READING LIST

DONE LIST: 2018
2. MANAGING WITH POWER: POLITICS AND INFLUENCE IN ORGANIZATIONS, JEFFREY PFEFFER, 2.01-2.21, 9/10.
1. 12 RULES FOR LIFE, JORDAN B. PETERSON, 1.23-29, 7/10.
3. THE REETORIC OF ECONOMICS, DEIRDRE N. MCCLOSKEY. 6.03-7.06. 8/10.
4. IF YOU’RE SO SMART: THE NARRATIVE OF ECONOMIC EXPERTISE, DONALD N. MCCLOSKEY, 7.07-7.16, 7/10.

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TODO LIST: 2017
Personnel Economics in Practice, Lazear
Economics for the Common Good
Economics of strategy, Besanko
The Economic Nature of the Firm, Kroszner, Ptterman
Choices, Values, and Frames, by Kahneman, Daniel and Tversky
The Theory of Industrial Organization, Tirole
Thinking, fast and slow
Misbehaving: the making of behaviorial economics
The Worldly Philosophers
The Mathematical Experience

Enlightenment Now, by Steven Pinker
Guns, Germs, and Steel
The Better Angels of Our Nature, Pinker
Language Instinct, Pinker

An Unified theory of psychology
The 48 Laws of Power, Robert Greene;
The structure of action (1967)

the Rewarding Strategy

Marketing folks must understand psychology well. When trying to encourage a new behavior, we are supposed to give a reward every time the person does the behavior (continuous reinforcement). We then switch to a different reward schedule to keep the behavior going once it has established.

This is exactly how Starbucks works: we collect stars for every purchase. And for every 125 stars collected, we redeem for a freebie. We call the rewarding strategy fixed ratio schedule, where “reinforcement” is based on the number of stars collected, and the number is always the same. However, under this strategy, customers will buy a lot of coffee over a short period of time to collect certain amount of stars and get the freebie, but behavior will drop after that.

To stimulate and speed up the behavior all over, the coffee magnate is constantly launching the star dash program — providing bonus stars based on consecutive behaviors. For example, a variable amount of bonus stars come after 3 consecutive purchases, sometimes 5, sometimes 6, and so on. They use variable ratio schedule as a business stimulus: the reinforcement is based on how many times customer does the behavior, but it changes all the time.

By the goal-gradient effect, customers will accelerate their behavior as they progress closer toward a goal. So by having bonus stars, they think they already had some progress, they work faster to fill up what’s left for 125.

The rewarding strategy breaks purchasing goals into small and manageable steps, making customers feel that they have a good chance of reaching the goal so they are easily addicted to purchase over and over, less likely to switch to other coffee brands, too.

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The One Thing，Quotes of Kobe

Key Insights  (Pretty much the exact same as what Kobe has been telling me)

– Extraordinary results are determined by how narrow you can make your focus
– Do fewer things for more effect instead of doing more things with side effects
– Small dominos can topple much larger dominos; stack them right
– Success is built sequentially
– Not everything deserves equal time
– Achievers always work from a clear sense of priority
– Mulitasking is a lie and it does not work
– Discipline and habit intersect
– It takes 66 days to create a habit
– Become a person of powerful habits
– Willpower is limited
– Success = Being appropriate in the moments of your life
– Connecting purpose, priority, and productivity determines how high above the rest successful individuals and profitable businesses rise
– Happiness happens on the way to fulfillment
– Purpose without priority is powerless
– Resting is as important as working
– To experience extra ordinary results, be a maker in the morning and a manager in the afternoon (See Paul Graham’s article: Maker’s Schedule, Manager’s Schedule)
– Personal energy mismanagement is a silent thief of productivity
– Your environment must support your goals

Practical Application
– Create a success list as compared to a to-do list
– Say “no” more
– Be like a surgeon and avoid distractions; respect my work
– Ask quality questions
– Determine my “System”
– After you have picked your one thing, your number one priority should be protecting the time you use to work with your ONE thing.
– You should reserve four hours of non-interrupted time from your day only to work with your ONE thing.

Books of The Year

1. Economist: 2014, 2015,  2016

2. FT: 2016

3. NYTimes: 2015