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The Long Game: How to Be a Long-Term Thinker in a Short-Term World
Your personal goals need a long-term strategy.
It's no secret that we're pushed to the limit. Today's professionals feel rushed, overwhelmed, and perennially behind. So we keep our heads down, focused on the next thing, and the next, without a moment to breathe.
How can we break out of this endless cycle and create the kind of interesting, meaningful lives we all seek?
Just as CEOs who optimize for quarterly profits often fail to make the strategic investments necessary for long-term growth, the same is true in our own personal and professional lives. We need to reorient ourselves to see the big picture so we can tap into the power of small changes that, made today, will have an enormous and disproportionate impact on our future success. We need to start playing The Long Game.
As top business thinker and Duke University professor Dorie Clark explains, we all know intellectually that lasting success takes persistence and effort. And yet so much of the relentless pressure in our culture pushes us toward doing what's easy, what's guaranteed, or what looks glamorous in the moment. In The Long Game, she argues for a different path. It's about doing small things over time to achieve our goals—and being willing to keep at them, even when they seem pointless, boring, or hard.
In The Long Game, Clark shares unique principles and frameworks you can apply to your specific situation, as well as vivid stories from her own career and other professionals' experiences. Everyone is allotted the same twenty-four hours—but with the right strategies, you can leverage those hours in more efficient and powerful ways than you ever imagined. It's never an overnight process, but the long-term payoff is immense: to finally break out of the frenetic day-to-day routine and transform your life and your career.
It's no secret that we're pushed to the limit. Today's professionals feel rushed, overwhelmed, and perennially behind. So we keep our heads down, focused on the next thing, and the next, without a moment to breathe.
How can we break out of this endless cycle and create the kind of interesting, meaningful lives we all seek?
Just as CEOs who optimize for quarterly profits often fail to make the strategic investments necessary for long-term growth, the same is true in our own personal and professional lives. We need to reorient ourselves to see the big picture so we can tap into the power of small changes that, made today, will have an enormous and disproportionate impact on our future success. We need to start playing The Long Game.
As top business thinker and Duke University professor Dorie Clark explains, we all know intellectually that lasting success takes persistence and effort. And yet so much of the relentless pressure in our culture pushes us toward doing what's easy, what's guaranteed, or what looks glamorous in the moment. In The Long Game, she argues for a different path. It's about doing small things over time to achieve our goals—and being willing to keep at them, even when they seem pointless, boring, or hard.
In The Long Game, Clark shares unique principles and frameworks you can apply to your specific situation, as well as vivid stories from her own career and other professionals' experiences. Everyone is allotted the same twenty-four hours—but with the right strategies, you can leverage those hours in more efficient and powerful ways than you ever imagined. It's never an overnight process, but the long-term payoff is immense: to finally break out of the frenetic day-to-day routine and transform your life and your career.
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Published September 21, 2021
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About the author
Dorie Clark
31 books305 followersDorie Clark helps individuals and companies get their best ideas heard in a crowded, noisy world. She has been named one of the Top 50 business thinkers in the world by Thinkers50. She was honored as the #1 Communication Coach by the Marshall Goldsmith Leading Global Coaches Awards and one of the Top 5 Communication Professionals in the World by Global Gurus. She is a keynote speaker and teaches for Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and Columbia Business School.
She is the author of The Long Game, Entrepreneurial You, Reinventing You, and Stand Out, which was named the #1 Leadership Book of the Year by Inc. magazine.
A former presidential campaign spokeswoman, Clark has been described by the New York Times as an “expert at self-reinvention and helping others make changes in their lives.” She is a frequent contributor to the Harvard Business Review, and consults and speaks for clients such as Google, Yale University, and the World Bank. Forbes has declared that “her insights connect marketing, social media, communications, learning technologies, and personal discovery to give us a blueprint for success in the future economy.”
She is a graduate of Harvard Divinity School, a producer of a multiple Grammy-winning jazz album, and a Broadway investor. You can download her free Long Game Strategic Thinking Self-Assessment at dorieclark.com/thelonggame.
She is the author of The Long Game, Entrepreneurial You, Reinventing You, and Stand Out, which was named the #1 Leadership Book of the Year by Inc. magazine.
A former presidential campaign spokeswoman, Clark has been described by the New York Times as an “expert at self-reinvention and helping others make changes in their lives.” She is a frequent contributor to the Harvard Business Review, and consults and speaks for clients such as Google, Yale University, and the World Bank. Forbes has declared that “her insights connect marketing, social media, communications, learning technologies, and personal discovery to give us a blueprint for success in the future economy.”
She is a graduate of Harvard Divinity School, a producer of a multiple Grammy-winning jazz album, and a Broadway investor. You can download her free Long Game Strategic Thinking Self-Assessment at dorieclark.com/thelonggame.
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January 6, 2022
The Long Game is short on insights.
Half the book is self aggrandizement and the other half is obvious time management frameworks.
