My Year in 2021

Sun, 02 Jan 2022 08:06:25 +0000

In 2021, I made 3 resolutions.

Lose 10 kgs. I lost 5 kg in 3 months. But gained it back by the year-end.
Fail big. I practiced confronting people – and failed. I still run from fights. Even when important.
Calendar integrity. I stuck to my calendar 90% of the time. But personal commitments slipped.

On learning, I discovered network clusters. My PyCon talk on movie networks is the start of a fascinating exploration of actors that I’ll write more about.

On training, I designed a Tools for Data Science Course for IITM’s Bachelor’s in Data Science. I’m now a “faculty” at my alma mater, and no longer scared of it.

On self-improvement, I completed a Landmark course and continued Pranayama. Both helped my resolutions.

I also continued 2 habits from last year.

Walk 10,000 steps daily. I averaged 10,200.
Read 50 books. I read 52. Here are my reviews. (Which did you like? What would you recommend?)

In 2022, I plan to:

Run 50 experiments. I’ll learn by disproving my beliefs with measurable tests.
Speak at 10 global forums on data stories, and spread the beauty of data.
Be 10X more effective. I’ll measure the impact and stop low-impact work.

I’m curious – what’s ONE thing you’d like to do in 2022?

Comments

My Year in 2022 - S Anand 31 Dec 2022 8:42 am (pingback): […] integrity. Stick to my calendar. Especially the time I block for myself to work. (This is a 2021 habit I’ve slipped […]
Learning to speak better - S Anand 17 Oct 2022 9:40 am (pingback): […] of my year’s goals is to run 50 experiments. I’d been doing well until April, and then fizzled out. Partly motivation. Partly a lack of […]
Pratyush 2 Jan 2022 7:08 pm: I’d like to learn native mobile development. I want to try out Flutter, Kotlin and Swift. I have been developing websites for the last 15 years. But those skills suddenly feel so outdated. The new hardware provides so many exciting opportunities. I’d like to explore them.
Increasing calendar effectiveness by 2X - S Anand 25 Jan 2022 1:31 pm (pingback): […] took a 2022 goal to be 10X more effective. In Jan, I managed 2X. Here’s […]

Thu, 30 Dec 2021 07:03:53 +0000

I read 52 #books in 2021.

The best #nonfiction was The Almanack of Naval Ravikant. Succinct & deep. I can spend a decade practicing every sentence.

The best #fiction was Brandon Sanderson’s Rhythm of War. A brilliantly rich magic system, and what a plot, what an ending!

My one-line #reviews of the books are below.

http://www.s-anand.net/blog/books-in-2021/

Books in 2021

Thu, 30 Dec 2021 06:23:19 +0000

On my Goodreads 2021 reading challenge, I read 52/50 books in 2021. I managed 47/50 in 2020 (see 2020 reviews) and 26/24 in 2019.

Here’s what I read (best books first).

Mind-blowing

The Almanack of Naval Ravikant. It’s the best non-fiction I’ve read in 5 years. It focuses Wealth and Happiness. It’s short. I finished it in a day. But it’s deep. I can spend a decade practicing just a single sentence. It’s available at navalmanack.com as a free e-book and audio book.
Rhythm of War. The 4th book of the Stormlight Archives is an action-packed fantasy. A great gift for teenagers. In an extra-ordinary magic system, Brandon Sanderson builds up to the greatest climax I’ve read. What an ending!
Death Note #1-#12. Light Yagami gets hold of a “death note”. If he writes a name on it, they die. “L” is out to catch him. In a cat-and-mouse psychological thriller, Light and L work next to each other, share their plans, and still try to outwit the other. It’s like chess. The pieces are visible. But it’s the strategy that counts. A brilliant comic series.

Life-changing

Atomic Habits. A systematic, well-researched approach to creating (and stopping) habits that last. It’s the best “Habits” book in the market right now..
Being Mortal. A thoughtful, practical guide on dealing with old age. Must read for those with aging parents. It helps that Atul Gawande is a great storyteller and draws from his personal experiences.
Originals. Teaches you how to be more creative and take risks safely. If Creativity Inc inspired you, this book is a way to build Pixar’s magic into your teams. An easy-to-read piece by Adam Grant, backed by solid research.
Combatting Cult Mind Control. The gold-standard in knowing when someone’s in a cult, and how to escape the cult. Opened up a whole new world for me.
Rich Dad Poor Dad. Teaches you to make money work for you rather than you working for money. I was shocked when I realized that the middle class buys liabilities (a house to live in) while the rich buy assets (a house to rent out).
Think Again. Teaches you how to stop fooling yourself and avoid blindspots by checking your assumptions, enjoy learning from mistakes, and open up people’s minds – especially your own. Yet another easy-to-read piece by Adam Grant, backed by solid research.
Influence. A research-backed guide on the science of influencing people subconsciously. Reciprocity, consistency, social proof, authority, scarcity – these are signals we react to unknowingly.
Dawnshard. Book #3.5 of the Stormlight Archives. A handicapped shipowner and her winged reptile pet travel to a mysterious island that no one returns from. With a typical Brandon Sanderson climax that moves this from “interesting” to “life changing”.
From Data to Stories. The first & only comic data story book, with step-by-step cricket analysis explained by comic characters. This was written by Gramener’s Story Labs team using Comicgen characters.

