو یه ر��ز هم تموم کرد. برنارد راث تو این کتاب ذهنیات و داستانهای زندگی خودش رو حول و حوش انجام دادن کارها و به موفقیت رسوندن پروژهها میگه.
از این جهت که ذهنیات و داستانهای خودش رو میگه شاید خیلی علمی نباشه، اما از این نظر که خودش واقعا کسیه تو دنیای دانشگاهی و همچین درسی رو سالها تدریس کرده، بار درست حسابی بودن کتاب بیشتر میشه.
از اون کتابا بود که خوندنشون مفیده. یه سری روش خودشناسی یک سوم آخر کتاب میگه که هیجان دارم تست کنم.
ایدههایی مثل این که «دلیل/علت آوردن مهمله» و سوگیری به سمت انجام دادن داشته باشیم که بهم فکر میکنم خیلی کمک کنه در آینده.
اگه وقت کردم بیشتر در موردش تو oorah.ir مینویسم.
از این جهت که ذهنیات و داستانهای خودش رو میگه شاید خیلی علمی نباشه، اما از این نظر که خودش واقعا کسیه تو دنیای دانشگاهی و همچین درسی رو سالها تدریس کرده، بار درست حسابی بودن کتاب بیشتر میشه.
از اون کتابا بود که خوندنشون مفیده. یه سری روش خودشناسی یک سوم آخر کتاب میگه که هیجان دارم تست کنم.
ایدههایی مثل این که «دلیل/علت آوردن مهمله» و سوگیری به سمت انجام دادن داشته باشیم که بهم فکر میکنم خیلی کمک کنه در آینده.
اگه وقت کردم بیشتر در موردش تو oorah.ir مینویسم.
August 3, 2016
If no stars were an option that's what I would give this book. I powered through only for the purpose of increasing my appreciation for something well written and so I could legitimately leave this scathing review. The author clearly has a high opinion of himself and wanted to write this book to let us know how wonderful he is, as well as to reiterate the many compliments he's been paid. I'd be curious to hear how much impact he has actually had in the lives of those whose anecdotes he shared, but I expect it was far less than he imagines. Ironic, for one who shared advice that things in life are not always about us.
Here is some advice he gives, let me share it here so you will know the quality of his writing and save yourself the time to read the rest:
"You can modify the way you react to experiences. One little trick is that by exaggerating your reaction, you can make the experience better. For example, if you are at a boring meeting, just tell yourself that it is the most boring meeting you have ever attended. It is in fact so boring that it is amazing. If you are depressed, do not get depressed at the idea of being depressed. Get off on it. Admire the fact that you are having this amazing depression."
He gives far too much credit to himself when he describes his "rational voice of experience and expertise."
I'm sorry because I know he's a real person in the world who has feelings and all, but this was too much hubris and not enough content to handle.
Here is some advice he gives, let me share it here so you will know the quality of his writing and save yourself the time to read the rest:
"You can modify the way you react to experiences. One little trick is that by exaggerating your reaction, you can make the experience better. For example, if you are at a boring meeting, just tell yourself that it is the most boring meeting you have ever attended. It is in fact so boring that it is amazing. If you are depressed, do not get depressed at the idea of being depressed. Get off on it. Admire the fact that you are having this amazing depression."
He gives far too much credit to himself when he describes his "rational voice of experience and expertise."
I'm sorry because I know he's a real person in the world who has feelings and all, but this was too much hubris and not enough content to handle.
January 29, 2016
We all have great dreams or wishes but we rarely work hard for those dreams. Most of the time it stays only as dreams. If you have this problem this book is really a good medicine. Mr Roth explains in this book how you can change yourself to a doer and achiever. How you can get rid of the habit of making excuses. How to ignore distractions and pay more attention to our goal. The first three chapters are really important, I would say the best part of the book. Worth reading, this book remind me what Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam said about dreams " Dream is not what you see in sleep. It is something which doesn't let you sleep."
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 10, 2018
مع أن المؤلف أستاذ الهندسة والمدير الأكاديمي بمعهد هاسو بلانتر للتصميم بجامعة ستانفورد وخبير في الكينماتيكا ( وهي أول مرة أسمع بها) وهو علم الحركة المجردة في مجال الروبوتات، لكن الكتاب مخيب للآمال صراحة ولا يرقى للضجة التي رافقت صدوره.