The author talks of building her brand by publishing as much content as she could. The crux of the advice is to make a bunch of noise in order to get noticed. This hardly seems like good advice in an era of information overflow. Personally I’d rather read one insightful book instead of 5 that got churned out. The quantity over quality mindset is evident in the depth of analysis in this book. Read something else.
Notes:
Being busy shows you don’t know how to manage your time, not that you are important.
Track your time in 15min increments for a month to see where it is going.
Save 20% of your time to think deeply about LT projects
Don’t ask for a favor from a new contact for at least a year if it will require them to use political capital
Half the book is self aggrandizement and the other half is obvious time management frameworks.
The author talks of building her brand by publishing as much content as she could. The crux of the advice is to make a bunch of noise in order to get noticed. This hardly seems like good advice in an era of information overflow. Personally I’d rather read one insightful book instead of 5 that got churned out. The quantity over quality mindset is evident in the depth of analysis in this book. Read something else.
Notes:
Being busy shows you don’t know how to manage your time, not that you are important.
Track your time in 15min increments for a month to see where it is going.
Save 20% of your time to think deeply about LT projects
Don’t ask for a favor from a new contact for at least a year if it will require them to use political capital
November 16, 2021
A motivational book, neither a strategical nor a tactical business book. For the author, success definition is to have published articles on Forbes or HBR, focusing mainly on the quantity of published articles! Really?! ... Maybe the message of the book fits content editors, but is not very suitable for entrepreneurs, middle-layer managers, and/or those who are looking for self-improvement
September 21, 2021
Dorie, thank you for your incredible book The Long Game. It gave me a fresh perspective on working smarter and not harder and mastering the importance of strategic patience. In a knee jerk world, this book gave me the confidence to be thoughtful, steadfast and stay the course. One of the best books I’ve read this year.
September 6, 2021
If you can only read one professional development book this year, make it The Long Game!
The Long Game is an actionable antidote to the self-sabotaging urgency experienced by so many professionals. Author, Doris Clark, offers a clear path toward greater success for those who are willing to eschew short-term thinking and the tail-chasing that goes along with it. The book is filled with memorable stories, personal examples and doable practices that make a real difference. I’m particularly drawn to her suggestions related to strategic patience, exponential growth, and raindrops of recognition. And don’t miss Dorie’s powerful questions for achieving leverage (that I’ll be revising on a regular basis.) I thoroughly enjoyed The Long Game… and will reap the benefits of reading it for a long time.
The Long Game is an actionable antidote to the self-sabotaging urgency experienced by so many professionals. Author, Doris Clark, offers a clear path toward greater success for those who are willing to eschew short-term thinking and the tail-chasing that goes along with it. The book is filled with memorable stories, personal examples and doable practices that make a real difference. I’m particularly drawn to her suggestions related to strategic patience, exponential growth, and raindrops of recognition. And don’t miss Dorie’s powerful questions for achieving leverage (that I’ll be revising on a regular basis.) I thoroughly enjoyed The Long Game… and will reap the benefits of reading it for a long time.
October 23, 2025
"برای داشتن ایدهای خوب به زمان نیاز نداری، به فضا نیاز داری. و اگر در سرت فضا نداشته باشی، نمیتوانی بهدرستی فکر کنی. داشتن ایدهای نوآورانه یا اتخاذ یک تصمیم هیچ زمانی نمیگیرد. اما اگر فضای روانی نداشته باشی، این چیزها ناممکن نیستند، اما بهینه هم نیستند."
July 7, 2022
Another self-congratulatory book written to name drop dozens of similarly influencer-minded colleagues in hopes they return the favor.
September 20, 2021
The Long Game: How To Be a Long-Term Thinker in a Short-Term World by Dorie Clark is a holistic approach to professional and personal success. Practical, accessible, and peppered with vignettes of success from big names to small company start-ups, key take-aways are highlighted and memorable. For me these are:
1. Creating white space: over-scheduling will keep us from long-term success. “Saying ‘no’ is the ultimate weapon in the battle to become a long-term thinker—and it is a battle. ‘Yes’ is easy in the moment, for so many reasons,” Clark writes, but we need to practice saying “no” to focus on our long-term goals.
2. Decide what to be bad at: “Saying yes to everything means to be average at everything. Saying no, conversely, is what gives us the rare opportunity to be great.” In addition to my life as a leadership and learning expert, I also write and perform music and volunteer for several causes I care about, such as disability and LGBTQ rights. But I realized I can’t do it all. It is important for me to let some possibilities go in order to make other possibilities a reality.
3. Think in decades: Thing about the big goals that take a decade to accomplish. The good news is that we underestimate how much we can accomplish in a decade, so if we are strategic, we can get there.
This book has absolutely energized my long-term thinking and goal setting in my career and passion projects. For me, this is a professional goal of becoming the Chief Learning Officer of a Fortune 500 company and a personal goal of leading the way for better solutions for disabled adults who need substantial long-term care, a cause very close to my heart. This means making connections with what Clark calls an “infinite horizon” mindset—being open to all sorts of interesting people—and being wise to where I can provide unique strategic value to my community.