Interesting

The First Law #1-#3. Joe Abercrombie. A wizard assembles 3 flawed heroes for a quest.
Shoe Dog. The Nike founder story.
Skin In The Game. On accountability & commitment.
That Will Never Work. The Netflix co-founder story.
Sycamore Row. John Grisham. An old man’s will leaves everything to his servant.
A Time To Kill. John Grisham. An African American’s on trial for murdering his daughter’s rapists.
The Psychology of Money. How to make money work for you than the other way around.
Detective William Warwick #2-#4. Jeffrey Archer. More adventures from Dt. Warwick.
Zoom. A wordless book that zooms out on every successive page, and nothing is what it appears.

Readable

The Goblin Emperor. Katherine Addison. A Goblin half-son inherits the throne and political intrigue.
A Time for Mercy. John Grisham. An African American kid’s on trial for shooting a cop.
The Rithmatist. Brandon Sanderson. In a world where chalk drawings come to life, a student investigates murders.
Karna: The King of Anga. Kevin Missal. A fictionalized story of how Karna re-takes the kingdom of Anga against Jarasandha.
Asterix #34-#38. The latest adventures of Asterix & Obelix, the gauls.
Infinity Blade #1-#2. Brandon Sanderson. Deathless immortals battle each other, and discover their origins.
Old Man’s War. John Scalzi. Senior citizens are given a physical boost and sent to fight aliens.
Measure What Matters. The definitive guide on how to use OKRs (Objectives & Key Results).
The Maze Runner #1-#3. Kids escape from a maze prison and discover why they were there.

How I read books

Select. I add book recommendations on my GoodReads - to read list. Then I sort by rating and pick the first one I like to read.
Listen. I listen to non-fiction audiobooks during walks.
Read: I read fiction as ePUBs on my laptop or phone.
Stop: I stop reading books that are boring, with no guilt. I’ve better things to do.

Comments

Puja Pathak 31 Dec 2021 9:28 am: Greetings Anand sir .. I was a student at upGrad and have seen your lecture videos. I was impressed by the way you communicate and share your knowledge. I started following you on LinkedIn and twitter. Working at Gramener is one of my ambitions. Reading is my hobby too and currently I am reading the Atomic Habits by James Clear. When I saw your post and the books choices, especially the way you pick up a book, I so identified with it. So writing this message. Thanks for sharing.
Sandipan 30 Dec 2021 1:51 pm: This is extremely inspiring Anand. I am putting this into my habit. Just finished reading “The Richest Man in Babylon”.
Nisheeta 2 Jan 2022 9:40 am: Atomic Habits was my favorite too! And I suspect Sleep Your Way to Success (being published soon) will be my favorite this year :)
Balki 7 Jan 2022 7:49 pm: You continue to be a legend with all the time in the world for useful things!!
Mukul 13 Jan 2022 5:10 pm: I start my non-fiction journey because of this list. Starting it with The Alma…. and Atomic …. Thank you Anand for this list and sharing your reviews.
My Year in 2023 - S Anand 1 Jan 2024 4:35 pm (pingback): […] 50 books a year, like in 2023, 2022, 2021, and […]
Books in 2023 - S Anand 1 Jan 2024 4:32 pm (pingback): […] read 52 books in 2022 (about the same as in 2022, 2021 and 2020.) Here’s what I read (best books […]
Seema Gopal 3 Jan 2022 11:32 am: Great to read your blog. Especially liked the part where you said you leave the boring books midway without guilt :) The book i loved best this year was Sapiens. Its so popular that you have probably read it, but it changed my perspective to life forever!
krishna 3 Jan 2022 10:21 am: I was planning on reading 12 books in the year 2022, and there you are reading a book a week with your busy schedule. Post reading your takeaways on the books and given that it’s possible. I have upped my target to 25 in an year.
I tested the best ways to mail people - S Anand 6 Jan 2022 11:31 am (pingback): […] Book reviews did 30% worse at #6 than #1 (62% down to 43%) […]
Sachidananda Aithal 2 Jan 2022 6:47 pm: Very impressive Anand…will pick up some books from your list..
My Year in 2021 - S Anand 2 Jan 2022 1:37 pm (pingback): […] 50 books. I read 52. Here are my reviews. (Which did you like? What would you […]
Ayush Mandowara 5 Jan 2022 7:12 pm: great blog. thanks for sharing your insights related to the books along with sharing the list. Just a small suggestion, please change the link on LinkedIn from HTTP to HTTPS :)
Sunil sharma 31 Dec 2021 6:45 pm: Picking some from this to my read list. Have a great reading challenge in 2022 :)
Books in 2024 - S Anand 31 Dec 2024 6:28 pm (pingback): […] read 51 new books in 2024 (about the same as in 2023, 2022, 2021, and 2020.) But slightly […]

2021 on S Anand

My Year in 2021

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Books in 2021

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