الكتاب ١٠ فصول أغلبها قصص مضمنة حكم ويتم إسقاطها على حياته وحياة الآخرين ومعظم الكتاب نصائح معروفة مثل
١- كن مباشرا ولا تتردد.٢- بدل أن تقول افعل
٣- لا تؤجل أعمالك أبدا
٤- كن صريحاً
وعلى هذا المنوال يسير الكتاب.
الكتاب ١٠ فصول أغلبها قصص مضمنة حكم ويتم إسقاطها على حياته وحياة الآخرين ومعظم الكتاب نصائح معروفة مثل
١- كن مباشرا ولا تتردد.٢- بدل أن تقول افعل
٣- لا تؤجل أعمالك أبدا
٤- كن صريحاً
وعلى هذا المنوال يسير الكتاب.
July 15, 2020
It's no fair to the book. This is an encapsulation of a Stanford year. A course taught, and no doubt loved, by countless students. A distillation of years, shaped by the experiences of hundreds of eager pupils. Designing one's life takes some thoughtful consideration and concerted effort and I just whipped through the book in a week.
And so being told your excuses are bullshit just don't seem to have the weight of revelation. I get swapping but with and: "I want to write a novel but I'm swamped at work" becomes "I want to write a novel and I'm swamped at work." I mean, we've invited options instead of the hard wall of the but - but the idea of reframing problems isn't exactly revelatory. And as far as "There is not try, only do" we all know Yoda said it first.
All of these seem simple and obvious in the telling but the book can be more than this simplified review. Reframing your stories, finding empathy for others and yourself and eliminating the roadblocks that prevent you from realizing your own lofty ambitions are noble endeavours worth the time. This is something to be picked up and considered like a zen koan not consumed like fast food and tossed aside. I think it could reward the effort but I'm out here looking for that silver bullet and eager to get back to reading some literary fiction.
And so being told your excuses are bullshit just don't seem to have the weight of revelation. I get swapping but with and: "I want to write a novel but I'm swamped at work" becomes "I want to write a novel and I'm swamped at work." I mean, we've invited options instead of the hard wall of the but - but the idea of reframing problems isn't exactly revelatory. And as far as "There is not try, only do" we all know Yoda said it first.
All of these seem simple and obvious in the telling but the book can be more than this simplified review. Reframing your stories, finding empathy for others and yourself and eliminating the roadblocks that prevent you from realizing your own lofty ambitions are noble endeavours worth the time. This is something to be picked up and considered like a zen koan not consumed like fast food and tossed aside. I think it could reward the effort but I'm out here looking for that silver bullet and eager to get back to reading some literary fiction.
February 24, 2017
Just Okay! Language was less interesting than the content. Most of the things are what I've already read in many other books. Yeah! I learned few new things as well, from it.
Short summary - To understand the difference between how you see yourself and how others perceive you, ask five friends to jot down five characteristics of your personality. Compare their responses to your own list: you’ll see some variety but also a lot of overlap. That overlap will include some characteristics you’ll want to retain and others you’ll want to change.
It’s also important to understand your intentions. What do you want to achieve? Ask yourself what you would do if you only had ten minutes, ten hours, and so on. That way, you’ll be clear on what you really want.
So surely, I'm not gonna recommend it to anyone...!
Short summary - To understand the difference between how you see yourself and how others perceive you, ask five friends to jot down five characteristics of your personality. Compare their responses to your own list: you’ll see some variety but also a lot of overlap. That overlap will include some characteristics you’ll want to retain and others you’ll want to change.
It’s also important to understand your intentions. What do you want to achieve? Ask yourself what you would do if you only had ten minutes, ten hours, and so on. That way, you’ll be clear on what you really want.
So surely, I'm not gonna recommend it to anyone...!
March 31, 2018
2.5 - mixed bag. Some good practical tips, but also some woo-woo and mediation crap, and overall opinions that seem to have been formed in a bubble. The author does at least admit he's led something of a charmed life. I don't think he realises how much it affects his outlook.