1. Creating white space: over-scheduling will keep us from long-term success. “Saying ‘no’ is the ultimate weapon in the battle to become a long-term thinker—and it is a battle. ‘Yes’ is easy in the moment, for so many reasons,” Clark writes, but we need to practice saying “no” to focus on our long-term goals.
2. Decide what to be bad at: “Saying yes to everything means to be average at everything. Saying no, conversely, is what gives us the rare opportunity to be great.” In addition to my life as a leadership and learning expert, I also write and perform music and volunteer for several causes I care about, such as disability and LGBTQ rights. But I realized I can’t do it all. It is important for me to let some possibilities go in order to make other possibilities a reality.
3. Think in decades: Thing about the big goals that take a decade to accomplish. The good news is that we underestimate how much we can accomplish in a decade, so if we are strategic, we can get there.
This book has absolutely energized my long-term thinking and goal setting in my career and passion projects. For me, this is a professional goal of becoming the Chief Learning Officer of a Fortune 500 company and a personal goal of leading the way for better solutions for disabled adults who need substantial long-term care, a cause very close to my heart. This means making connections with what Clark calls an “infinite horizon” mindset—being open to all sorts of interesting people—and being wise to where I can provide unique strategic value to my community.
November 11, 2021
The main takeaway is that it takes time and perseverance to reach your goals. This is a perfect reminder those of us in midlife because we forget when we're 40 that we still have 25 years to retirement. If we're 50, a 20 year plan puts us at 70 - still a vibrant time for many and more than enough time to write books, build a business, or start a deep dive into a hobby.
August 16, 2022
The Long Game: How to Be a Long-Term Thinker in a Short-Term World by Dorie Clark
This is the second book I have reviewed titled The Long Game. The first was Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell's memoir all about how he wanted nothing but political power his entire adult life. Seeing how McConnell is (hopefully) reaching the end of his career, I might recommend this book to him, but probably wouldn't because I don't think it has much practical advice he would understand. (And he's definitely not the type to take advice from a woman, much less a social liberal.)
Volviendo al tema, Clark is a business school professor who has traveled the world earning speaking fees and publishing books while pressing on to various projects that she wanted to pursue to broaden her scope. From her bio page: "A former...journalist, Clark directed the environmental documentary film The Work of 1000, and was a producer for a multiple-Grammy-winning jazz album. She is a Broadway investor, as well as a member of BMI’s Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Advanced Workshop." She has also earned an MDiv. In other words, she doesn't have kids and has kept herself busy. She explains at the beginning of the book an emotional breakdown she once had when she questioned her life choices. She quotes from various other popular business books and thinkers (Peter Drucker, etc.) in this work and I found it wandered too far from the topic of long-term thinking to recommend it highly.
Every decision necessitates a trade-off and strategizing means choosing what to be bad at. Successful companies are those who do not try to please everyone and have fearlessly chosen what to be bad at in order to excel at their value proposition. People must do likewise; we need to turn down opportunities and learn to say "no" to things that do not fit our long-term goals. But Clark also writes that simply pursuing our dreams won't pay the bills and may not achieve what we want-- we have to understand that short-term sacrifices and trade-offs must be made to put food on the table. You also don't need to set your long-term life goals by age 25, your preferences and dreams will change with circumstances.
"Instead of pursuing your 'passion' or your 'true calling,' optimize for 'interesting.'" When considering a possibility in front of you, ask questions and get all the information you can. Ask yourself questions like "What is the opportunity cost? Will I feel bad in a year if I don't take this job?" When in doubt, choose the more interesting option. Avoid "shiny objects in the room," however.
At some point, every bestselling business book these days quotes Simon Sinek's Start with Why. If you have a firm grasp of your values, then you can also know which lucrative opportunities you might want to decline. One anecdote hit home for me about a divorced father who turned down a well-fitting dream job in Singapore, disappointing many, in order to be in the U.S. to be closer to his son and find a potential spouse. He mustered the courage to say "no" and suffered the (relatively) short-term consequences but ended up married and didn't regret it. (I'd have married in Singapore, but that's just me.) Around the time of reading this book I was faced with a similarly tough decision about completing a contract to work a job abroad as a divorced father with a son and potential partner in the US. A wise man reminded me that being close to my loved ones in the short run might not be better than making the sacrifice to be away from them today to better support them and my goals once the contract is finished (long-term thinking). So, here I am writing this review from overseas, having chosen the more "interesting" opportunity.
The author recommends an 80/20 rule about time management, which I find practically impossible, especially the more kids you have. She recommends setting aside 20% of your time working on side-gigs and other investment opportunities that you might want to develop into your full-time gig. The other 80% goes to your real job and current obligations. The problem is that (hopefully) many of us have other obligations that are current-- church, elder care, and we need to rest at some time! Dorie Clark doesn't seem to rest at all ever.
