Reading List
What I read, watch and listen to on purpose and other things
Purpose
Atomic Habits, James Clear – practical tools and processes for life-changing habits
Be Useful, Arnold Schwarzenegger – how to realise your purpose through hard work
Regrets of the Dying – as conveyed by people on their deathbed to a palliative carer
The Power of Regret, Daniel Pink – how looking backward moves us forward
The Tail End – thoughtful visual representation of the human lifespan by Wait But Why
What Do You Want to Be when You Grow Up?, PDM – audio tale of my boyhood dream
Young Woman and the Sea – film dramatising first woman to swim the English Channel
Career
Ever Feel Like You Should Have Achieved More in Your Career by Now?, PDM
Glassdoor – crowdsourced insights on salary, benefits, hiring and company culture
How to Land Your Dream Job: 10 Killer Tips, PDM – based on my top 10 LinkedIn posts
No Fears, No Excuses, Larry Smith – evidence-based guidebook to rethink your career
The Best Career Advice for Military Veterans Entering Startup Operations, PDM
The Portfolio Collective – engaged community of portfolio career professionals
What Is Operations in a Startup?, PDM – outlining the different types of tech ops
Business
The 4-Hour Work Week, Tim Ferriss – best-selling business and lifestyle design guide
Let My People Go Surfing, Yvon Chouinard – autobiography of Patagonia’s founder
Milly Barker – fractional COO breaks startups down into their component parts
Operations Nation – community-powered knowledge hub for operations leaders
Rewarding Talent – the founder’s guide to calculating stock options, by Index Ventures
Leadership
The Art of War, Sun Tzu – oldest military treatise in the world from ancient China
Band of Brothers – series dramatising the battles of Easy Company through WWII
Connect with Empathy, But Lead with Compassion, Harvard Business Review article
Erin Brockovich – film dramatising brave legal clerk’s fight against corporate greed
Long Walk to Freedom, Nelson Mandela – Madiba’s inspirational autobiography
Mosul – film dramatising Iraqi police unit battling ISIS to avenge their families
Mountain Queen – documentary of the summits of Lhakpa Sherpa to promote women
The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial – court room film drama about courage and loyalty
The White Helmets – documentary following volunteer rescue workers in Syria
Relationships
36 Questions for Increasing Closeness – skip the small talk and ask these questions
An Emotional Education, Alain de Botton – the modern art of emotional intelligence
Attached, Amir Levine & Rachel Heller – the new science of adult attachment
Esther Perel – podcasts, books, articles and more on building quality relationships
Lost in Translation – touching film about an unlikely bond between two strangers
Taylor Swift – just because 🫶
When Things Fall Apart, Pema Chödrön – how to find happiness in pain and suffering
Health
Doctor You, Jeremy Howick – how to harness the body’s natural powers to heal itself
Outlive, Peter Attia – rethinking medical science to live better and longer lives
Stutz, Jonah Hill – delving into mental health and therapy with his therapist, Phil Stutz
The Chimp Paradox, Steve Peters – mind management for success and happiness
The Wisdom of Trauma, Gabor Maté – can our deepest pain be a doorway to healing?
Your Personality – tool to learn about your personality and how it changes over time
Fitness
Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) Calculator – estimate your energy needs in calories
MuscleWiki – simplify your workouts with demonstrated exercises by muscle group
Ross Edgley – adventurer and athlete pushing the boundaries of human endurance
Tabata Timer – simple timer for strength and cardio interval workouts
Humanity
1984, George Orwell – classic dystopian satirical novel on totalitarianism
20 Days in Mariupol – documentary depicting Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine
The 48 Laws of Power, Robert Greene – practical guide to arm yourself against power
American History X – hard-hitting film showing how easily hate can take hold of us
Animal Farm, George Orwell – classic satirical beast fable novella on communism
Fight Club – cautionary film about the perils of mundanity for modern society
Individualistic Practices and Values Increasing Around the World – psychological study
The Psychological Drivers of Misinformation Belief and Its Resistance to Correction
Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain – the life and struggles of a great man
Humankind, Rutger Bregman – on why we should assume positive intent in people
Sapiens, Yuval Noah Harari – brief history of humankind, money and capitalism
Tribe, Sebastian Junger – on loyalty, belonging, and the human quest for meaning
What’s Missing?
Help your fellow operators by commenting and suggesting what to read/watch/listen.