The book was also overly long.
The book was also overly long.
September 19, 2021
c nie wnosząca w życie książka
, nie dokończyłam, szkoda mojego czasu
, nie dokończyłam, szkoda mojego czasu
February 19, 2016
this book starts by echoing Yoda-- "do or do not, there is no try" says the little green guy. so the first half of this very small book is focused on getting you to do whatever, rather than excusing, reasoning, delaying, planning etc etc. Gets a bit repetitive, and some of the examples have appeared elsewhere. The last half of the book meanders all over the place, and I'm not sure what the point was, exactly. I am disappointed because I have heard a lot about IDEO and the design school at Stanford, so I expected more.
April 28, 2019
Wow, this was really boring and not very helpful.
I liked the first few chapters.
It was interesting and made me think about myself and my work.
Then it went downhill.
It became just a bunch of personal stories that didn’t really bring anything relevant to the table.
I forced myself to finish listening to it in hopes it would get better, but honestly, wish I would’ve just left it unfinished.
I liked the first few chapters.
It was interesting and made me think about myself and my work.
Then it went downhill.
It became just a bunch of personal stories that didn’t really bring anything relevant to the table.
I forced myself to finish listening to it in hopes it would get better, but honestly, wish I would’ve just left it unfinished.
January 30, 2024
Bernard Roth, the achievement habit; category: how-to. This was an audiobook, but I would prefer a physical book overall very helpful. Very good advice.
The design way of thinking is a powerful mental model that you have to practice first. Just reading /listening to the material will probably not help you.
Of course you have to get past the seemingly pure self-help title superficiality in my opinion I got beyond what I expected. I expected just another self book maybe 4 1/2 stars. Rating 3,66 seems low.
About the author, he’s a PhD in engineering
Roth is one of the founders of the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford (the d.school) and is active in its development: currently, he serves as Academic Director. His design interests include organizing and presenting workshops on creativity, group interactions, and the problem solving process. Formerly he researched the kinematics, dynamics, control, and design of computer controlled mechanical devices. In kinematics, he studied the mathematical theory of rigid body motions and its application to the design of machines.
The design way of thinking is a powerful mental model that you have to practice first. Just reading /listening to the material will probably not help you.
Of course you have to get past the seemingly pure self-help title superficiality in my opinion I got beyond what I expected. I expected just another self book maybe 4 1/2 stars. Rating 3,66 seems low.
About the author, he’s a PhD in engineering
Roth is one of the founders of the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford (the d.school) and is active in its development: currently, he serves as Academic Director. His design interests include organizing and presenting workshops on creativity, group interactions, and the problem solving process. Formerly he researched the kinematics, dynamics, control, and design of computer controlled mechanical devices. In kinematics, he studied the mathematical theory of rigid body motions and its application to the design of machines.
February 13, 2022
This morning I set out to make banana bread. The recipe called for two eggs and I only had one. I had a gooood reason to stop right there. Instead, I googled an egg substitute made with baking powder and water. It worked and the bread was tasty.
March 16, 2017
Some of it I liked a lot and some I thought was just OK. In a few places he got a little New Agey/Liberal "Woo woo" for me, but he had many good things to say. This book is really about changing the way you think.
February 7, 2017
I used to think self-help books are cheesy with overly optimistic messages but you know what? I'm at the age where I need that good cheesy motivational stuff because ADULTING IS HARD. In fact, holding onto a carefree positive outlook is way harder than having a pessimistic cynical one. Actually being pessimistic was my default state. This book came into my life at the right time, late December in 2016 just before the new year. To say that I was stuck in a rut in 2016 is an understatement. I saw its bright yellow cover at a library shelf and without thinking much, just borrowed it. What I didn't know is how much it helped me to reset my way of thinking and teach me how to focus.
Despite its very bombastic title, the voice of this book is very calming and implores your rational side. In fact, it is more angled to helping you achieve or complete a task rather than take you on a spiritual or emotional self-help journey. So if you want something that inspires you emotionally or makes you feel connected to something bigger, like the universe or something, this is NOT the book for you! I actually preferred it this way because I am very cynical and any mention of New Age-y concepts would make me shut my brain completely. The author is a Stanford professor and runs a Creativity Workshop where he teaches students and professionals how to plan, design and execute whatever they wanted! I swear, rich people get to do a ton of fun shit.