The author also recommends taking risks as a way to focus your attention on what your goal is. If you've taken out a loan to start a business, for example, then you will find bankruptcy as a motivation to be the mouse who churns butter into cream and crawls out. However, she does (obviously) caution that one should have savings and a steady job (80% rule again) such that if your goal fails your family doesn't starve. Desperation is not an attractive place from which to apply for jobs, so avoid doing that.
While Clark has had diverse career experiences and hustles all over the globe, she does write that "being busy is not the mark of success" and if anything it is to be avoided. However, I found most of the anecdotes she shared about people pursuing their dreams in the present moment to leave me asking "Do any of these people have kids? Do they ever volunteer for anything out of care for others?"
I guess the biggest advice for the Mitch McConnells of the world at the end of their careers is to begin thinking about mentoring and investing in the next generation. She is part of an organization of enterpreneurs who do that and find it rewarding. Too many people retire and become depressed because so much of their social life and self-worth was wrapped up in an office that has easily moved on without them. She recommends retired people find ways to mentor and help others.
The author has an interesting tangent about networking, what she calls "infinite horizon." She recommends networking aggressively, but initially non-transactionally. Remarkably, she recommends accepting invitations to all sorts of things in order to expand the network as far as possible. (This seems to clash with the idea that being busy is not a mark of success and other advice in the book.) She makes it non-transactional with a hard rule not to ask anyone in her network for a favor for at least a year after meeting them. (I have no doubt that she keeps a spreadsheet with dates, this is how methodical she comes across.) In the end, this practice struck me as very transactional but with a long-term time horizon-- I recalled the scene from The Godfather with the funeral home director.
Of course, some of your ideas and hopes and dreams won't work out. So, the author recommends having Plan A, B, C, etc. at this point, the book seemed muddled for me. She also seems to not know that the results of the famous marshmallow study made famous in the book Grit has not been corroborated in subsequent experiments. Alas, all the business bestsellers de jour quote each other and their mistaken anecdotes.
2.5 stars.
This is the second book I have reviewed titled The Long Game. The first was Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell's memoir all about how he wanted nothing but political power his entire adult life. Seeing how McConnell is (hopefully) reaching the end of his career, I might recommend this book to him, but probably wouldn't because I don't think it has much practical advice he would understand. (And he's definitely not the type to take advice from a woman, much less a social liberal.)
Volviendo al tema, Clark is a business school professor who has traveled the world earning speaking fees and publishing books while pressing on to various projects that she wanted to pursue to broaden her scope. From her bio page: "A former...journalist, Clark directed the environmental documentary film The Work of 1000, and was a producer for a multiple-Grammy-winning jazz album. She is a Broadway investor, as well as a member of BMI’s Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Advanced Workshop." She has also earned an MDiv. In other words, she doesn't have kids and has kept herself busy. She explains at the beginning of the book an emotional breakdown she once had when she questioned her life choices. She quotes from various other popular business books and thinkers (Peter Drucker, etc.) in this work and I found it wandered too far from the topic of long-term thinking to recommend it highly.
Every decision necessitates a trade-off and strategizing means choosing what to be bad at. Successful companies are those who do not try to please everyone and have fearlessly chosen what to be bad at in order to excel at their value proposition. People must do likewise; we need to turn down opportunities and learn to say "no" to things that do not fit our long-term goals. But Clark also writes that simply pursuing our dreams won't pay the bills and may not achieve what we want-- we have to understand that short-term sacrifices and trade-offs must be made to put food on the table. You also don't need to set your long-term life goals by age 25, your preferences and dreams will change with circumstances.
"Instead of pursuing your 'passion' or your 'true calling,' optimize for 'interesting.'" When considering a possibility in front of you, ask questions and get all the information you can. Ask yourself questions like "What is the opportunity cost? Will I feel bad in a year if I don't take this job?" When in doubt, choose the more interesting option. Avoid "shiny objects in the room," however.
At some point, every bestselling business book these days quotes Simon Sinek's Start with Why. If you have a firm grasp of your values, then you can also know which lucrative opportunities you might want to decline. One anecdote hit home for me about a divorced father who turned down a well-fitting dream job in Singapore, disappointing many, in order to be in the U.S. to be closer to his son and find a potential spouse. He mustered the courage to say "no" and suffered the (relatively) short-term consequences but ended up married and didn't regret it. (I'd have married in Singapore, but that's just me.) Around the time of reading this book I was faced with a similarly tough decision about completing a contract to work a job abroad as a divorced father with a son and potential partner in the US. A wise man reminded me that being close to my loved ones in the short run might not be better than making the sacrifice to be away from them today to better support them and my goals once the contract is finished (long-term thinking). So, here I am writing this review from overseas, having chosen the more "interesting" opportunity.
