Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates us

Author: Daniel H. Pink

Genre: Self help, personal development

Rating: 3/5

Verdict: Not many new insights, but a good refresher on the intrinsic motivation mindset. 

This was a quick and easy read. It is pretty concise, the first two chapters were slightly longwinded but after that the author gets straight to the point. What drives some people to perform without external rewards and how those external rewards can in fact be detrimental?

The chapters on intrinsic vs extrinsic motivation was very interesting to read. To me personally, this has always been a very intriguing question and topic of discussion. On many occasions, I have found myself in the intrinsic motivated category when I do a task, for example, I can sit for hours in one place and paint and many a times I have wondered what is it that motivates me to sustain that long? The author explains that intrinsic drive comes from the satisfaction obtained from doing the task itself rather than the result from it. People with intrinsic drive enjoy the process as much as if not more than the results. 

It was also very interesting to read about Type X and Type I people and how the different characteristics can help distinguish them. Autonomy, Purpose and Mastery are the key factors in attaining the intrinsic drive and satisfaction. 

For people who have read the books of Carol Dweck, Peter Drucker and the likes, this book would be a repeat. Overall, a good and short read. 

Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know

 Author: Adam Grant

Genre: Self help, personal development

Rating: 2/5

Verdict: Many parts felt very repetitive, with the same message conveyed in different chapters. 

I follow Grant on social media and I like his bite sized quotes. I started reading this book in the library one day and finished it up with an audio book. All I can remember after reading the book is Don't be afraid to re-think what you already know. This message was conveyed in multiple ways and perspectives throughout the book. It felt very repetitive after a point and there wasn't anything new or substantial to learn. 

Some things like productive disagreement and being comfortable with the discomfort of disagreement was a good reinforcement. I wasn't so sure about the part on Grit and how it is ok to turn back sometimes rather than prolonging. At times, the author's words felt conflicting between two chapters. 

Overall the book felt very repetitive and 80% of the content is the same single message - Re-think. If you can find a summary of the key messages from the book, that is enough. You can give reading the whole book a pass.