Key Themes:
Business, Minimum Viable Product, Procrastination, Self Help, Decision Making
Summary:
Start Now, Get Perfect Later by Rob Moore is a refreshing alternative to the traditional self help book. He understands that most of us are crippled by procrastination and fear of failure and that hardly anyone gets it right first time. He appreciates that our desire to be perfect stops us from getting started. In this book, Moore shows that the quickest way to get perfect is to start right now and evolve and develop as you go. This book will give you the tools and motivation to launch your idea or business venture, overcome the challenges of self doubt and begin the next phase of your business or career. As Moore eloquently states: ‘Start now. Get perfect later. Just do it. End of book’
Content Overview:
The book is divided into 9 different sections. Moore begins by looking at the issue of procrastination and how we sometimes label ourselves ‘I’m a procrastinator’ to avoid doings things. He explores the state of indecisiveness and the potential upsides that procrastination can bring. The book explores task jumping, worry and making decisions – breaking down the myths around decision making. The book also outlines the difference between being busy, productive or efficient and recommends keeping a record of work and energy levels. He also covers the key results area, key life area and income generating tasks and talks about the tasks you can outsource and leverage.
He challenges the belief that you need to ‘work hard’. Instead he embraces the concept of ‘smart work’. Moore introduces a six step section to help with getting things moving. The book highlights that decision making is like a muscle – the more you exercise it the better you get. Moore also talks about how to manage your ‘inner bas-tard’ or inner critic. His recommendation of having a ‘friend-punch-bag’ as someone who you can rant at is another good tip.
He also covers how to commit to the decisions that you make and the part our values play in this process. Committing to yourself and others builds trust and enables you to produce the results that you are hoping to achieve. The focus is very much on doing the right thing and ultimately empowers us to be our own problem solvers. To conclude, Moore adopts the acronym WISLR. This stands for Waste, Invest, Spend, Leverage and Recover. This correlates to the belief that how we spend our time is a direct reflection of what we get out of it.
Each chapter finishes with a clear summary and indication of what action steps need to be taken.
Rating: 9/10
Too many self help books pander to the individual, providing them with the excuses to not get started. Moore’s book is different. His focused approach, tools and tactics help you to move from inaction to action, growing and developing your idea, product and service as you go. What are you waiting for?
Readability: 9.5/10
Moore has a very conversational and chatty style and is easy to read. He brings in humour, directness, copious examples and typically English phrases. If you’ve ever heard him speak – you can hear his tone of voice through every chapter.
Does what it says on the tin: 9/10
Yes! Moore provides you with the strategy and tools through his no nonsense, direct approach to get you moving from indecision to action. There are lots of immediately actionable steps that could be started. Some of them are practical like setting things up, whilst others need a bit of work – such as changing your habits / mindset. I’ve learned a lot from this book and I’m already actively implementing some of his techniques.
