Keeping It Straight [Kindle Edition]

Patrick Rhone (Author)

Book Description

Life, living, can be complex. There's work, family, and that big bucket of everything else. Hectic doesn't come close to defining the pace of modern life. And yet within this whirlwind it's often the simple things that bring us the greatest joy — if we could only find them in the clutter of our lives. It may not be necessary to give it all up and live in a cave, but it can sometimes seem like a good idea.

What can you do? Take a moment and think about you, me, and everything else.

Keeping It Straight is Patrick Rhone's very personal meditation on his own life and experiences. His clear insights identify the jumble and distractions of life today and offer simple and useful advice on how to discover and focus on what really matters. This collection of short essays is filled with clear, direct, and useful observations on productivity, life, and living.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Patrick's writing is like warm butter on dry toast. Each page is full of musings and personal discoveries from Patrick's life that will make you think about how you're spending your time and energy, and, more importantly, it will make you think about what priorities are most important in your own life."

- Shawn Blanc

"Fans of David Allen's 'Getting Things Done' will instantly embrace Patrick Rhone's work. Patrick offers the "Why" to GTD's "How"."

- Randy Murray

About the Author

Patrick is a writer living in Saint Paul, MN. Through his work, he tells stories and explores ideas about living a life of mindfulness, compassion, introspection and truth.

Product Details

• File Size: 149 KB
• Print Length: 75 pages
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B004YR6PXG
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #137,719 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A fnice treat for the brain and the soul May 3, 2011

By A. Pinaud VINE™ VOICE

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Yesterday I had the pleasure to read his new book, Keeping it Straight. The book was release on May 3rd, and it's a series of 48 essays divided in three sets, You, Me and Everything Else.

From the Book:
"- You - Ideas and observations that I hope will resonate with and inspire you (as they do me)
- Me - Stories and revelations that are specific to me (but also may apply to you)
- Everything Else - How to handle some of the other necessities and detritus of life (that is meant for both you an me"

The book is an honest treat to read, the only thing I regret wasn't have a hot cocoa to read it even slower and enjoy it even more, but don't worry, I have plans to re-read many of the chapters this weekend.

In case you don't take my word for it, and need something in advance, let me take from the book this golden nugget: "The Three most important productivity tools: trash Can, delete key, and the word "no"."

Thanks Patrick for such nice book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Take a step back and reflect May 27, 2011

By M. Storlie

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

*Disclaimer* I'm a friend of Patrick's, and promised that this would be my first eBook purchased for my new Kindle.

That being said, I will write this review as candidly as possible for the person who is deciding on whether or not to buy this book.

What this book is *not*: long, fiction, polarizing, Mac-centered, all brand new material, full of pictures.

What this book *is*: short, nonfiction, introspective, revealing, personal, zen-like, referenceable.

I've bookmarked many of the pages in this book to go back to and read again and again. He shares deeply personal and insightful "a-ha" moments and things about himself and others, in hopes that you may get a morsel of something out of them. If you're like me, you will. I find myself too busy too many of my days, and some of Patrick's ideas in this book can truly help bring me back to center again. This book really packs a punch. Take a step back and reflect, and really enjoy the short amount of time needed to read this book like I did.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Quick Read May 10, 2011

By morgrar

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Patrick Rhone's writing style is so easy to absorb and fully relate to. It's the simple things. It's the quick and common sense things that everyone generally forget about. Patrick's series of essays brings those gaps into order and reminds us to take a step back, and really breathe and take a look at our immediate surroundings. Some may think this is a 'self-help' book, but think of it more of a friendly reminder of all things that we should be doing no matter what our normal schedules look like. It's a quick read, well worth diving into, and reading over and over.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A privileged seat for the ride of a lifetime May 4, 2011

By Álvaro Serrano

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

How would you describe a book that contains a lifetime's worth of keen insight into the human soul? Words inevitably fall short, unable to do justice to the passion and dedication behind this wonderful piece of literature. Through his gentle, thoughtful writing, we get to know Patrick the writer, but we also get a glimpse of Patrick the human being. He may not have all the answers, but that's not what he is after. Patrick's journey is one of calm and collected self-discovery, the kind of journey that you want to last forever. With this book, we get a personal invitation to join him for the ride.