For me, I always believe that you take what you need from self-help books and leave whatever that doesn't apply to you. There are some parts in the book that don't necessarily apply to me but the ones that did? Hit me like a ton of bricks. There are so many moments when I was reading this book where I wished I had read it earlier. One of the messages that really hit me is "you give everything its meaning" or everything has no meaning. That sounds kind of nihilistic or even self-centred but the wisdom behind it is that, things only become important to you because you chose it to be important. A certain thing, person or value has meaning because you grant that meaning to it in your life. This really helps me because I'm so easily distracted and I tend to have a knee-jerk reaction to almost everything. Add the crazy world we live in where we get breaking news at the end of our fingertips, and also aggravating comments from ignorant people, and you will get a very frazzled me in 2016. Last year, I felt like I was in a whirlwind because I was reacting to everything. It's only then when I realised I can choose what I should pay attention to, when it's not worth the fuss and how to push it aside so it won't ruin my day.
It seems simple. The message is simple and I've probably read or heard some derivative of that before but I needed to hear it at that time and presentation also matters. I also like how the author is not against failure but also reminds us that we are still capable of creating change, even how minute, and not everything is dependent on external factors. Again, these points are not things that you've never heard before, and you may already think it's common sense, but sometimes you need to hear it that from someone else. There are other great points in here but I will let you decide if this is worth the read. For me, I am really thankful that I get to read this because it didn't occur to me that my issues are manageable and not even unique. I'm usually a faster reader but I took my time here and I'm racking up quite the library late penalty fee. I am definitely getting my own copy of this book.
Despite its very bombastic title, the voice of this book is very calming and implores your rational side. In fact, it is more angled to helping you achieve or complete a task rather than take you on a spiritual or emotional self-help journey. So if you want something that inspires you emotionally or makes you feel connected to something bigger, like the universe or something, this is NOT the book for you! I actually preferred it this way because I am very cynical and any mention of New Age-y concepts would make me shut my brain completely. The author is a Stanford professor and runs a Creativity Workshop where he teaches students and professionals how to plan, design and execute whatever they wanted! I swear, rich people get to do a ton of fun shit.
For me, I always believe that you take what you need from self-help books and leave whatever that doesn't apply to you. There are some parts in the book that don't necessarily apply to me but the ones that did? Hit me like a ton of bricks. There are so many moments when I was reading this book where I wished I had read it earlier. One of the messages that really hit me is "you give everything its meaning" or everything has no meaning. That sounds kind of nihilistic or even self-centred but the wisdom behind it is that, things only become important to you because you chose it to be important. A certain thing, person or value has meaning because you grant that meaning to it in your life. This really helps me because I'm so easily distracted and I tend to have a knee-jerk reaction to almost everything. Add the crazy world we live in where we get breaking news at the end of our fingertips, and also aggravating comments from ignorant people, and you will get a very frazzled me in 2016. Last year, I felt like I was in a whirlwind because I was reacting to everything. It's only then when I realised I can choose what I should pay attention to, when it's not worth the fuss and how to push it aside so it won't ruin my day.
It seems simple. The message is simple and I've probably read or heard some derivative of that before but I needed to hear it at that time and presentation also matters. I also like how the author is not against failure but also reminds us that we are still capable of creating change, even how minute, and not everything is dependent on external factors. Again, these points are not things that you've never heard before, and you may already think it's common sense, but sometimes you need to hear it that from someone else. There are other great points in here but I will let you decide if this is worth the read. For me, I am really thankful that I get to read this because it didn't occur to me that my issues are manageable and not even unique. I'm usually a faster reader but I took my time here and I'm racking up quite the library late penalty fee. I am definitely getting my own copy of this book.
December 22, 2017
Roth is one of the co-founders of the Stanford d.school, one of the originators of design thinking, and a professor of mechanical engineering for 40 years. His book is indeed partly about achievement. More than that, it’s a collection of life wisdom from a very smart, accomplished doer, maker, and teacher who has figured out how to get results from himself and students.
