A few weeks ago I bought Rework by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson, the founders of 37signals.

It’s not the kind of book you read through in a night or two, I think it’s much better to keep it on your desk for a quick read when you are feeling lethargic or need a 5 minute inspirational break.

Here are my 3 favorite take-away points from the first 120 pages:

1. Workaholism

Workaholics aren’t heroes. They don’t save the day, they just use it up. The real hero is already home because she figured out a faster way to get things done.

I have worked with so many of them and what they all have in common is that workaholics don’t achieve anything. They are just stuck in routines that require them to spend much more time on simple tasks than necessary.

2. Embrace constraints.

Stop whining. Less is a good thing. Constraints are advantages in disguise.

Recently I entered a work group that was very fixated on how limited a certain product line was. Me, as the outsider coming to the table (and maybe because I’d read Rework), saw it as an opportunity, not a problem. Try to do the same: take a step back and think of some of the limitations in your work and see if they can become opportunities in some way. Simpler is always better. (Now my problem is convincing the others in my group of this new opportunity!)

3. Launch now

If you had to launch your business in two weeks, what would you cut out? Funny how a question like that forces you to focus. You suddenly realize there’s a lot of stuff you don’t need. And what you do need seems obvious. When you impose a deadline you gain clarity.  It’s the best way to get to that gut instinct that tells you, “We don’t need this.”

The same is true for website launches. Stop putting off launching your portfolio because it isn’t ready yet. Heck, not even this very page you are on right now is complete, but I still launched!

Have you read the book? What are your favorite take-away points?

Stay tuned for Part II.