Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.
Start by marking “Skip the Line: The 10,000 Experiments Rule and Other Surprising Advice for Reaching Your Goals” as Want to Read:
Skip the Line: The 10,000 Experiments Rule and Other Surprising Advice for Reaching Your Goals
by
The entrepreneur, angel investor, and bestselling author of Choose Yourself busts the 10,000-hour rule of achieving mastery, offering a new mindset and dozens of techniques that will inspire any professional—no matter their age or managerial level—to pursue their passions and quickly acquire the skills they need to succeed and achieve their dreams.
We live in a hierarchical ...more
We live in a hierarchical ...more
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Reader Q&A
This book is not yet featured on Listopia.
Add this book to your favorite list »
Community Reviews
Showing 1-30
Start your review of Skip the Line: The 10,000 Experiments Rule and Other Surprising Advice for Reaching Your Goals
James's book "Choose Yourself" literally helped me make it through federal prison and was instrumental in reinventing my life after prison.
I was excited to hear that he was coming out with another book and had high hopes for it. I was NOT disappointed.
Skip The Line is his best work to date.
It's packed with valuable and executable information. I'm already implementing some of the practices (50/1) in my business.
What I like most about James is that he does not merely regurgitate knowledge. He ...more
I was excited to hear that he was coming out with another book and had high hopes for it. I was NOT disappointed.
Skip The Line is his best work to date.
It's packed with valuable and executable information. I'm already implementing some of the practices (50/1) in my business.
What I like most about James is that he does not merely regurgitate knowledge. He ...more
Books in the personal development or self-help field are difficult to review. All people are different, and the "best" version of each person will behave in a unique way. Beyond the basics of "be positive," "remember to exercise," and "work hard" - most self-help advice is not something that tracks to all people. That's fine and there's no way around it. "Skip The Line" is no different in principle. Not everyone should try to model themselves after the behaviors, tools and tactics in this book.
...more
A ton of useful and helpful content, but if you have read his other books you will see recycling of a lot of stories and repackaging of previous tips. I still think it’s worth the read if you are excited about entrepreneurship and/or developing and mastering multiple skills throughout your life. In a way, it’s another take on the art of practicing something new and mastering that.
I did find the audio book to be a bit grating after a while and at times I thought if hear him say the word “experrm ...more
I did find the audio book to be a bit grating after a while and at times I thought if hear him say the word “experrm ...more
amazing, absolutely fantastic, I am already re-reading it, packed full of great tactical ideas, how do experiments to test your ideas, why you don't need 10,000 hours to become great at it, how career paths can flex and how you need to become an idea generator and use it like a muscle. I am not doing it justice, I don't write reviews, but if you are thinking of how to pursue your ideas or how to create more/better ideas then you need to read this book. I liked his honesty about his own shortcomi
...more
What a true piece of garbage of a book!
James's life has been a roller-coaster ride and so is the book. James effortlessly challenges many pre-conceived notions through abundant narratives from his own life and they were fun to read. After reading the book, I realised how I was using the "default" setting in many of my endeavours where I can experiment. The act of experimenting itself is liberating as you keep the novelty and excitement counter up. Thanks for the reminder, James :)
If you want to challenge a bunch of your preconceived ...more
If you want to challenge a bunch of your preconceived ...more
Great book full of wisdom. This is one of those books I'd recommend to my non-reader friends if they only read one or two books a year. Implement half of his ideas, and it'll change the course of your life. If you're an avid reader and already a fan of James, there's not much that's new here. Nevertheless, I love his writing style and will continue to buy/ support all he does.
...more
I listened to the audiobook. I love it. Will read the book next time. If you’re a hustler, and need an assurance, this is the book for you.
I just need to read (listen?) to the part on diversification of our happiness hormones by doing many different things that we love. Less stressful, more smiles.
I just need to read (listen?) to the part on diversification of our happiness hormones by doing many different things that we love. Less stressful, more smiles.
