Review: Rework

When I first heard about Rework online, I thought that it was just another business book that spilled on and on about preparing a thorough business plan, and belonged on the bookshelf of companies well armed with a killer marketing campaign and a staff of 30. But further research into the book told me other wise, and I ordered it from Amazon because I was told that this would be different. Also the fact that the book was written by the guys behind 37Signals (a company that makes cool online project management softwares) compelled me even more.

Title: Rework by Jason Fried & David Heinemeier Hansson
Hardcover: 288 pages

Now you might just be thinking — what’s an illustration blog doing reviewing books on business? I’m going to cheat a little and mention that the book has illustrations for each topic (a-ha!), but the main reason is that apart from my main love of illustration, I also love devouring books dedicated to creativity and small businesses, especially on how people are doing it their way. I find that a lot of creativity is to be had by studying the principles of others and then applying it to your particular field, and reading books like Rework stimulated me to think beyond my four walls.

Through the firm’s experience for the past 10 years, they’ve had lots of stories and tips to share. They started out as a web consulting company in 1999 but then began to realize a gap in the market for an online project management software in 2004. Basecamp was designed, and more were released in the last 5 years.

The book is divided into short, bite-sized chunks of information that are divided under 12 main segments. Light on text but heavy on substance, I can relate to what the authors are saying, because I believe that with the internet we have become globally connected in one way or another. So the way work is being done is no longer the same – everything runs quicker in the internet-era, and before you can snap your fingers and say holla – the game is being changed yet again. Situations like these forces you to be different, to think differently, and to respond differently to various situations. And that’s why I appreciate the book. The team at 37Signals showed the world how they did things differently, and succeeded.

While the book was short and to the point, the book didn’t really tell me anything new. It merely reaffirmed my belief in the way I work – start small, have fun, and don’t give up easily. What I loved was that the information was all in one place, and makes for a great pick-me-up when you’ve run into a rut. I finished this in a few hours!

One of my favorite quotes from the book is that decisions are temporary. And that, to me, is one of the reasons why being small is so powerful – whether you’re one illustrator, a team of two designers, or a photographer. We have the flexibility to change the way we work if what we’re working on doesn’t work. We are unencumbered beings — free to mold ourselves and our business to reflect our own values.

So how about re-thinking the way you work this weekend?