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A review by nelsta
The Almanack of Naval Ravikant: A Guide to Wealth and Happiness by Eric Jorgenson
3.0
Apparently, Naval Ravikant is some kind of god-on-earth by the way this book talks about him. The author, Eric Jorgenson, patched this Almanack together from Naval's writing, podcasts, interviews, etc. It reads like a mix of a book of proverbs and a self-help book. Naval is certainly a unique individual with excellent insights into wealth creation and self-confidence, but most of this Almanack could be repackaged as "Buddhism Through Naval's Eyes." Good stuff, but not groundbreaking.
From my perspective, the best Jorgenson's Almanack can provide is the first section on wealth. Before you--the reader of the review--continue, it's important for you to know that I am not looking to become wealthy. If I were, I wouldn't be writing amateur book reviews. But this compilation of Naval-isms does more than teach prospective titans how to generate and maintain wealth. It gives valuable insight into how to express your self-worth in your job. One particular aphorism I found helpful was, "set and enforce an aspirational personal hourly rate. If fixing a problem will save less than your hourly rate, ignore it. If outsourcing a task will cost less than your hourly rate, outsource it." Naval suggests that cooking dinner isn't worth his hourly rate and so he outsources it, but I find that absolutely pretentious. I do think, however, that this contains a mote of truth: your time is valuable in real dollars and it's worth recognizing what that rate is. (At this point in my life, for example, my hourly rate is probably in the low three digits. This is not necessarily your salary or an hourly wage. This is how much your time is worth. If fixing my family dinner isn't worth $100 to me, it's probably worth outsourcing. I quite enjoy cooking, though, and fixing meals for my family brings me joy.)
The single most valuable piece of advice contained in The Almanack of Naval Ravikant is game-changing. In a world of automation, many jobs--even complex ones--can, and will, be automated. The easiest way to avoid that predicament is to be paid for your judgment, not your time. Naval doesn't say this in quite the same way, but he says the same general thing. As a human, you, the reader, are gifted with the ability to think critically. Robots can't do that. And bots aren't the only ones incapable of recreating your critical thinking skills; nobody else in the world thinks like you. So, be the best version of yourself and bring your full self to work. Get recognized as a person with exceptional, unique, or valuable judgment.
One of the best things about The Almanack is that it is free. No strings attached. Just make your way to https://www.navalmanack.com/ and download it. It's good that it's free because most of it wasn't worth my hourly rate.
From my perspective, the best Jorgenson's Almanack can provide is the first section on wealth. Before you--the reader of the review--continue, it's important for you to know that I am not looking to become wealthy. If I were, I wouldn't be writing amateur book reviews. But this compilation of Naval-isms does more than teach prospective titans how to generate and maintain wealth. It gives valuable insight into how to express your self-worth in your job. One particular aphorism I found helpful was, "set and enforce an aspirational personal hourly rate. If fixing a problem will save less than your hourly rate, ignore it. If outsourcing a task will cost less than your hourly rate, outsource it." Naval suggests that cooking dinner isn't worth his hourly rate and so he outsources it, but I find that absolutely pretentious. I do think, however, that this contains a mote of truth: your time is valuable in real dollars and it's worth recognizing what that rate is. (At this point in my life, for example, my hourly rate is probably in the low three digits. This is not necessarily your salary or an hourly wage. This is how much your time is worth. If fixing my family dinner isn't worth $100 to me, it's probably worth outsourcing. I quite enjoy cooking, though, and fixing meals for my family brings me joy.)
The single most valuable piece of advice contained in The Almanack of Naval Ravikant is game-changing. In a world of automation, many jobs--even complex ones--can, and will, be automated. The easiest way to avoid that predicament is to be paid for your judgment, not your time. Naval doesn't say this in quite the same way, but he says the same general thing. As a human, you, the reader, are gifted with the ability to think critically. Robots can't do that. And bots aren't the only ones incapable of recreating your critical thinking skills; nobody else in the world thinks like you. So, be the best version of yourself and bring your full self to work. Get recognized as a person with exceptional, unique, or valuable judgment.
One of the best things about The Almanack is that it is free. No strings attached. Just make your way to https://www.navalmanack.com/ and download it. It's good that it's free because most of it wasn't worth my hourly rate.