The Art of Selfless Imitation: Mastering from the Best

Tomohiko Ishii

This is a book written by Tomohiko Ishii, who compiled essential teachings he learned working with Toshio Suzuki, a famous director of the Japanese animation studio STUDIO GHIBLI. After reading this book, I selected two teachings amongst many. Let’s get straight to the meat and potatoes of it. Key Takeaways Get the non-urgent work done first Don’t solve the issue Get the non-urgent (not-so-important) work done first It may sound counterintuitive – at least it did to me.

Planning Skills No One Teaches You

Hidenori Shibamoto

For the sake of simplicity, I structure the article as follows: Two typical examples of failed plan execution Two key takeaways for successful project planning First, I introduce two typical scenarios where planning fails and then move on to two solutions that can drastically transform the way you plan projects. Two typical examples of failed plan execution (1) The emphasis on detail outweighs consideration of how each step leads to the ultimate goal Each small task is defined, but when you zoom out to see the big picture, you realize there’s no clear description of where you are headed and how each task connects.