Max Frenzel
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Max Frenzel
Things I’ve read, thoughts I’ve had.

Book Notes

My writing, as well as many of the other creative things I do, are inspired by the many books I read, both fiction and non-fiction. I take extensive handwritten notes on all the non-fiction books, and later transcribe them to Evernote. Here I want to share these notes with you.

They are a combination of quotes, summaries, and my own thoughts. As such, they are highly biased, and probably depend a lot on what I was focusing on, or what projects I was working on, while reading a book. I also don’t guarantee that all the quotes are correct and free of typos. I recommend you refer to the original book. These notes are meant as a reference, short summary, and source of quotes. They are not reviews.

I use a few shorthands at the beginning of lines which you can use to do quick searches for specific content:

  • [bq] stands for “book quote”. This is a section that is directly from the book.

  • [q] stands for “quote”. This is a quote that the author also used in the book. It is followed by the original attribution.

  • [NFW] stands for “note for writing”. These are random thoughts that came to me in relation to something in the book that I might want to use later in an article

While I tend to read about one book every two weeks or so, my transcription of the notes is often far slower and infrequent. I post notes here whenever I feel like transcribing a particular book, not when I actually read it.

Vagabonding - Rolf Potts
Vagabonding - Rolf Potts
Time Off, TravelMax FrenzelOctober 19, 2019Travel, Rolf Potts, Vagabonding, Time Off, Rest EthicComment
Solitude - Michael Harris
Solitude - Michael Harris
Creativity, Time Off, TechnologyMax FrenzelSeptember 14, 2019Solitude, Time Off, Rest Ethic, Rest, Michael Harris, Technology, Self-HelpComment
Sapiens - Yuval Noah Harari
Sapiens - Yuval Noah Harari
History, ScienceMax FrenzelAugust 25, 2019Sapiens, Yuval Noah Harari, History, Evolution, Science Comment
How to do Nothing - Jenny Odell
How to do Nothing - Jenny Odell
Time Off, Work, Self-HelpMax FrenzelAugust 25, 2019Nothing, Rest Ethic, Jenny Odell, Attention, Technology, Time Off, RestComment
Bullshit Jobs - David Graeber
Bullshit Jobs - David Graeber
History, Work, Time OffMax FrenzelAugust 10, 2019Bullshit Jobs, David Graeber, Anthropology, Work, Leisure, Time Off, Rest Ethic, Productivity, CreativityComment
The Distracted Mind - Adam Gazzaley and Larry D. Rosen
The Distracted Mind - Adam Gazzaley and Larry D. Rosen
Science, TechnologyMax FrenzelAugust 4, 2019Distraction, Attention, Adam Gazzaley, Larry D. Rosen, Neuroscience, Boredom, Solitude, Technology, Productivity, CreativityComment
Digital Minimalism - Cal Newport
Digital Minimalism - Cal Newport
Time Off, Technology, PerformanceMax FrenzelAugust 2, 2019Digital Minimalism, Cal Newport, Technology, Productivity, Time Management, Time Off, Attention, Solitude, Psychology Comment
Quiet - Susan Cain
Quiet - Susan Cain
Time Off, Psychology, CreativityMax FrenzelJuly 17, 2019Quiet, Susan Cain, Introversion, Psychology, Solitude, Time Off, Self-Help, Rest EthicComment
The Five Hour Workday - Stephan Aarstol
The Five Hour Workday - Stephan Aarstol
Time Off, Work, ProductivityMax FrenzelJuly 15, 2019Work, Time Off, Productivity, Stephan Aarstol, Creativity, Happiness, Leadership, HistoryComment
Why We Sleep - Matthew Walker
Why We Sleep - Matthew Walker
Health, Performance, ScienceMax FrenzelJune 23, 2019Sleep, Dreams, Science, Health, Matthew Walker, Longevity, Creativity Comment
Leisure - Josef Pieper
Leisure - Josef Pieper
Philosophy, Time Off, WorkMax FrenzelMay 21, 2019Leisure, Culture, Philosophy, Religion, Spirituality, Rest, Time Off, WorkComment
Show Your Work - Austin Kleon
Show Your Work - Austin Kleon
Creativity, Work, WritingMax FrenzelApril 13, 2019Creativity, Art, Productivity, Austin Kleon, MarketingComment
The War of Art - Steven Pressfield
The War of Art - Steven Pressfield
Self-Help, Writing, CreativityMax FrenzelDecember 27, 2018Steven Pressfield, Art, War, Creativity, Productivity, Motivation Comment
Own the Day, Own your Life - Aubrey Marcus
Own the Day, Own your Life - Aubrey Marcus
Health, PerformanceMax FrenzelDecember 27, 2018Aubrey Marcus, Onnit, Health, Performance, Productivity, Creativity, Exercise, Training, NutritionComment
Sex at Dawn - Christopher Ryan and Cacilda Jetha
Sex at Dawn - Christopher Ryan and Cacilda Jetha
Relationships, History, ScienceMax FrenzelDecember 14, 2018Sex, Relationships, Christopher Ryan, Cacilda Jetha, Evolution, Anthropology, History, ScienceComment
Solve for Happy - Mo Gawdat
Solve for Happy - Mo Gawdat
Self-HelpMax FrenzelSeptember 17, 2018Happiness, Mo Gawdat, Self-Help Comment
Remote - Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson
Remote - Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson
Time Off, Work, BooksMax FrenzelAugust 14, 2018Work, Remote, David Heinemeier Hansson, Jason Fried, Basecamp, Time Off, Time Management, ProductivityComment
Bird by Bird - Anne Lamott
Bird by Bird - Anne Lamott
Books, Self-Help, WritingMax FrenzelAugust 13, 2018Writing, Philosophy, Self-Help, Motivation, Anne Lamott, Creativity
ReWork - Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson
ReWork - Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson
Books, WorkMax FrenzelAugust 13, 2018Work, Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson, Basecamp, Time Management, Business, EntrepreneurshipComment
The Obstacle is the Way - Ryan Holiday
The Obstacle is the Way - Ryan Holiday
Books, Philosophy, Self-Help, StoicismMax FrenzelAugust 4, 2018Stoicism, Action, Ryan Holiday, Adversity, Decision MakingComment
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