Book Discussion: Finish, Part 3 – Get Rid of Your Secret Rules and Use Data to Celebrate Your Imperfect Progress Nerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology Professional

Could you be making false assumptions which only serve to keep you from achieving your goals? Secret rules take self-reflection to discover, destroy, and replace with rules based on the truth. In addition to getting rid of secret rules, we can collect data to measure progress toward a goal. Even though our efforts working toward a goal won’t be perfect, data allows us to better understand that we are moving in the right direction.

In episode 274, we’re joined by guest host Jason Gass to discuss the following chapters from Finish by Jon Acuff:



* Chapter 6: Get Rid of Your Secret Rules

* Chapter 7: Use Data to Celebrate Your Imperfect Progress



Original Recording Date: 04-07-2024

Topics – A Book Discussion Series, Chapter 6: Get Rid of Your Secret Rules, Chapter 7: Use Data to Celebrate Your Imperfect Progress

A Book Discussion Series



* This is part 3 of a book discussion series centered on Finish: Give Yourself the Gift of Done by Jon Acuff.



* If you missed part 1 of our discussion, check out Episode 272.In that first episode we discussed the following topics:



* Reasons Jason Gass (our special guest host in this series) recommended the book

* Chapter 1 – The Day after Perfect

* Chapter 2 – Cut Your Goal in Half





* If you missed part 2 of our discussion, check out Episode 273. In that second episode in the series we discussed:



* Chapter 3 – Choose What to Bomb

* Chapter 4 – Make It Fun if You Want It Done

* Chapter 5 – Leave Your Hiding Places and Ignore Noble Obstacles











2:56 – Chapter 6: Get Rid of Your Secret Rules



* “Perfectionism is a desperate attempt to live up to impossible standards. We wouldn’t play if the game was impossible, so perfectionism promises us that we just need follow some secret rules. As long as we do that, perfect is possible. So over the years, as you chase goals, perfectionism quietly adds some secret rules to your life.” – Jon Acuff

* One of the secret rules Acuff discusses is that a goal must be difficult in order for it to count (i.e. can’t be easy).



* John mentions the goal to read books from an earlier chapter and the secret rules we impose on ourselves. When we think of reading books we might say that means the books must be paper books and a certain level of complexity.



* This might make us think a book can’t be children’s books, an anthology of short stories, poems, an audiobook, a book of art, etc.





* Nick mentions a secret rule related to technical conferences. People think they need to have a presentation written when they submit an abstract to speak. That’s not true at all. You just need a good abstract, and you can worry about writing the presentation if you are selected to speak.





* Acuff tells us to deal with secret rules we have to:



* Identify them

* Destroy them

* Replace them





* According to the book, ask yourself these questions to identify secret rules:



* Do I even like …?

* What’s my real goal?

* Does the method I’m using match who I am?

* Is it time to quit?





* Jason mentions people don’t often reassess goals to see if those goals are still things they want to accomplish. It may very well be time to quit.