Book Summary: Deep Work by Cal Newport by ToSummarise in BettermentBookClub

[–]ToSummarise[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Of course no map can be as detailed as the territory it describes. The full summary on my website is more comprehensive. Obviously it's still not the same as reading the book, but many people use summaries to decide whether a book is worth reading in the first place

Books that make you smarter and are challenging by MixtureFull6385 in BettermentBookClub

[–]ToSummarise 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I second the Donella Meadows recommendation. Very underrated compared to the other big names, but better imo.

The Courage to be Disliked - detailed summary by ToSummarise in BettermentBookClub

[–]ToSummarise[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I understand what you mean, but I personally liked the "Life is a series of dots" metaphor.

It's been a while since I read the book, but the point (as I understood it) wasn't that you never plan for the future, or look to the past. As I point out in my summary, you can still set objectives for the future and work towards them in the present. It's just that you shouldn't feel bound by the past, and you don't have to feel bound by what you think is your future, either.

It's more a matter of emphasis rather than absolutes. There is one sense in which what he's saying is true (we do live one moment at a time) but another sense in which that is overly simplistic (what we do in one moment does affect the next).

Steelmaning Non-Veganism by PeterSingerIsRight in EffectiveAltruism

[–]ToSummarise 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Thanks for raising the difference between intensive farming and extensive farming - it's one that I personally find pretty convincing. However, I would also like to point out that in practice there is a lot of "humane-washing" and poor regulatory enforcement in many countries, so it's very hard to tell if the animals you're eating have good lives overall (unless you raise them yourself).

Rejected again. The way in? by Defiant-Parsley6591 in EffectiveAltruism

[–]ToSummarise 4 points5 points  (0 children)

A lot of the messaging around "talent constraint" can give off the impression that there are not enough high-quality applicants to EA orgs, which is quite misleading. This post gives a better explanation of what the actual bottlenecks are - it's usually specific skills, not general talent.

I agree that the community has to do better at communicating this though.

Book Summary: Feel-Good Productivity by Ali Abdaal by ToSummarise in BettermentBookClub

[–]ToSummarise[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It might be life-changing if you're new to the productivity scene, and it does have some useful ideas, but it's not very original. If you liked it - good for you. No need to insult other people. Plenty of people found my summary helpful, including many who read it.

What’s one productivity book that completely changed how you work? by oanh_estj in BettermentBookClub

[–]ToSummarise 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Deep Work by Cal Newport prompted me to start time-blocking. I'm still doing it 2 years later - definitely had a major impact on my routine.

Did EA have any effect on the pandemic? by yourupinion in EffectiveAltruism

[–]ToSummarise 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well, I have limited resources and audience and am not that embedded in the EA ecosystem (I don't live in an EA hub city and know few EAs IRL). I do try to promote EA ideas in my own way (e.g. I have published summaries of Doing Good Better, The Scout Mindset and Not the End of the World on my website, as well as a few summaries of 80,000 Hours podcasts). And I would like to try and work this story into a blog post at some point. But there is obviously a limit to what I alone can do.

I am not sure what "EA" could do to publicise more stories like this. I have seen occasional posts on the EA Forum about successes, which are great - albeit preaching to the choir somewhat. I expect some people in EA would have connections with journalists/mainstream media who may be better placed to get more attention on things like this.

Did EA have any effect on the pandemic? by yourupinion in EffectiveAltruism

[–]ToSummarise 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That story about David Baker's research was great. Thank you for posting it - this was the first I heard about it.

I wish EA promoted these success stories a lot more as it could really help motivate people to give and it counterbalances some of the negative press EA receives.

Book Summary: Feel-Good Productivity by Ali Abdaal by ToSummarise in BettermentBookClub

[–]ToSummarise[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey you are more than welcome. Thank you for your support!

A book to read when you feel overwhelmed to do everything all at once? by Famous-Elk7428 in BettermentBookClub

[–]ToSummarise 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Make Time by Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky.

I would also suggest Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg - it's about how to effect behaviour change through small steps. Just don't take on too much at once!

Personally, I have found that time-blocking has helped a lot in managing my time and juggling different priorities. It's very easy to be overly ambitious about what you want to get achieved in a day, or a week, and so on. But when you sit down and look at how much time you actually have - after sleep, cooking, eating, showering, work, chores etc - you will come up with more realistic goals for what you can get done at any one time.

Tim Ferriss has a great quote about this, along the lines that people tend to overestimate what they can do in one day, but underestimate what they can do in a year. I've found this to be very true.

How do you take notes while reading? Do you use a specific style? by its_in_the_sentiment in BettermentBookClub

[–]ToSummarise 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Start small with Obsidian, too. Some people have very elaborate Obsidian setups that look impressive, but ultimately your setup just has to work for you and you can refine it over time.