Foremost in Roth’s teachings is bias towards action. Instead of waffling and ruminating, “don’t get caught up in how you’re going to get it just right. That’s what causes people to shut down and never get started. Avoid the desire for perfection right out of the gate. Instead, tell yourself that you’re prototyping your screenplay or your dress. The final version can come later.”
Some of his suggestions may seem radical, but they’re just part of standard d.school curriculum, e.g. getting rid of reasons for doing things. You don’t need them, and they’re all bogus anyway: “Many reasons are simply excuses to hide the fact that we are not willing to give something a high enough priority in our lives.” Substitute all manifestations of “but” with “and.” When you gather up your intention and concentrate your attention, you will move mountains.
There’s a ton of actionable advice here, such as a list of 22 ways to get unstuck (e.g. lists, idea logs, humor, conversation, exercise, compressed conflict, mind maps, working backward), and the “Your Turn” exercises at the end of each section. This is a tremendously useful and encouraging book for anyone whose creative endeavors could use some more bias towards action.
-- Ali Binazir, M.D., M.Phil., Happiness Engineer and author of The Tao of Dating: The Smart Woman's Guide to Being Absolutely Irresistible, the highest-rated dating book on Amazon for 4 years, and Should I Go to Medical School?: An Irreverent Guide to the Pros and Cons of a Career in Medicine
Foremost in Roth’s teachings is bias towards action. Instead of waffling and ruminating, “don’t get caught up in how you’re going to get it just right. That’s what causes people to shut down and never get started. Avoid the desire for perfection right out of the gate. Instead, tell yourself that you’re prototyping your screenplay or your dress. The final version can come later.”
Some of his suggestions may seem radical, but they’re just part of standard d.school curriculum, e.g. getting rid of reasons for doing things. You don’t need them, and they’re all bogus anyway: “Many reasons are simply excuses to hide the fact that we are not willing to give something a high enough priority in our lives.” Substitute all manifestations of “but” with “and.” When you gather up your intention and concentrate your attention, you will move mountains.
There’s a ton of actionable advice here, such as a list of 22 ways to get unstuck (e.g. lists, idea logs, humor, conversation, exercise, compressed conflict, mind maps, working backward), and the “Your Turn” exercises at the end of each section. This is a tremendously useful and encouraging book for anyone whose creative endeavors could use some more bias towards action.
-- Ali Binazir, M.D., M.Phil., Happiness Engineer and author of The Tao of Dating: The Smart Woman's Guide to Being Absolutely Irresistible, the highest-rated dating book on Amazon for 4 years, and Should I Go to Medical School?: An Irreverent Guide to the Pros and Cons of a Career in Medicine
August 11, 2022
I read this book but I still have no control of my life
May 1, 2020
غالب محتوای کتاب حول موضع حل مسئله میچرخد. نویسنده در بخشهای مختلف به ابزارها و روشها و رویکردهای متنوع در نگاه به مسئله و حل آن میپردازد. با توجه به سن بالای نویسنده و تجربه بسیار زیاد در تدریس، تعامل و زندگی کتاب پر از داستانهای شخصی و تجربههای متعدد نویسنده است که گاهی به دریافت موضوع کمک میکنند و گاهی نیز به نظر اضافی و پرگویی هستند.
موضوعی که باعث شد من به خواندن این کتاب علاقمند شوم تفکر طراحی در زندگی فردی بود. برایم جالب که این ایده استفاده از تفکر طراحی در توسعه فردی و ��ل مسائل زندگی چطور مطرح میشود اما در پایان کتاب حس کردم که نویسنده آنطور که انتظار داشتم به این موضوع نپرداخته و بیشتر تلاش داشته مجموعهای از تجربیات و بینشهای شخصی خود رو در فصل های کتاب جای دهد.