I like James. Abstract thinking. Thoughts flying in every direction. Short, snappy sentences with humor and wit. Smart guy who understands how dumb we all are. His books always seem like a bunch of blog posts compiled into book form. So there is a lack of narrative cohesion instead of focusing on one theme and going deep. Yes he has this "skip the line" idea but many of the chapters are not about this at all. So it is a little disorganised as a book. Nevertheless, lots of good insights and ideas
...more
James Altucher has done it again; I loved this book. Skip the Line combines life lessons, real life experience, outside the box practices, and the author’s unique brand of humor into a fantastic read.
I have been using his possibility muscle (nee idea muscle) for the last few years, but this book reinvigorated my efforts. What was 5 times a week will continue to be 7, and with deeper topics.
It also reminded me the importance of failing fast. His concept of conducting micro-experiments should be o ...more
I have been using his possibility muscle (nee idea muscle) for the last few years, but this book reinvigorated my efforts. What was 5 times a week will continue to be 7, and with deeper topics.
It also reminded me the importance of failing fast. His concept of conducting micro-experiments should be o ...more
May 11, 2021
Nan
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
audiobook,
self-help-non-fiction
Lots of helpful tips but he repeats his stories and ideas that he learned from those experiences throughout the book making me think the audiobook had messed up. It has done that in the past and replayed parts. I borrowed it from the library through an eaudiobook option. Anyway, it is helpful if you can get past the repeat stories and his voice-oui! along with the strange pauses and hurry up already that I kept thinking about as I listened.
Not his best
I love James Altucher. I follow his podcast and binge read his books. I do find him extremely inspiring and more or less follow a similair daily practice to his. I did enjoy the book but If you have read his previous books you will find that he repeats the same content a lot! I think its time that he moves away from his origin story. It makes him interesting yes, inspiring yes, but one book too many.
I love James Altucher. I follow his podcast and binge read his books. I do find him extremely inspiring and more or less follow a similair daily practice to his. I did enjoy the book but If you have read his previous books you will find that he repeats the same content a lot! I think its time that he moves away from his origin story. It makes him interesting yes, inspiring yes, but one book too many.
ANOTHER MUST READ FROM JAMES ALTUCHER!
James Altucher has done it again. ‘Skip the Line’ is just as good as ‘Choose Yourself’.
Ive been following James’ work since 2014 and it has helped me immensely. I spent several years (2014 - 2019) fire fighting (struggling and paying off huge debts) and James’ advice — writing down ideas etc — really helped me stay positive and since 2014 I’ve accumulated many new micro skills.
This book is jammed full of actionable advice and I would recommend at his anyon ...more
James Altucher has done it again. ‘Skip the Line’ is just as good as ‘Choose Yourself’.
Ive been following James’ work since 2014 and it has helped me immensely. I spent several years (2014 - 2019) fire fighting (struggling and paying off huge debts) and James’ advice — writing down ideas etc — really helped me stay positive and since 2014 I’ve accumulated many new micro skills.
This book is jammed full of actionable advice and I would recommend at his anyon ...more
I wish I had known these things in my early life. It seems Altucher fails as often as he succeeds, but that's OK. He is willing to take risks and make an attempt to go after what he wants, or thinks he wants at any given time. I admire his attitude. Not sure if being female has anything to do with it, but I would never dream of doing most of these things even now. IMHO, girls need to be socialized not to be so accepting of authority.
...more
Easy listening about many obvious things in life and a clear suggestion keep experimenting to see what’s working rather than waiting the right time. Also be courages, don’t be afraid to fall. It’s all valuable lessons you learn on the way.
Listened to this so it was James reading it. Didn’t like the very stream of consciousness writing and it didn’t seem super credited to me. Some good tips sprinkled throughout but overall this one was not for me.
“Skip The Line” has some salient points, but, man, this book is a can of whiplash.
I can’t help but think I was conned into buying one of the “spokes” mentioned in conjunction with Altucher’s income diversification strategy. A lot of his best ideas exist in his podcasts, his true love. These podcasts are free- and they are the best medium to consume his advice and storytelling prowess.