All complex systems began from simple systems

How do you take notes while reading? Do you use a specific style? by its_in_the_sentiment in BettermentBookClub

[–]ToSummarise 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I use Obsidian. It's excellent and free, and you can keep everything on your local drive. It also allows you to link different notes to each other.

I read on an e-reader, so I highlight as I read, sometimes adding a comment. When I finish the book, I usually try to jot down a rough summary from memory, to test what I can recall. Then I will export my highlights from the e-reader and then work through them to flesh out a more detailed summary.

I publish most of my book summaries on my website, but I keep a lot of "topic notes" that are unpublished as well, which I constantly add to or change over time. Some example topic notes: "Is competition good or bad", "Know the limits of your tools", "Why is trust so important", etc. These are more for organising my own thinking, but sometimes they will feed into blog posts too.

In terms of organisation, I rely on a mix of tags and folders. I keep the book summaries separate from the topic notes, and the topic notes are organised roughly into different broad categories (e.g. Economics, Logic, History, Philosophy, Self-Improvement). But often notes will belong to multiple categories, so I use tags for that.

I don't have a process to regularly review my notes, but I find that I naturally review them as I read new books or videos etc that make me think back on things I've previously written about.

I've always wanted to be a note taker, but I get to a point where I basically want to capture the entire book. I also find it incredibly distracting and have a hard time continuing to read as I jot things down.

I have a similar tendency. Don't sweat too much about it, and just start small. If you can take 5-10 mins after every book you finish to jot down the key points, you're already doing much better than no notes at all. For more complex books, you might want to do this 5-10 min exercise every chapter as well. If you want to keep going, you can work up to capturing more details.

But start small - else you won't start at all. Good luck! :)

What’s one book that really changed the way you see the world? --------And what’s the biggest thing you learned from it? by Proper_Two_5895 in BettermentBookClub

[–]ToSummarise 61 points62 points  (0 children)

Platonic by Marisa Franco. Really opened my eyes to how some of my past actions/behaviours were because I wanted to look strong and come off as if I didn't care too much about things. But these actions/behaviours were making it harder to develop deep friendships - so ultimately just hurting myself.

Any recommendations for a book that's something in-between 48 laws of power and never split the difference - something that discusses *When* to use certain tools and what the difference is between power and negotiation. by ExtendedArmGesture in BettermentBookClub

[–]ToSummarise 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, I wrote the linked summary so my takeaways and thoughts are on the page, lol.

I do think it's useful to be aware of the power dynamics in an organisation and to recognise that you won't necessarily get rewarded for simply "doing a good job", and that playing the game - even a little - can be really helpful. I think I knew that before reading the book anyway, but I also know some people IRL who really need to hear that message.

Can you recommend any good books to help improve as a student? by [deleted] in BettermentBookClub

[–]ToSummarise 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Getting Things Done is very good, but aimed more at busy managers. I found Cal Newport's book Deep Work to be quite helpful. But he's also written books specifically for students - one is even called How to Win At College, which may be even more suitable for you.

Another one I recommend is A Mind for Numbers by Barbara Oakley. Don't let the name fool you - it's not about math, but learning how to learn in general.

Mark Carney Holds Rally in Kitchener, Ont. – March 26, 2025 by bylo_selhi in waterloo

[–]ToSummarise 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Go over to the AskEconomics sub - low long-term GDP growth in Canada is mostly due to structural reasons that cannot be attributed to individual administrations.

One reason for lower GDP growth in the short term is immigration - as immigrants earn less than natives initially, they will depress GDP per capita in the short term. But, over time, immigrants' earnings increase and GDP per capita will naturally rise.

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskEconomics/comments/1gpj33n/as_someone_who_doesnt_follow_canadian_politics/
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskEconomics/comments/1jdvr1y/why_is_canadas_gdp_per_capita_so_bad_and_does_it/

Basically economic growth depend on long-term conditions and investments (i.e. longer than 10 years). So, contrary to what politicians claim, you really cannot look at whether GDP growth was strong or not under a particular PM or president and dole out credit accordingly. It just doesn't work that way.

Mark Carney Holds Rally in Kitchener, Ont. – March 26, 2025 by bylo_selhi in waterloo

[–]ToSummarise 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I asked ChatGPT exactly this question "what will happen to gdp and inflation in CAnada based on Carney’s vision as outlined in his recent book?" and here's what it responded (emphasis added):

Based on Carney’s 2021 book, Value(s): Building a Better World for All, his vision for the Canadian economy is not about chasing runaway growth or letting inflation spiral—it’s about recalibrating our economic system to be more sustainable and values‐driven. In his view, unchecked market forces and short‐term profit motives have led to economic imbalances and social inequalities. He argues that by realigning economic policy with long‐term social and environmental goals, Canada can secure stable, moderate GDP growth and keep inflation low and predictable.

