Rework is written by the guys from 37 Signals and is a must read for anyone working at a startup, thinking of starting a business. If you have an interest in business and start-ups then this book will concisely walk you through certain ideas.
It is filled with great advice and most of it is not the conventional business ideas one expects to find in a book from a successful company. The book contains some valuable content and I am going to highlight some which I found particularly enlightening and refreshing.

Workaholism is not a badge of honour. I think inherently we all are under the impression that working long hours is good. The book contradicts that and they point out that tired staff will make errors that will potentially lead to more work. I agree and believe that you should be able to set certain limits on how long you work on certain things. You need to understand when you are most productive and then consistently repeat the process. I tend to think that this could be seen as looking for balance between work and social life. I am fully aware that a startup founder will have to work mega hours as he needs to balance all the various different hats he has to wear. He needs to consistently speak to his staff, talk to his board, look for funding and get his work/tasks completed with limited resources.

but that just means they’re wasting time fixating on inconsequential details instead of moving on to the next task.”

They continue and state that all of their associates are to do time in their customer service part of their business which is something I agree with. Having worked with the public this installs a certain effect as they then understand that if they mess up then they will have to deal with the repercussions.  They also mention that personal communication from a CEO is a great indicator for the public on their importance.

Then they mention spam and the huge amount of content that we get from various people (blog posts, press releases, CVs) and how some of seems to have little purpose. I tend to agree with the notion and emphasise that everything that one writes needs to have a purpose.

The one thing that I agree with them is the over use of the term entrepreneur and start-up and how it seems to “be like a boys club”. I like the idea of rather calling it a starter than founder.

Then they also tackle meetings and the fact that in general they kill productivity and can be seen as toxic. I believe that one should only request a meeting as a last resort and rather communicate with email or short phone calls.
Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson have written a book that I believe I will be constantly going to as a reference or when I need some inspiration. So purchase one and see it as an investment into your own future.

“Working without a plan may seem scary. But blindly following a plan that has no relationship with reality is even scarier.”