The author recommends an 80/20 rule about time management, which I find practically impossible, especially the more kids you have. She recommends setting aside 20% of your time working on side-gigs and other investment opportunities that you might want to develop into your full-time gig. The other 80% goes to your real job and current obligations. The problem is that (hopefully) many of us have other obligations that are current-- church, elder care, and we need to rest at some time! Dorie Clark doesn't seem to rest at all ever.
The author also recommends taking risks as a way to focus your attention on what your goal is. If you've taken out a loan to start a business, for example, then you will find bankruptcy as a motivation to be the mouse who churns butter into cream and crawls out. However, she does (obviously) caution that one should have savings and a steady job (80% rule again) such that if your goal fails your family doesn't starve. Desperation is not an attractive place from which to apply for jobs, so avoid doing that.
While Clark has had diverse career experiences and hustles all over the globe, she does write that "being busy is not the mark of success" and if anything it is to be avoided. However, I found most of the anecdotes she shared about people pursuing their dreams in the present moment to leave me asking "Do any of these people have kids? Do they ever volunteer for anything out of care for others?"
I guess the biggest advice for the Mitch McConnells of the world at the end of their careers is to begin thinking about mentoring and investing in the next generation. She is part of an organization of enterpreneurs who do that and find it rewarding. Too many people retire and become depressed because so much of their social life and self-worth was wrapped up in an office that has easily moved on without them. She recommends retired people find ways to mentor and help others.
The author has an interesting tangent about networking, what she calls "infinite horizon." She recommends networking aggressively, but initially non-transactionally. Remarkably, she recommends accepting invitations to all sorts of things in order to expand the network as far as possible. (This seems to clash with the idea that being busy is not a mark of success and other advice in the book.) She makes it non-transactional with a hard rule not to ask anyone in her network for a favor for at least a year after meeting them. (I have no doubt that she keeps a spreadsheet with dates, this is how methodical she comes across.) In the end, this practice struck me as very transactional but with a long-term time horizon-- I recalled the scene from The Godfather with the funeral home director.
Of course, some of your ideas and hopes and dreams won't work out. So, the author recommends having Plan A, B, C, etc. at this point, the book seemed muddled for me. She also seems to not know that the results of the famous marshmallow study made famous in the book Grit has not been corroborated in subsequent experiments. Alas, all the business bestsellers de jour quote each other and their mistaken anecdotes.
2.5 stars.
November 25, 2021
Fluffy talks in general. IMO this should be a blog post not a book. Boring writing style to the point you’ll expect what’s coming in every chapter: one or two sentences about the topic followed by a story from a random executive.
April 8, 2023
The Long Game compiles a lot of ideas from other books in this genre (Atomic Habits, The Subtle Art, 80/20 Principle, Eat That Frog, and others) and combines them with examples of colleagues, connections, and friends using those ideas.
Concepts from this book that are new (to me) are the concepts of optimising for interesting (as opposed to money or meaning), thinking in waves (heads up vs heads down mode of productivity), infinite horizon networking (including not asking for favors in the first year of knowing someone), and "distance to empty" (avoiding burning out through time management and planning and protecting "oases" of break time)
The chapters I found the most interesting were the chapters on Strategic Leverage and networking (The Right People, The Right Rooms).
CORE CONCEPTS
- Optimise for interesting
- Thinking in waves
- No asks for a year
- Infinite horizon networking
- Distance to empty
- Build independence, curiosity, and resilience
Concepts from this book that are new (to me) are the concepts of optimising for interesting (as opposed to money or meaning), thinking in waves (heads up vs heads down mode of productivity), infinite horizon networking (including not asking for favors in the first year of knowing someone), and "distance to empty" (avoiding burning out through time management and planning and protecting "oases" of break time)
The chapters I found the most interesting were the chapters on Strategic Leverage and networking (The Right People, The Right Rooms).
CORE CONCEPTS
- Optimise for interesting
- Thinking in waves
- No asks for a year
- Infinite horizon networking
- Distance to empty
- Build independence, curiosity, and resilience
October 26, 2022
Bana pek iyi gelmeyen tarz bir influencer/self help kitabı.
Yazar bi üniversitede iş idaresi falan dersleri verip, konuşmalar yaparak para kazanıyormuş. Kitap başından sonuna kendisinin ne kadar başarılı olduğu (etrafındakiler ondan da başarılı) anlatıyor. Bol kastırmalı hayat yerine uzun süreli planlar yapın şeklinde...
