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ali_str's review against another edition
2.0
This overlaps in some parts with other books of the author. This includes some fine tips and anecdotes regrading intricacies of remote work.
Also conveying that they are cool doing whatever they do, super cool almost, with extra points on how to get as cool them, and the fact that it might not work for most people.
Also conveying that they are cool doing whatever they do, super cool almost, with extra points on how to get as cool them, and the fact that it might not work for most people.
raviwarrier's review against another edition
3.0
Fried's thoughts and insights are always a pleasure to read.
What I really liked about this book was not the concept of remote working (that's been around and advocated in multiple books and on various blogs/articles), but the approach taken by the authors to explain, not just the benefits, but also real-world practical problems and simple solutions to overcome them. After all, it would be pointless without them.
However, I don't think (not that it matters a lot) the authors really put all the cards on the table. Especially when it comes to adoption in larger companies. Yes, IBM's done it, but the problems it faced (in my opinion) would have been much more than what a smaller organization would face. The solutions provided may not be as easy to implement when you have hundreds of thousands of employees across the globe. Starting small might help, but not as much as the authors might purport it to.
I liked that the book is as long as it should be. Unlike a few authors I read in the past couple of months that write about in circles and repeat often (perhaps because of a minimum page mandate by the publisher), this book is succinct. 4 hours of reading time is a good duration for any book and beyond that, it only makes sense if the subject is vast. This was just on the money.
It's a good practical guide for anyone who's thinking of adopting remote working in their organization, with the caveats mentioned above. And its definitely worth a shot, for companies big or small.
What I really liked about this book was not the concept of remote working (that's been around and advocated in multiple books and on various blogs/articles), but the approach taken by the authors to explain, not just the benefits, but also real-world practical problems and simple solutions to overcome them. After all, it would be pointless without them.
However, I don't think (not that it matters a lot) the authors really put all the cards on the table. Especially when it comes to adoption in larger companies. Yes, IBM's done it, but the problems it faced (in my opinion) would have been much more than what a smaller organization would face. The solutions provided may not be as easy to implement when you have hundreds of thousands of employees across the globe. Starting small might help, but not as much as the authors might purport it to.
I liked that the book is as long as it should be. Unlike a few authors I read in the past couple of months that write about in circles and repeat often (perhaps because of a minimum page mandate by the publisher), this book is succinct. 4 hours of reading time is a good duration for any book and beyond that, it only makes sense if the subject is vast. This was just on the money.
It's a good practical guide for anyone who's thinking of adopting remote working in their organization, with the caveats mentioned above. And its definitely worth a shot, for companies big or small.
lintulai's review against another edition
3.0
Hieman liikaa itsestäänselvyyksiä ja hieman liian vähän todellisia oivalluksia, tai sitten aika on jo ajanut tämän kirjan ohitse. Yllätyin tekstin koosta ja täytesivujen määrästä. Noin yleisesti ottaen kuitenkin ihan jees.
bjork24's review against another edition
3.0
Nothing new. Keep giving the same advice over and over.
ameya88's review against another edition
4.0
This is a good book if your expectations are set right.
I'm giving it an extra star because this is exactly the perfect length all books in the categories of management, self-help & co. need to follow. Short blog post like chapters where you make your point and move on and less than 100 pages in-toto always. (I have an hypothesis that every management book could be an HBR article, but publishers pay more than HBR so they get milked into a book. But that's another story...)
I breezed through it in an hour and half when I stumbled upon it while on some related work-related reading - this classified as 'work' so... :-) So even though it's not GREAT i didn't quite feel as cheated out of it as I would had I spent a longer amount of time.
Go into this expecting some myth-busting around common excuses remote work and occasionally some best practices. Anything more detailed or nuanced is not to be found here. This is more Malcom Gladwell than Mikhail Csikszentmihalyi (yes, I googled his name).
As someone who works from home regularly, I'd say maybe 20% of this was new to me (or at least framed in a different manner). It's a good conversation starter and eye opener for teams and organizations who are considering exploring remote working.
However with the COVID scare, we've pretty much had a global pilot project of remote working so many of the explanations here will have been experienced by people reading it. So perhaps preaching to the choir in 2020.
I'm giving it an extra star because this is exactly the perfect length all books in the categories of management, self-help & co. need to follow. Short blog post like chapters where you make your point and move on and less than 100 pages in-toto always. (I have an hypothesis that every management book could be an HBR article, but publishers pay more than HBR so they get milked into a book. But that's another story...)
I breezed through it in an hour and half when I stumbled upon it while on some related work-related reading - this classified as 'work' so... :-) So even though it's not GREAT i didn't quite feel as cheated out of it as I would had I spent a longer amount of time.
Go into this expecting some myth-busting around common excuses remote work and occasionally some best practices. Anything more detailed or nuanced is not to be found here. This is more Malcom Gladwell than Mikhail Csikszentmihalyi (yes, I googled his name).
As someone who works from home regularly, I'd say maybe 20% of this was new to me (or at least framed in a different manner). It's a good conversation starter and eye opener for teams and organizations who are considering exploring remote working.
However with the COVID scare, we've pretty much had a global pilot project of remote working so many of the explanations here will have been experienced by people reading it. So perhaps preaching to the choir in 2020.
pvantees's review against another edition
4.0
I've working remotely for 2,5 years now and this book was more of a confirmation of what I experienced. It's an easy read (I read it on a flight) and it contains a few good quotes and reminders.
What I would be interested in reading from 37Signals is how they actually organize all their work with these remote teams. They mention some examples but they are the obvious and repetitive.
Overall I enjoyed reading it but it's not remarkable. If you are considering working remote it's a good primer.
What I would be interested in reading from 37Signals is how they actually organize all their work with these remote teams. They mention some examples but they are the obvious and repetitive.
Overall I enjoyed reading it but it's not remarkable. If you are considering working remote it's a good primer.
loribailey's review against another edition
2.0
If you're considering if and how to try remote working at your company, this book will likely help you. As someone who has both worked and led remotely, I found the content to be too basic. I didn't underline anything and I'm not sure I learned anything new.
The writing style for this book also seemed a little off compared to their past books - lots of cliches and over-simplified conclusions.
The writing style for this book also seemed a little off compared to their past books - lots of cliches and over-simplified conclusions.
cpskee's review against another edition
1.0
Don’t bother! A bit outdated and doesn’t seem to know it’s audience — or I’m not the audience. Seems mostly geared to businesses considering remote work.