Barking Up the Wrong Tree is the best self-help book I've read since Stephen Covey's 7 Habits of a Highly Effective Person nearly 30 years ago. Barker condensed the last 20 years of productivity and success scientific research into his 300 page book during the writing of his blog for the last 10 years. This stuff is pure gold. I just wish I knew about this 20 years ago but the book was only written 5 years ago.
The first chapter tells you when to comply with the rules and when to strike out as a maverick. The second chapter tells you when you want to be a nice guy and when do you need to be cut throat. (Answer: pirates, drug dealers and prison gangs are successful by being nice for long term success. Short term relationships like used-car salesmen need to be cut-throat for short term quick gains.) The third chapter tells you when to quit, i.e. when you will never realistically make it, versus sticking to it with grit with tricks like making the struggle into a fun game. The fourth chapter is about when it pays to be an extrovert using social media or being an introvert diving into deep work Cal Newport style.
There is a lot of nuisance in this book so you will need to re-read sections, look at the end notes, and buy the books Barker references. This BOOK IS AWESOME!!! You will not be able to loan this book out because you will never get it back from your friends. I have read half the book and feel like I just started reading. Barker is hilarious, the stories are fascinating, and the advice is priceless. Barking Up the Wrong Tree will be a roadmap toward your success and keep you from banging your head against repeated failure.
I almost missed reading this book because the price was way too expensive when it first came out. I bought a used copy for $2 when I saw Barker's new book on the science of relationships. It is really scary because reading this book has been life changing, making me look at everything I work on with a new, clearer perspective.
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Easy, informative, and useful - this inspired me to take notes
I have followed Eric Barker's blog on and off for a while, and when he published a book I was immediately interested. I am happy with where I am in my career and a book about success would not normally interest me, but for Barking Up the Wrong Tree, a combination of knowing the author's style and a focus on the research behind "success" attracted me. Shortly into the book, I realized that I wanted to remember what I was reading and starting doing something that I haven't while reading a book since college - taking notes. I took copious notes, since although the book is fairly brief, it has little fluff and lots of useful content that I wanted to remember. If you don't want to take notes, don't worry - each chapter has a summary of the key points at its end.Looking back at those notes, they're almost funny in how simple they are. Much of the content in "Barking Up the Wrong Tree" seems obvious, as if you already knew what you're reading, but never stopped to think about it. An example point: valedictorians aren't the world's high achievers, since they learn to succeed within a set of boundaries that don't exist outside of an educational environment. It seems almost self-evident when you pause to think about it, but reading summaries of the research behind these points backs them up and helps to make the point stick.There is/are plenty of tips and and guidance that Mr. Barker provides to help people looking to succeed in their careers, but I like that he spends time providing a rationale that success is more than climbing the ladder. A portion of the the book is dedicated to how to find success in life in a way that makes you happy. It sounds a little touchy-feely, but I know plenty of people who can use this advice, even those who aren't machiavellian by nature.Overall, I found this to be a great read. I found myself talking about it often with friends and family, though the common-sense nature of much of what I ended up describing didn't have them in awe of what I had read, as I generally discussed key points more. I'm still happy with it and have gifted the book to a friend as well, which now that I think about it, might be risky given the title. C'est la vie.Oh, and I'm not telling my kids the point about the valedictorians. They can hear that one when they're out of school.
Top reviews from other countries
Miguel Rodriguez
Excellent examples of real life studies
Reviewed in Canada on November 11, 2023Cliente Kindle
Nice thoughts well written about life
Reviewed in Brazil on July 23, 2023Andriamiharimamy RAJAONISON
Unexpectedly insightful
Reviewed in France on November 8, 2020
Nicolo
A magnificent book! An absolute must-read!
Reviewed in Germany on January 13, 2019