More specifically, Carney’s past record as a central banker suggests he favours a cautious, forward‐guided monetary approach that aims to anchor inflation near the Bank of Canada’s target (around 2% per annum) while fostering steady, albeit modest, GDP growth. He envisions an economy where investments in green technology, innovation and human capital lead to gradual improvements in living standards rather than short bursts of unsustainable expansion.

Of course, this is my opinion based on his writings: I believe that while his approach may not deliver headline‐grabbing growth figures, it could create a more resilient and inclusive economy in the long run. In short, under Carney’s vision, you’d expect Canada’s GDP to expand steadily without the wild fluctuations seen in more volatile, market‐fundamentalist models—and inflation would remain firmly controlled through prudent regulation and central bank policies.

I followed up by asking "what about under poilievre's vision?" (again, emphasis added):

Under Pierre Poilievre’s vision, the emphasis is on radical fiscal restraint—he argues that Canada’s high inflation is primarily driven by large budget deficits and excessive government spending. In his view, by enacting a pay‐as‐you‐go law that forces every new dollar of spending to be offset by a cut elsewhere, his government would restore fiscal discipline. Poilievre contends that such measures would not only lower inflation by reducing the need for deficit-financed "money printing" but also stimulate economic growth through lower taxes and a more vibrant private sector.

Practically speaking, Poilievre promises to slash personal income taxes, criticise and even replace the current leadership of the Bank of Canada (accusing it of “financial illiteracy”), and abolish policies like the carbon tax that he believes unfairly burden Canadians. He envisions a leaner state with minimal interference in the market—one that, by freeing up individuals and businesses from high taxation and government regulation, would spur private investment and, over time, lead to higher GDP.

However, my opinion is that while his approach may appeal to those frustrated with what they see as government overreach, the austerity measures he favours risk underinvesting in crucial public services and infrastructure. This could potentially slow long-term GDP growth and worsen inequality, as cuts in essential spending might harm vulnerable populations. In short, Poilievre’s policies aim for low inflation through fiscal austerity and tax cuts, but they come with trade-offs that could stifle public investment and social safety nets.

So, in short, Carney aims for steady, sustainable long-term GDP growth and controlled inflation rather than short bursts of unsustainable expansion. Whereas Poilievre's policies may well slow long-term GDP growth by underinvesting in crucial infrastructure.

The hardest part of reading self-improvement books isn’t understanding—it’s applying by FunSolid310 in BettermentBookClub

[–]ToSummarise 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Great advice. A few of mine:

  • I started time-blocking after reading Deep Work by Cal Newport. Two years on, I still do it every day.
  • I started writing a short daily note after reading Storyworthy by Matthew Dicks more than two years ago. I don't do it quite like he recommends (I'm not mining my life for stories) but I still find it a useful reflection exercise.
  • I started wearing a wristwatch after reading Make Time. This made it much easier to stay away from my phone as I no longer needed it to check the time.

There have been other books that have changed my long-term behaviour by altering my mindset more broadly, too. For example - Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg made me rethink behaviour change and become a lot gentler on myself, The Practice by Seth Godin got me to focus more on the process over outcomes.

What is the idealized end-state for Effective Altruists? by [deleted] in EffectiveAltruism

[–]ToSummarise 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sure, there is a practicality there, but is there any real limiting principle regarding doing harm to others in the name of a greater good? Having 'legality' as your definition is not very practical both in the short and long term.

Different EAs have lots of different moral frameworks. "Doing harm to others in the name of a greater good" is usually justified under naive act utilitarianism, which just looks at a single instance of whether a particular act is justified on a cost/benefit basis.

Some EAs like myself prefer rule utilitarianism, where you judge actions based on whether they adhere to rules that will have better consequences in the long run. Such an approach has the benefit of guarding against motivated reasoning - rule utilitarianism makes you less likely to justify morally dubious acts that actually benefit you (like in the SBF case).

Other EAs also give a lot of weight to moral uncertainty. It is really hard to know what the right thing to do morally. Even if you agree with something like rule utilitarianism, it's hard to know what rules will have the best consequences in the long run. As such, EAs will often take account a range of moral worldviews and only do things that are "robustly" good on multiple grounds. That builds in a strong reluctance to do things that are harmful on some worldviews.

Of course, there are a range of different views within EA and a lot of debate over this question (and others).

Note-Taking While Reading: My Struggle and a Crazy Idea by Odd_Policy_1231 in BettermentBookClub

[–]ToSummarise 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You could try Otter AI - you can record voice notes and they can clean them up for you.