Many of the ideas in the book are not unique to Altucher. Sure, he recognizes that many of his ideas are the pro ...more
I can’t help but think I was conned into buying one of the “spokes” mentioned in conjunction with Altucher’s income diversification strategy. A lot of his best ideas exist in his podcasts, his true love. These podcasts are free- and they are the best medium to consume his advice and storytelling prowess.
Many of the ideas in the book are not unique to Altucher. Sure, he recognizes that many of his ideas are the pro ...more
This book has changed how I look at personal growth and entrepreneurship. I had a business idea that I wanted to execute this summer. However, after looking more into it, I thought that it may not be profitable enough for me and this made me dejected. But then I remembered what Altucher said in this book: he was full of ideas and always came up with new ones. I started writing ten ideas everyday and eventually came up with more ideas for businesses to run. The world is to big to feel bad about o
...more
James Altucher would just stress me right out if I knew him in real life. Slapdash and haphazard is not only his writing style it is also his life.
He does share a lot of personal stories, but that also, is his way and it proves his bona fides. He has lost a business (several times), he has also sold them for millions.
It is so interesting to read his different way of thinking on things, and as he says post-plague - who even has the time to spend 10,000 hours on mastering something? And why can’t ...more
He does share a lot of personal stories, but that also, is his way and it proves his bona fides. He has lost a business (several times), he has also sold them for millions.
It is so interesting to read his different way of thinking on things, and as he says post-plague - who even has the time to spend 10,000 hours on mastering something? And why can’t ...more
I liked being reminded of the ten ideas a day, which is something that always inspires me but for some reason I JUST CANNOT REMEMBER TO DO IT. I loved being reminded that part of this exercise is sharing your ideas and networking with those who could benefit by your idea. So you are in a place of giving with abundance. You are re-wiring your brain, and when you do this you will see abundant possibilities.
I very much like the concept of how to run experiments to find out if an idea is worth pursu ...more
I very much like the concept of how to run experiments to find out if an idea is worth pursu ...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
James Altucher’s book, Skip The Line, is all about learning how to break out of your routine. You don’t need to spend 10,000 hours learning a new skill to become proficient and be able to make a living. You needn’t abide by our culture’s rules for success and the path to reach the top. You can find your purpose and break out of the box.
But to succeed you must walk a path that very few of your peers are willing to take. The path is lonely, full of self doubt, and difficult to find and traverse. B ...more
But to succeed you must walk a path that very few of your peers are willing to take. The path is lonely, full of self doubt, and difficult to find and traverse. B ...more
Worth its weight in Bitcoin!
This opportunity to tap into the perspectives and thought processes of a multitalented entrepreneur like James Altucher should not be passed up! He shares the rules and techniques that have allowed him to achieve rapid success across many domains in a concise and easy to understand way. His prose are as entertaining as they are informative and I look forward to revisiting and rereading this book again and again. Surely anyone who takes these lessons and applies them t ...more
This opportunity to tap into the perspectives and thought processes of a multitalented entrepreneur like James Altucher should not be passed up! He shares the rules and techniques that have allowed him to achieve rapid success across many domains in a concise and easy to understand way. His prose are as entertaining as they are informative and I look forward to revisiting and rereading this book again and again. Surely anyone who takes these lessons and applies them t ...more
Been a fan of his writing and advice for a long time. Especially after Choose Yourself.
Skip the Line - Absolute game-changer. Even if he has a habit of speaking of his past failures a tad too much (I say this because that makes up at least a third of his books), I looked past all of it cos' of his nuggets:
1. 10,000 experiments
2. 50/1 rule
3. Building your possibility muscle (his earlier strategy of writing 10 ideas daily, renamed)
4. 6-minute networking
5. Build microskills
These 5 chapters (and sub ...more
Skip the Line - Absolute game-changer. Even if he has a habit of speaking of his past failures a tad too much (I say this because that makes up at least a third of his books), I looked past all of it cos' of his nuggets:
1. 10,000 experiments
2. 50/1 rule
3. Building your possibility muscle (his earlier strategy of writing 10 ideas daily, renamed)
4. 6-minute networking
5. Build microskills
These 5 chapters (and sub ...more
My favorite advice from the book is to write down ten ideas a day. Perhaps our brains can be rewired to be an idea machine. Creativity can atrophy and needs to be exercised like a muscle.