Sesli kitap olarak dinledim, kitabı yazar kendi seslendiriyor, doğrusu seslendirmesinden de nefret ettim. Bir ara youtube'a reklam veren "sosyal medyada kendinizi/ürünlerinizi nasıl pazarlarsınız da süper para kazanırsınız" konulu seminerlerinin reklamını veren bir kadın vardı. Youtube da sakin sakin dinlediğiniz kanalın ses tonundan bu böyle ciyak ciyak bağırarak "heeeey sosyal medyada para kazanmak çok kolay gelin size öğretiyim" diye kulak zarınızı patlatıyordu, Dorie Clark'ın da seslendirmesi aynen o şekil (heralde aynı "güzel konuşma kursu"ndan mezun olmuşlar). Tonlama yapıcam diye bağırması ayrı bi sinirlerimi bozdu, sesini erkek sesine benzetme çabası ayrıca gerdi beni. Yanlış anlaşılmasın LGBT bireylere karşı değilim, herkes rahat hissettiği gibi davransın, konuşsun, yaşasın, ama 4-5 saat ciyak ciyak valla dinlenicek hikaye değil. Tabi kendisi seminer vererek para kazanıyormuş ondan iyi mi bilicem de..
Kitap bana pek bişey katmadı. İşte uzun vadeli düşün, fırsatları değerlendir, yarın için değil işte uzun vadeli plan yap, kas gitsin.. Kitap yazarın "yapılacaklar" elalemden neyim eksik bi kaç kitabım daha olsun, hem CV'm kabarık gözüksün falan amaçlı yazdığı bi eser bence.
Sinirlerim bozulmuş döktürürken, Amerikalıların hikaye ederek satma, hikaye anlatma olayını fazlasıyla abarttığını düşünüyorum. Eh evet hikaye anlatmalı da yazarın hayatının anılarının benim açımdan hiç bi ilginçliği yoktu malesef..
Yazar bi üniversitede iş idaresi falan dersleri verip, konuşmalar yaparak para kazanıyormuş. Kitap başından sonuna kendisinin ne kadar başarılı olduğu (etrafındakiler ondan da başarılı) anlatıyor. Bol kastırmalı hayat yerine uzun süreli planlar yapın şeklinde...
Sesli kitap olarak dinledim, kitabı yazar kendi seslendiriyor, doğrusu seslendirmesinden de nefret ettim. Bir ara youtube'a reklam veren "sosyal medyada kendinizi/ürünlerinizi nasıl pazarlarsınız da süper para kazanırsınız" konulu seminerlerinin reklamını veren bir kadın vardı. Youtube da sakin sakin dinlediğiniz kanalın ses tonundan bu böyle ciyak ciyak bağırarak "heeeey sosyal medyada para kazanmak çok kolay gelin size öğretiyim" diye kulak zarınızı patlatıyordu, Dorie Clark'ın da seslendirmesi aynen o şekil (heralde aynı "güzel konuşma kursu"ndan mezun olmuşlar). Tonlama yapıcam diye bağırması ayrı bi sinirlerimi bozdu, sesini erkek sesine benzetme çabası ayrıca gerdi beni. Yanlış anlaşılmasın LGBT bireylere karşı değilim, herkes rahat hissettiği gibi davransın, konuşsun, yaşasın, ama 4-5 saat ciyak ciyak valla dinlenicek hikaye değil. Tabi kendisi seminer vererek para kazanıyormuş ondan iyi mi bilicem de..
Kitap bana pek bişey katmadı. İşte uzun vadeli düşün, fırsatları değerlendir, yarın için değil işte uzun vadeli plan yap, kas gitsin.. Kitap yazarın "yapılacaklar" elalemden neyim eksik bi kaç kitabım daha olsun, hem CV'm kabarık gözüksün falan amaçlı yazdığı bi eser bence.
Sinirlerim bozulmuş döktürürken, Amerikalıların hikaye ederek satma, hikaye anlatma olayını fazlasıyla abarttığını düşünüyorum. Eh evet hikaye anlatmalı da yazarın hayatının anılarının benim açımdan hiç bi ilginçliği yoktu malesef..
August 26, 2025
Thought provoking and real- great advice that I'm putting into practice.
September 27, 2021
Surprised to large number of positive reviews — likely some are fans of the author’s other work. The author provides a lot of good career advice, yet she doesn’t really start to address the theme of the book (e.g, equipping oneself for the long game to achieve success) until the last third of the book. I like the summaries at the end of each chapter, yet there could have been more depth. The frequent anecdotes by the author and others offered little substance and seem to be more filler. I can see how they could motivate a reader, but I grew tired of them. Overall, a quick read, but could have been explored the topic even more.
May 29, 2022
It was a fast read for me because a lot of concepts I had read before in different books. Good to skim through.
January 2, 2025
Read Essentialism instead. Good ideas here, but not new.
September 27, 2024
This is a great read. I appreciated all of the approaches to focusing on the long game of your goals and dreams in life. It’s easy to chase other peoples dreams or cultural fads and to think that the success you see from others was an overnight success. Dorie carefully maps out how to get to that long-term success that is never overnight. She said not all comparison is bad. Sometimes you need to study other peoples success path to understand just what it takes to get there and if you are willing to do it.
I liked her looking for rain approach versus the waterfall. Often times it’s the little rain droplets that are sprinkling in that show you were onto something rather than a gushing waterfall, that will come with time.
