Andreas Dietzel gets his PlayBook
Today I had lunch with Andreas Dietzel. I gave him a book that hopefully will help him to sell his expertise to have some fun on his free time.
This is a step-by-step book that showed me the first steps towards doing what I love on a full time basis. One important secret is, as the cover says, “… and get paid for it”. I needed to get paid in order to put in the time and effort to do quality work. The best way to find out if you can get paid enough is to do it. Here is how:
A Soundbite
Here is the authors own story, (read from page 178 in the book by Ola Vea):
My Escape from the world of jobs.
Putting the book to use
When I talk to people about their jobs I use questions that are inspired by this book. The questions help me find out what they like about their work. When people tell me about the things they like best about their work, they talk more freely. Thus it is easier to get them talking about what they want to change about their work. My goal with the conversation is to find a need or a problem. When I have identified a need I go home and connect my new contact with an old contact who can help them with their need. Read this blogpost about how Benedicte put the book to use.
Or you can read about how to get started in my blogpost “The benefits of being in play”
If you read norwegian, here is a blog post about how you can build your own questions about peoples job. To find out how you can connect them with somebody who can help them.
Get Screw Work Let’s Play:
- Get the first chapter free.
- Buy the book right now
.
- Meet me in the cafés and backstreets around Rodeløkka and I might give you “Let’s Play” for free. Like I did to this guy on tuesday night at Locanda italian restaurant:
Gave away @johnsw book to @noekult tuesday night.
Got a package from Amazon today :-D I will give these away.
Thanks for the review – glad you like my book. Really interesting to hear someone else tell a part of my story!
Sure. I have given away your book to four people and the feedback has been very positive.
About your story. I would like to help people to find their moment of magic. I try to help them.
Spennende hint. Legger boka i leselista!
Knallers. Har du fått lest den?
Hvor kan jeg kjøre den boka!
Hei Morten! Bare klikk på linken så får du boka i posten fra Amazon.com
This book, which I have spead-read really told me the very worst about the self-help industry. It really is like one of those works written by one of the inmates. You have to remember that the author has NO background at all in psychology or therapy. Well we live in a free society and anybody can write a book, but why trust a pseudo-academic book with no references, clearly very little research has gone into this book. What it really is is an excuse to write an autobiography and then get people to read it by saying that it is actually a book that can help others. It is about as helpful as that old classic ‘Sexploitation & The Media’. The ideas contained in this book are shallow, vague, commonplace and actually expose a lack of reading, a lack of contact with people who do very ordinary jobs every day of their working lives for the whole of their lives. What is wrong with working in a steel works or shop for your entire career? Without a lot of people doing a lot of mundane boring jobs all their lives our society would actually implode. Williams fails to understand what the capitalist miracle is, we don’t die of old age at 32 in a mud hut, but because of a co-operative effort called society most of us actually muddle along quite well. The danger of this book is that a kind of elitism is being peddled in the guise of a meritocractic option. The reality is that most people cannot transcend their day-to-day lives and that trying to opt out because one finds drudgery disagreeable and one would rather have creative and profitable experiences is actually a little lazy. I do wonder what the author would make of the artist starving in a garret but compelled to produce great art which would be unrecognised until after their death. I do not think that this book would have helped a valid creative such as Van Gogh in the slightest. I think the author needs to read a little sociology and a little economics before advising others to opt out of society. The wealth test is a complete fabrication in my opinion, based on a yuppie ideal and NO research. The author needs to do some field work, getting a little dirty, in the footsteps of Engels, London and Orwell because he clearly has spent little time in the world most ordinary people inhabit.
I am sad to hear you did not take the time to read this inspiring book, Giles. I have read it and have shaped my life and work to fit my personality. Not only based on this book, but based on my own experience and that of others.
As for the “artist starving in a garret but compelled to produce great art which would be unrecognised until after their death.”
Two of my friends make their living from their art. There is nothing “lazy” about them. Actually they are some of the hardest working individuals I know. The basis of their financial success however is not only hard work, but an open mindedness allowing them to learn from other people with experience from business. These two particular friends have listened to me, and some of my advice to them have come from “Screw Work Let´s Play”. I am proud to say my friends have both successfully implemented some of this advice.
I have “read a little sociology and a little economics” and I still say:
Do the work you do best. You will have more fun and your customers will be more happy!