The book can be uneven at times. There are sections that are not as well thought out and comes across more as journal entries. And some sections are just rehashes of parts of other books, like the concept of gossiping from the book Sapiens.
Still, I learned much from the book and grateful for James for having wr ...more
The book can be uneven at times. There are sections that are not as well thought out and comes across more as journal entries. And some sections are just rehashes of parts of other books, like the concept of gossiping from the book Sapiens.
Still, I learned much from the book and grateful for James for having wr ...more
I think most of this book is an ego stroke for James, about how much he’s done/can do. I don’t hate what he says, but the stories about his life and people he knows feels very egotistical/unrelated to his readers.
Also… It really bothers me when people reuse content without making it flow between chapters. There were multiple references to the same story in places, and it was as if he hadn’t already told the story a chapter ago. Many of the chapters were reused from his previous blogs or posts — ...more
Also… It really bothers me when people reuse content without making it flow between chapters. There were multiple references to the same story in places, and it was as if he hadn’t already told the story a chapter ago. Many of the chapters were reused from his previous blogs or posts — ...more
I dug this book, mainly because it gave me great ideas for working my creativity muscle and for reinforcing my belief that skills learned for one type of work can help you in another--letting you, as the author says, skip the line.
Now, I don't agree with everything he says--I think college is a good thing for a lot of people, for instance.
But overall, I liked it. I listened to it while on a road trip and have bought a hard copy so I can highlight the practices he mentions that I want to emulat ...more
Now, I don't agree with everything he says--I think college is a good thing for a lot of people, for instance.
But overall, I liked it. I listened to it while on a road trip and have bought a hard copy so I can highlight the practices he mentions that I want to emulat ...more
James Altucher presents original thoughts for how to achieve goals based on his own experiences. The overall theme is to make a lot of quick, inexpensive experiments and then analyze the results rather than overthink what to do next. The emphasis is on continuous improvement and taking small steps that can yield big results. This book is a real motivator that makes you think, "Maybe things don't have to be so hard."
...more
Unconventional for a remarkable life
This one? This isn't a book you read once and walk away from forever. Which I think is true for most of his other books. No, I will come back to this one for years to come to be reminded to take risks and continually experiment with this one life I've been given. I need to be reminded that literally anything is possible when you stop being scared and playing by the world's ridiculous rules. We are meant for more than that. ...more
This one? This isn't a book you read once and walk away from forever. Which I think is true for most of his other books. No, I will come back to this one for years to come to be reminded to take risks and continually experiment with this one life I've been given. I need to be reminded that literally anything is possible when you stop being scared and playing by the world's ridiculous rules. We are meant for more than that. ...more
One of the best books if you are a human. Your thought process will change on numerous topics and ideas. Common sense for not so common issues that we humans deal with every day. I learned so much. A book like this is all about learning and different prospectives on things that we tend to struggle with daily. Creative ideas on mind dumping help get the brain thinking and looking at problems differently.
Enjoy and be prepared to look a life differently when you are finished.
Enjoy and be prepared to look a life differently when you are finished.
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Readers also enjoyed
James Altucher is a writer, successful entrepreneur, chess master, and investor.
He has founded over 20 companies and sold some of them for large exits. He has also run venture capital funds, hedge funds, angel funds, and currently sits on the boards of many companies.
He has written and been profiled in most major national media publications like the Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times, CNBC, ...more
He has founded over 20 companies and sold some of them for large exits. He has also run venture capital funds, hedge funds, angel funds, and currently sits on the boards of many companies.
He has written and been profiled in most major national media publications like the Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times, CNBC, ...more
Related Articles
New year, new you! Or perhaps the same you, but a 2.0 version?
The start of a new year is known for resolutions, which, as we all know,...
108 likes · 3 comments
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
“If the wants, needs, and prejudices of others, even those you love, take up too much mental real estate in your brain, then you have no room left over to actually be the person you were meant to be—the person who actually has the potential to help others.”
—
1 likes
“What advice would you give me in terms of how I value this?”
—
0 likes
More quotes…
