Rework is a string of 88 short essays by Jason Fried and David Heinmeier Hansson – the founders of 37signals.com (we are big fans of their products Highrise, Basecamp, Campfire and Backpack at Bluewire Media).It’s a gem, so I thought I’d write a one line summary of the 88 to remind me.If you don’t want to read the lot, here’s the themes I took out of it:

1. Never accept the status quo/age old wisdom/rule of thumb without seriously asking “Why?”
2. Simplify [I really like Jason Fried’s Twitter credo: It’s simple until you make it complicated]
3. Break BIG into small
4. Be personal and real

For those who want the details…Rework reminder list:First:

1. The new reality: You don’t have to work 80hr weeks in an office – you can work from anywhere in the world with people from all over the world.

Takedowns:

1. Ignore the real world: “That would never work in the real world” is an excuse.
2. Learning from mistakes is overrated: “When something succeeds, you know what worked – and you can do it again.”
3. Planning is guessing: Contemplate the future, but don’t obsess about it – there are far too many variables to accurately predict it.
4. Why grow?: Maybe the right size for your company is 5/40/100.
5. Workaholism: “The real hero is already home because she figured out a faster way to get things done.”
6. Enough with “entrepreneurs”: “You just need an idea, a touch of confidence, and a push to get started.”

Go:

1. Make a dent in the universe: Make a difference
2. Scratch your own itch: Solve your own problem.
3. Start making something: Ideas are abundant, execution is what counts.
4. No time is no excuse: If you really want something, you’ll make time.
5. Draw a line in the sand: Know what you do and know what you don’t do.
6. Mission statement impossible: Your actions speak much louder than your words.
7. Outside money  is Plan Z: Spending other people’s money has a noose attached.
8. You need less than you think: How would you do it with $0 to spend?
9. Start a business, not a startup: All businesses, sooner or later, have to make a profit.
10. Building to flip is building to flop: “You need a commitment strategy, not an exit strategy.”
11. Less mass: Lean business = responsive, quick to change and flexible.

Progress:

1. Embrace constraints: Constraints force creativity
2. Build half a product, not a half-assed product: “Getting to great starts by cutting out the stuff that’s merely good”.
3. Start at the epicenter: Begin with the stuff you have to do.
4. Ignore the details early on: Get the big picture right first – details will come later.
5. Making the call is making progress: “Decide and move forward.”
6. Be a curator: “It’s the stuff you leave out that matters.”
7. Throw less at the problem: Trim down the problem first.
8. Focus on what won’t change: Timeless desires, not what’s hot and new.
9. Tone is in your fingers: Equipment is often a crutch and never a shortcut.
10. Sell your by products: Spot by-products and see opportunities.
11. Launch now: Additional features can come later.

Productivity:

1. Illusions of agreement: Get real with your ideas – draw, build, hum.
2. Reasons to quit: Keep asking: “Why am I doing this?”, “Is there an easier way?”
3. Interruption is the enemy of productivity: Switch everything off and get more alone time.
4. Meetings are toxic: Agenda, set a timer, few people, be specific, have action items.
5. Good enough is fine: Maximum result with minimum effort.
6. Quick wins: Smaller tasks + more frequent celebrations!
7. Don’t be a hero: Ask for help before investing more time.
8. Go to sleep: It helps.
9. Your estimates suck: Break big projects into small projects.
10. Long lists don’t get done: Make smaller ones and prioritise visually.
11. Make tiny decisions: “Small decisions mean you can afford to change”.

Competitors:

1. Don’t copy: You can’t lead by copying.
2. Decommoditise your product: Pour yourself into your product and everything around it.
3. Pick a fight: Taking a stand always stands out
4. Underdo your competition: What you don’t do is just as important as what you do.
5. Who cares what they’re doing?: Set your own parameters.

Evolution:

1. Say no by default: But don’t be a jerk about it.
2. Let your customers outgrow you: Stay true to a type of customer rather than an individual customer.
3. Don’t confuse enthusiasm with priority: Write your idea down, wait a few days, then evaluate priority.
4. Be at-home good: Your product needs to get better with use.
5. Don’t write it down: Listen to your customers, they’ll keep reminding you when something really matters.

Promotion:

1. Welcome obscurity: You can take more risks/test more options when no-one’s watching.
2. Build an audience: You won’t have to buy their attention, you’ll have earned it, so they’ll give it to you.
3. Out-teach your competition: Teaching = trust and respect.
4. Emulate chefs: Share your “cookbook” (your IP).
5. Go behind the scenes: Show people how your business works
6. Nobody likes plastic flowers: Don’t be afraid to show your flaws.
7. Press releases are spam: Be specific and personal with your approach to a journo.
8. Forget about the Wall Street Journal: Niche media often produces higher levels of direct activity.
9. Drug dealers get it right: Give a little away up front – they’ll come back for more.
10. Marketing is not a department: Marketing is something everyone in your company is doing 24/7/365.
11. The myth of the overnight sensation: “Trade the dream of overnight success for slow, measured growth.”

Hiring:

1. Do it yourself first: That way you’ll understand the nature of the work.
2. Hire when it hurts: What happens if you don’t hire to replace?
3. Pass on great people: It is much worse to have people on staff who aren’t doing anything meanful.
4. Strangers at a cocktail party: Hire slowly.
5. Resumes are ridiculous: Use a cover letter and what they’ve actually shipped.
6. Years of irrelevance: Experience is irrelevant – what matters is how well they do it.
7. Forget about formal education: Classroom smart doesn’t necessarily give you what you need.
8. Everybody works: Small team means everyone has to do work, not delegate it.
9. Hire managers of one: Motivated people set manage themselves.
10. Hire great writers: Clear writing = clear thinking.
11. The best are everywhere: Use people from all over the world, then meet in person every now and again.
12. Test drive employees: You only really get to know someone when you work side by side with them.

Damage control:

1. Own your bad news: Acknowledge, Apologise, Act.
2. Speed changes everything: Answer quickly and personally.
3. How to say you’re sorry: Accept responsibility, use “I”.
4. Put everyone on the front lines: Don’t protect the people doing the work from customer feedback.
5. Take a deep breath: Listen to complaints about change then take a breath before you respond/change again.

Culture:

1. You don’t create a culture: You live and breathe it, then it will happen.
2. Decisions are temporary: You can change a decision when the circumstances change.
3. Skip the rockstars: Create a great workplace, and you’ll attract great people.
4. They’re not thirteen: Treat staff with respect and trust – it will be reciprocated.
5. Send people home at 5: You don’t need more hours, you need better hours.
6. Don’t scar on the first cut: Don’t create a policy straight away – communicate first.
7. Sound like you: Write, talk like you do to a specific person/target.
8. Four letter words: Easy, Need, Can’t – don’t use ’em.
9. ASAP is poison: Save your urgency for when you truly need it.

Conclusion:

1. Inspiration is perishable: Take it and use it when it’s there, because it won’t be forever.