Books

Book Review - The Practice: Shipping Creative Work

A complete review of the new Seth Godin book The Practice Shipping Creative Work. A great book for those looking for inspiration or need a recharge to get going.

I have been following Seth Godin for quite some time. My friend mentioned he was recently on the Tim Ferris podcast, and he said it was an amazing podcast. Well, my friend was absolutely right. The Tim Ferris interview of Seth Godin in October 2020 is one of my favorite podcast episodes of all-time. Not just for Tim Ferris episodes but Podcasts in general.

Seth Godin has a unique way of painting pictures with his conversation. Seth is super interesting to listen to and provides so much useful information at the same time. The episode is something you will probably need to hear two or three times to capture all the advice from Seth fully. Additionally, Tim and Seth appear to have a close relationship, and you can listen to that based on questions in advice Seth gives directly to Tim.

During the episode, Seth mentioned that he is releasing his latest book, The Practice: Shipping Creative Work.

When I started reading the book, I felt like most of the content was already covered in the interview with Tim Ferris. Although it was good to digest the content a bit more by reading it, I felt a little let down as some of the chapters were almost verbatim to the show.

The book is in an engaging format as it is 271 pages long with a little more than 200 chapters. The chapters felt like short blog articles plucked from Seth’s blog. However, Seth did manage to make the book flow really well. Also, I highlighted some real gems which are worth sharing here

My favorite excerpts from The Practice

Shipping, because it doesn’t count if you don’t share it.

“Do what you love” is for amateurs. “Love what you do” is the mantra for professionals.

True learning (as opposed to education) is a voluntary experience that requires tension and discomfort (the persistent feeling of incompetence as we get better at a skill).

Talent is something we’re born with: it’s in our DNA, a magical alignment of gifts. But skill? Skill is earned. It’s learned and practiced and hard-won.

Chop wood, carry water. Anchor up. “Yes, and.” Ignore the parts you can’t control.

Show up. Do your best. Learn from it. And then we get to do it again.

Your work is never going to be good enough (for everyone). But it’s already good enough (for someone).

I would recommend “The Practice“ for anyone looking for inspiration in their creative process. Whether you are building a startup, a manager, or trying to create something, this book will have a chapter that sticks with you. Remember, there are 200+ chapters, so I’m sure you will find a couple that resonates. It is indeed an excellent easy read, and as I highlighted above, a ton of quotable content.

However!! I recommend first read the book before listening to the Tim Ferris podcast. Reading in this order will ensure you get the most enjoyment from reading The Practice.