... (book review) The Dip

Very short and easy to read book.
Lack of any supporting facts or research makes the book come across as a gross simplification, if not preachy.
It is basically, a simple concept explained on less than 80 pages.
Sometimes we do hit the hard times at work and in life. In most cases all you need is persevere and you’ll be back on the right track in no time. This perseverance is what will separate you and the competition.
Knowing that a certain amount of perseverance is necessary to achieve perfection will allow one to evaluate whether the project in which one is about to engage is worth it.
Interesting advice provided on avoiding easy growth – if it is easy for you, it will be easy for others and competition will soon ensue.

... (book review) Simple*ology

Mark Joyner. Simple*ology.

Easy Read for an Armchair Psychologist

The author claims to discover a “simple science of getting what you want”. The reality, unfortunately, is more than far from it. He does make a number of attempts to prove that there are existing alternatives to the ways we process information, but comes short of proposing a reliable system.

The writing style itself is somewhat of acquired taste – it is very conversational in nature. It may be quite annoying in the beginning, but eventually the reader will get used to it and even enjoy the unassuming tone.

There are a couple of interesting nuggets of serious psychological analysis coupled with assertions that most self-help books are nothing but pseudo-science.
All the way at the back the reader will find a four step action plan “to getting what you want”, but it is way too ordinary, perhaps even “simple”.
There were too many references to the website, which makes it almost undesirable to visit (to this day have not).

Overall, an interesting read with nice scientific references.
The value to the reader will greatly depend on the purpose of the purchase. If one intend to find out how do get what one wants – that would be a waste of money; if to spend an afternoon leafing through an easy book – go right ahead.

Btw, not sure why it was paired with The 4-Hour Workweek – the only thing that the two have in common is writing style.