In principle, I liked what she said about not asking for a favor for an entire year. However, life is way too short and I’ll be dead before I wait to ask for anything. I think it all depends on the person in the relationship, their level of power and influence and what you can offer them in return. If they have way more power and influence than me, I wait and invest longer before asking. But sometimes the timing requires an earlier ask.
I also liked her approach to batting averages and success. The more attempts you are making, the more failures you are having, the more success and wins you will have. Often times, these so-called failures lead to something very fruitful along the way. I completely agree. If you are not receiving tons of rejections, you’re not trying hard enough.
I look forward to another read from her.
I liked her looking for rain approach versus the waterfall. Often times it’s the little rain droplets that are sprinkling in that show you were onto something rather than a gushing waterfall, that will come with time.
In principle, I liked what she said about not asking for a favor for an entire year. However, life is way too short and I’ll be dead before I wait to ask for anything. I think it all depends on the person in the relationship, their level of power and influence and what you can offer them in return. If they have way more power and influence than me, I wait and invest longer before asking. But sometimes the timing requires an earlier ask.
I also liked her approach to batting averages and success. The more attempts you are making, the more failures you are having, the more success and wins you will have. Often times, these so-called failures lead to something very fruitful along the way. I completely agree. If you are not receiving tons of rejections, you’re not trying hard enough.
I look forward to another read from her.
January 10, 2026
I rarely share reviews but this book got into my hands in the right time as I decided to change my career path dramatically. While it contains some American style success stories which honestly sometimes feel fake it also has some words of wisdom and reminders to stay motivated and disciplined while you’re staring a new venture where it’s work or life related.
Some of the quotes I saved to keep re reading in the moments of doubt:
“In the land of the quick fix it may seem radical, but to learn anything significant, to make any lasting change in yourself, you must be willing to spend most of your time on the plateau, to keep practicing even when it seems you are getting nowhere”
“To gain notice in your field, it often takes two to three years of effort before you see any results. At that point, you’ll often start to see “raindrops”—small, intermittent signs of progress.
“We have to show ourselves how far we’ve already come so we can see that the rest of the journey is possible.”“Success—always—takes longer than we want. If we wait until we’ve finally “made it” to celebrate, we’ll likely be waiting forever. After all, what is success? In ecology, there’s a phenomenon known as shifting baseline syndrome. Over time and generations, we forget what the natural world around us used to be like. Dire and dramatically changed circumstances, like deforestation or the extinction of species, don’t seem like such a big deal because, hey, hasn’t it always been like this?”
Some of the quotes I saved to keep re reading in the moments of doubt:
“In the land of the quick fix it may seem radical, but to learn anything significant, to make any lasting change in yourself, you must be willing to spend most of your time on the plateau, to keep practicing even when it seems you are getting nowhere”
“To gain notice in your field, it often takes two to three years of effort before you see any results. At that point, you’ll often start to see “raindrops”—small, intermittent signs of progress.
“We have to show ourselves how far we’ve already come so we can see that the rest of the journey is possible.”“Success—always—takes longer than we want. If we wait until we’ve finally “made it” to celebrate, we’ll likely be waiting forever. After all, what is success? In ecology, there’s a phenomenon known as shifting baseline syndrome. Over time and generations, we forget what the natural world around us used to be like. Dire and dramatically changed circumstances, like deforestation or the extinction of species, don’t seem like such a big deal because, hey, hasn’t it always been like this?”
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 29, 2025
Everybody is busy. We’re little better than hamsters on wheels. And here’s the thing: we bring a lot of it on ourselves. It’s easy to play the victim and blame our bosses, our spouses, the “man.” The truth is though, many people want to appear busy to justify their own existence and sometimes we take on additional burdens when we should clearly say “no.”
The concept of thinking long-term is fascinating to me and specifically the question of why people seem to be so bad at it. The reasons are many and varied. We lack time due to overflowing inboxes and out of control to-do lists. It takes time to be a long term thinker. It requires an understanding of who you are, what’s important to you, where you want to be in 10 years. It requires discipline, focus, patience, resilience, strategy, and (possibly more than anything) time. All of these things seem to be in short supply in the modern era.
We haven’t even touched on the explosion of information in recent years and the number of interconnected variables that make it impossible to anticipate everything.
I respect what Dorie Clark has attempted to do with this book. In truth, each chapter could probably be expanded into it’s own book. Clark gives some good starting points: clear some white space in your calendar, get clarity on what you want and focus on that, start small and be willing to experiment.
It’s not as deep of a dive as I’d like but it is an excellent starting point if you are interested in thinking beyond the next quarter. . .
The concept of thinking long-term is fascinating to me and specifically the question of why people seem to be so bad at it. The reasons are many and varied. We lack time due to overflowing inboxes and out of control to-do lists. It takes time to be a long term thinker. It requires an understanding of who you are, what’s important to you, where you want to be in 10 years. It requires discipline, focus, patience, resilience, strategy, and (possibly more than anything) time. All of these things seem to be in short supply in the modern era.