هر چند نمیتوان گفت که کتاب به مسئله تفکر طراحی نپرداخته اما انتظارم نگاه نظاممندتر و منسجمتر به موضوع بود. با این حال در بسیاری از بخشهای کتاب از خواندن نظرات و پیشنهادات نویسنده لذت بردم و بسیاری از موارد را برای استفاده در زندگی شخصی یادداشت کرده و به خاطر سپردم. موارد زیادی در کتاب وجود داشت که یا قبلا نشنیده و نمیدانستم یا به این شکل برایم عنوان نشده بودند.
در پایان اگر از من بپرسید که این کتاب ارزش خواندن دارد یا نه به شما خواهم گفت که آیا مایلید پای صحبتهای پدربزرگ مهربان و خوش صبحتی بشینید که زندگی علمی و کاری طولانیش پر از تجربه های شیرین، شنیدنی و آموزنده است؟ آگر پاسخ مثبت است پس این کتاب برای شما مفید است.
موضوعی که باعث شد من به خواندن این کتاب علاقمند شوم تفکر طراحی در زندگی فردی بود. برایم جالب که این ایده استفاده از تفکر طراحی در توسعه فردی و ��ل مسائل زندگی چطور مطرح میشود اما در پایان کتاب حس کردم که نویسنده آنطور که انتظار داشتم به این موضوع نپرداخته و بیشتر تلاش داشته مجموعهای از تجربیات و بینشهای شخصی خود رو در فصل های کتاب جای دهد.
هر چند نمیتوان گفت که کتاب به مسئله تفکر طراحی نپرداخته اما انتظارم نگاه نظاممندتر و منسجمتر به موضوع بود. با این حال در بسیاری از بخشهای کتاب از خواندن نظرات و پیشنهادات نویسنده لذت بردم و بسیاری از موارد را برای استفاده در زندگی شخصی یادداشت کرده و به خاطر سپردم. موارد زیادی در کتاب وجود داشت که یا قبلا نشنیده و نمیدانستم یا به این شکل برایم عنوان نشده بودند.
در پایان اگر از من بپرسید که این کتاب ارزش خواندن دارد یا نه به شما خواهم گفت که آیا مایلید پای صحبتهای پدربزرگ مهربان و خوش صبحتی بشینید که زندگی علمی و کاری طولانیش پر از تجربه های شیرین، شنیدنی و آموزنده است؟ آگر پاسخ مثبت است پس این کتاب برای شما مفید است.
September 12, 2017
I'm not exactly sure why this book was written. It is so all over the place and relates almost not at all to the title. The beginning of the book was somewhat interesting; Bernie is an award-winning Stanford engineering professor who told some semi-inspiring stories of people essentially "just doing it." You know, you can't be great unless you take that first step. But then the book devolved into random advice from your grandpa. "Be a good listener. You need to try to work out your differences with people you work with. Here are some good ice breaker ideas. You should try really hard to remember people's names. People from different cultures have different norms." (Not kidding about a single one of those.) "Why the heck am I reading this?"
When he described his wife's reading group reading a draft of the manuscript and giving him feedback, I was a bit incredulous. This is far more about an old dude giving advice than it is a book about making achievement a habit.
Wait, what was your name again?
When he described his wife's reading group reading a draft of the manuscript and giving him feedback, I was a bit incredulous. This is far more about an old dude giving advice than it is a book about making achievement a habit.
Wait, what was your name again?
April 27, 2019
A must-read book that is difficult to summarize in a few words. We are talking about the experience of an experienced man, Bernard Roth, in engineering and robotics who has had a rather atypical life course with very important life lessons that we all meet or will meet. But this life experience is used to give us relevant advice for progress that we find in some personal development books... but this is not a guru talking, it is relevant life advice that they give us to progress or when we find ourselves facing a wall. We are talking about creativity, teaching, motivation (for us but especially to motivate our work team), behavioural attitudes, emulation, communication and so much more, this book is so complete, essential and striking by its humility that I rarely find in the vast majority of leadership or motivational books. It is a book full of depth and it deserves this personal comment.
September 18, 2016
Decent enough. I entered the book expecting no more than a few useful nuggets. The nuggetses that I liked: (1) Work a problem backwards from solved in order to figure out the milestones between, this was a good reminder. (2) Be the cause in the matter even if you do not have all of the control over a situation, process or problem. (2) Adopt an attitude of willingness to do results despite every valid anti-reason that appears, if the results are what you want to get done. This last is easier said than done.
