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jenyeagerram's review
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Most amazing book I have ever read. Love that this book takes all of the computer terminology and uses it for us humans. When reading something this well written and applicable, it became clear that I was going to be using this book as a guide for my life. And I do.
mattnauwelaers's review against another edition
4.0
Brings together a lot of useful tools for self-improvement in a concise and clear way/model. I wish the author had dived deeper into some of the concepts though (which is a compliment).
carimayhew's review against another edition
5.0
I'm so glad this book came up in my personal recommendations on Amazon - I'm kinda a connoisseur when it come to personal development books, and this book has earned a spot as one of my personal favorites.
Not only is the philosophy of the book on point, but there's also a lot of practical guidance in there too. I also liked how concisely all the content was delivered, there was no fluff whatsoever. I also liked the use of quotations from philosophers and thinkers, very eloquent.
And it was incredibly thoroughly referenced - in some passages nearly every sentence was backed up by a note in the back of the book.
I look forward to re-reading the whole the thing again in the future. And in the meantime, I'll be referring to the free toolkit you get a link to!
Not only is the philosophy of the book on point, but there's also a lot of practical guidance in there too. I also liked how concisely all the content was delivered, there was no fluff whatsoever. I also liked the use of quotations from philosophers and thinkers, very eloquent.
And it was incredibly thoroughly referenced - in some passages nearly every sentence was backed up by a note in the back of the book.
I look forward to re-reading the whole the thing again in the future. And in the meantime, I'll be referring to the free toolkit you get a link to!
ethangza's review against another edition
5.0
A wonderful on wholistic self help and philosophy book. Can’t wait to reread.
steveinadelaide's review
4.0
An excellent summary of strategies to improve one's mind -- building a better mind, as the author describes it. Most of the book is not new. What is fresh is Ryan Bush's use of the metaphor of a computer with software to catalogue and describe what has been shown, through experience and research, to help identifying and repairing cognitive, emotional, and behavioural issues we are challenged by -- or to fulfill our desires to improve our lives in these three domains. Bush has been clever in producing a coherent approach called psychitecture -- 'the practice of designing and optimizing the software of one's mind.
The strategies (Bush calls algorithms) are wide-ranging in scope, and they are all amenable to everyday use by everyday people like you and me. There are a lot of notes for each chapter allowing the reader to follow up the sources of the information.
One of the attractive aspects of the book is that the author displays significant intellectual humility and a willingness to continue exploring more into the future. He doesn't see himself as an expert; more of a collator of the wisdom of others and packaging them into a new and coherent framework.
My only question about the book is whether many may be put off by the metaphor of the brain as a computer (a metaphor that has had lots of criticism, although there are some parallels), and use of technical terms like "algorithms", "psychitecture", "software", etc. If one is willing to dig into the book, these terms are clearly not meant to be taken literally although the excellent diagrams throughout the book do depend on the metaphor being taken seriously.
I really enjoyed the book and there is a lot of valuable wisdom (theory applied to practical living) that will, if practiced, lead to a healthier life -- cognitively, emotionally, and behaviourally.
The author also offers ongoing online resources for those who are interested.
*I received a free review copy from the author, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The strategies (Bush calls algorithms) are wide-ranging in scope, and they are all amenable to everyday use by everyday people like you and me. There are a lot of notes for each chapter allowing the reader to follow up the sources of the information.
One of the attractive aspects of the book is that the author displays significant intellectual humility and a willingness to continue exploring more into the future. He doesn't see himself as an expert; more of a collator of the wisdom of others and packaging them into a new and coherent framework.
My only question about the book is whether many may be put off by the metaphor of the brain as a computer (a metaphor that has had lots of criticism, although there are some parallels), and use of technical terms like "algorithms", "psychitecture", "software", etc. If one is willing to dig into the book, these terms are clearly not meant to be taken literally although the excellent diagrams throughout the book do depend on the metaphor being taken seriously.
I really enjoyed the book and there is a lot of valuable wisdom (theory applied to practical living) that will, if practiced, lead to a healthier life -- cognitively, emotionally, and behaviourally.
The author also offers ongoing online resources for those who are interested.
*I received a free review copy from the author, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
ryanxvx's review
5.0
This book offers a useful framework for how to view and optimize your mind. It's basically a left-brained approach to the sort of enlightenment that people like Eckhart Tolle and Alan Watts argue is possible. It's a much more interactive theory than simply "letting go of your desires," to grossly oversimplify the new age ideology. That self-interaction is what makes it so empowering. This book is fantastic, well worth a read.
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