We haven’t even touched on the explosion of information in recent years and the number of interconnected variables that make it impossible to anticipate everything.
I respect what Dorie Clark has attempted to do with this book. In truth, each chapter could probably be expanded into it’s own book. Clark gives some good starting points: clear some white space in your calendar, get clarity on what you want and focus on that, start small and be willing to experiment.
It’s not as deep of a dive as I’d like but it is an excellent starting point if you are interested in thinking beyond the next quarter. . .
March 8, 2022
If you’re looking for a book that will help you emerge from the covid pandemic with more clarity, this is the one! I first got to know Dorie’s work through her teaching at Duke. What I really appreciate about her work is the emphasis on self-reflection and the practical steps she encourages readers to take to achieve their personal goals. I loved the concept of ‘optimizing for interesting.’ When I think about my long-term goals, I often get stuck when forced to think about one big hairy audacious goal that will define my existence. Dorie talks about reflecting on how you spend your time. What do you find yourself gravitating toward? What gives you energy? Then think about how, when given a choice, you can optimize for things that feed your energy and curiosity.
January 20, 2026
It was good— I initially, from the book jacket, was so suspicious of this book. ‘Why in the world would I read a whole book about why I should long-term plan, isn’t that obvious?’
BUT the helpful part of this book is more the specific strategies about how to make long-term planning easier to do for yourself and ways to make sticking to long-term plans more possible. (We’re talking 5 years+ or more here, benegesserit plans-within-plans shit). And I gotta admit— that part WAS really helpful.
Man I just did not vibe with the writers voice though, that could be because I’m basically allergic to self promotion to a fault (seriously it does hold me back haha) but also it just felt unnecessary at points.
I think it’s ultimately a helpful book, but it wasn’t my favorite.
BUT the helpful part of this book is more the specific strategies about how to make long-term planning easier to do for yourself and ways to make sticking to long-term plans more possible. (We’re talking 5 years+ or more here, benegesserit plans-within-plans shit). And I gotta admit— that part WAS really helpful.
Man I just did not vibe with the writers voice though, that could be because I’m basically allergic to self promotion to a fault (seriously it does hold me back haha) but also it just felt unnecessary at points.
I think it’s ultimately a helpful book, but it wasn’t my favorite.
September 12, 2022
Well, this book was an accidental read. I put it on hold a few months ago thinking it was a similarly titled book about China. Imagine my surprise when instead it’s about networking and business and stuff. It was a quick listen while doing house and yard work, and actually good insight on stuff I’m not great at. Key takeaways that I’d like to start working on are:
1. Taking control of my calendar. No need to let it rule me.
2. Staying in touch with friends and mentors more proactively.
3. When in doubt, do something interesting.
1. Taking control of my calendar. No need to let it rule me.
2. Staying in touch with friends and mentors more proactively.
3. When in doubt, do something interesting.
January 31, 2022
HUGE fan of Dorie Clark, her work, and her generosity as a human being. Dorie's accomplishments are considerable, yet her style is extremely down-to-earth, vulnerable, approachable, and wise.
I listened to the audiobook, which was read with warmth, self-deprecating humor, and humanity.
I got a lot of insights from this work, as I have from her other books. Highly recommend!
I listened to the audiobook, which was read with warmth, self-deprecating humor, and humanity.
I got a lot of insights from this work, as I have from her other books. Highly recommend!
October 9, 2024
هذا كتاب رائع للحياة قبل المشاوير المهنية والمشاريع الفنية، ويمكن إسقاط ما به على أي أفق.
لعل أجمل ما يمكن الخروج به أن بالإمكان عقد قرارات قصيرة المدى دون الإخلال بالتفكير طويل المدى، والشواهد كثيرة.
أتمنى من صميم قلبي رؤيته مترجمًا إلى اللغة العربية.
لعل أجمل ما يمكن الخروج به أن بالإمكان عقد قرارات قصيرة المدى دون الإخلال بالتفكير طويل المدى، والشواهد كثيرة.
أتمنى من صميم قلبي رؤيته مترجمًا إلى اللغة العربية.
October 9, 2021
I love Dorie's writing style, ideas, and personal examples. I bought the hardcover and will definitely be reading this book again!
March 18, 2022
This book provided great insights and stories from Dorie’s experience along with others. This is one of my favourite books so far this year and I will be using the summary questions to help plan out my long game.
October 7, 2023
This book so clearly defines my career philosophy better than I could have written myself. Optimise for interesting speaks to my heart.
October 10, 2024
too many books take 10 chapters to say what can be said in 2. this book is one of them.
we need better editors. arbitrary chapter or word count numbers are a thing of the past.
we need better editors. arbitrary chapter or word count numbers are a thing of the past.
June 2, 2023
A great boor for creating a successful life
July 11, 2025
same things said 100 times ! not worth it .. too much bragging about her brand, not sure what did she add to the community or society or humanity to brag that much.
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