March 20, 2022
The book is a mixture of some random stuffs and a main idea that is kinda cool. It's more like a self helping book to me, and you can extract some good ideas, tools and practices from it; but unfortunately it's not really coherent and that bothers me.
I also liked the profficency and academic background of the author and the context that he is already in it.
My score is 2.5 out of 5.
In persion:
کتاب یه ترکیبی از فکتها و چیزهای رندوم هست به علاوهی یک ایدهی اصلی ( که از عنوان کتاب مشخصه ) و از این نظر برای من بیشتر شبیه یک کتاب خودیاری بود تا یک کتاب علمی. حرفایی که تو کتاب زده میشه، ابزارها، ایدهها و غیره میتونن به درد بخور و قابل استفاده باشن و از این نظر باید یه مقداری توشون تامل کرد، اما خب خیلی پیوستگی خاصی ندارن به نظرم و خیلی رندومن. از این مدلش خیییلی خوشم نیومد.
به صورت کلی هم از فضایی که نویسنده توش هست ( ترکیبی از آکادمی و کارهای صنعتی / کسب و کاری ) خوشم اومد و با فضای کلی حال .کردم
امتیازم به کتاب ۲.۵ از ۵ هست.
I also liked the profficency and academic background of the author and the context that he is already in it.
My score is 2.5 out of 5.
In persion:
کتاب یه ترکیبی از فکتها و چیزهای رندوم هست به علاوهی یک ایدهی اصلی ( که از عنوان کتاب مشخصه ) و از این نظر برای من بیشتر شبیه یک کتاب خودیاری بود تا یک کتاب علمی. حرفایی که تو کتاب زده میشه، ابزارها، ایدهها و غیره میتونن به درد بخور و قابل استفاده باشن و از این نظر باید یه مقداری توشون تامل کرد، اما خب خیلی پیوستگی خاصی ندارن به نظرم و خیلی رندومن. از این مدلش خیییلی خوشم نیومد.
به صورت کلی هم از فضایی که نویسنده توش هست ( ترکیبی از آکادمی و کارهای صنعتی / کسب و کاری ) خوشم اومد و با فضای کلی حال .کردم
امتیازم به کتاب ۲.۵ از ۵ هست.
June 2, 2019
This was my first intro to the Stanford D-School. I'm sure it's a great program, and highly coveted, but I honestly don't see what all the hype is about. I don't think there was anything new in this book that I haven't read or heard somewhere else. And maybe everyone else stole from the D-School, but either way, the methods in this book are all pretty old news. Basically, just a bunch of mental tricks and games to get people to stop making excuses for themselves.
My attempt at summarizing the author's message: If you want to do something, just start doing it and ignore anyone or anything that gets in your way. No one else's opinion matters but yours.
Meh... not for me.
My attempt at summarizing the author's message: If you want to do something, just start doing it and ignore anyone or anything that gets in your way. No one else's opinion matters but yours.
Meh... not for me.
August 1, 2021
It’s not enough just to know things, we have to act, take the responsibility of navigating the unchartered territories of the game of life. We have to step out of our comfort zone, take appropriate risks, believe in ourselves and, always aware of our strengths, face the unknown. Only in this way can we travel the journey of life, overcoming obstacles, towards the goal, and achieve the subjective success of our existence.
Inspiring book!
Inspiring book!
January 27, 2020
2.5 stars.
This book had a strong beginning and an acceptable end, all the middle part was irrelevant to what the book promotes. I found the examples from Roth's life to be tedious and uninspiring. Would have loved to see more concrete steps instead of aspirational talk that you find in these kinds of books.
I don't think I could recommend this book to anyone.
This book had a strong beginning and an acceptable end, all the middle part was irrelevant to what the book promotes. I found the examples from Roth's life to be tedious and uninspiring. Would have loved to see more concrete steps instead of aspirational talk that you find in these kinds of books.
I don't think I could recommend this book to anyone.
October 23, 2017
I wasn’t a big fan of this. 2.5 Stars.
October 24, 2017
Some powerful stuff in here!
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