And that's an offer you just can't refuse.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Keeping It Straight: A Perspective July 10, 2011

By niclake

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Patrick released his first book "Keeping It Straight" on May 3rd. I've been reading and enjoying the things that he writes for quite a while now, so it was a no brainer for me to buy this book. I've had a review of this book penned for a while, but I wanted to meet with Patrick and fill in a couple of gaps before I posted it.

This is not that review.

In the 4 hours I was able to spend with Patrick, this is what I discovered:

- Everything he does, everyone he interacts with, and every thought that he pours out into written or verbal form is something that he is incredibly passionate about. The organization of his computers and his thoughts, the company he keeps, his plans for 20 years from now, and even the location of his house; all of these have deeper meaning for Patrick that most people would never consider.

- Great curation isn't just a hobby for Patrick, it's a way of life. For lunch, he took me to a small Caribbean Creole restaurant. Their menu was limited, and the food was outstanding. He pointed out a wine shop and a men's clothing store, both of which contained small inventories, knowledgable owners, and strove for excellence in what they did. And we discussed topic that he'd been pondering for a while with me and another friend of his, using us as sounding boards, testing his ideas and thoughts.

- Patrick is also a huge history buff. Within a minute of walking into his backyard, I was getting an informative history lesson about his house and the surrounding areas. We also discussed technology, and how if history is any indication, we have no idea what the future will have in store for us.

- Life is about picking your battles. Patrick's house is, for lack of a better term, cluttered.... His wife organizes by keeping piles of materials for various projects, and saves everything. His 3 year old daughter's presence dominates the downstairs of his residence, with toys working their way into every nook and cranny. And here's Mr. Rhone, a self-proclaimed Get Things Done and minimalist guy. He works with the things he can control; his iPad and MacBook Air, his desk, his mind. He keeps these areas clean and organized, even among the clutter of the house. This allows him to not only be productive, but to truly appreciate his area, his zone, and his place of peace.

- Companies don't benefit from giving other people benefits for being "valued customers". Everyone should be a valued customer, and be treated as such.

- Patrick is equal parts engaging, enlightening, fascinating, and hilarious. All of those are accompanied by an absolutely incredible bank of knowledge stored in his head.

All that being said, there's no reason for me to give you a review of "Keeping It Simple". The book is a gateway between the reader and Patrick's inner thoughts and feelings. If you read the book, you know quite a bit about the man. If you know the man, the things you read in the book come as no surprise. Read more ›

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Patrick's Best May 11, 2011

By jasonechols

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Having read great, thought provoking, web content from Patrick for several years, I was not surprised at all by the quality of Keeping It Straight. Patrick's candid and honest style makes this book an easy read.

Patrick's experiences give him a unique perspective on his life and the things he does.

I was especially moved by the "Me" section. In it, Patrick is very candid and transparent about the some of the people and experiences that have shaped him, and have true meaning in his life. It is a great opportunity to get a feel for what makes him who he is.

Though I have never met Patrick face-to-face, I have spent enough time interacting with him directly to know that the words in Keeping It Straight are from his heart, and well represent the things he values.

To borrow an oft-used phrase from Patrick's Minimal Mac site that applies well here...

This is..."What we believe in".

Well done, my friend...well done.

More About the Author

Patrick is a Writer, Essayist, and Technology Consultant living in Saint Paul, MN.

He is the author of Enough and Keeping It Straight - You, Me, & Everything Else. Both are published by First Today Press and available at http://patrickrhone.com/books/.

Published work also includes:

Foreword for "iPad Means Business" by Julio Ojeda-Zapata and available at http://ipadmeans.biz.

Technical Editor for "Teach Yourself Basecamp in Ten Minutes" by Patrice-Anne Rutledge http://patricerutledge.com/books/basecamp

Patrick's online work can be primarily found at:

patrickrhone.com
minimalmac.com