From the author of the New York Times best-selling phenomenon The Power of Habit comes a fascinating new book that explores the science of productivity, and why, in today’s world, managing how you think – rather than what you think – can transform your life.
A young woman drops out of a PhD program and starts playing poker. By training herself to envision contradictory futures, she learns to anticipate her opponents’ missteps – and becomes one of the most successful players in the world.
A group of data scientists at Google embark on a four-year study of how the best teams function and find that how a group interacts is much more important than who is in the group – a principle, it turns out, that also helps explain why Saturday Night Live became a hit.
A Marine Corps general, faced with low morale among recruits, reimagines boot camp – and discovers that instilling a “bias toward action” can turn even the most directionless teenagers into self-motivating achievers.
The filmmakers behind Disney’s Frozen are nearly out of time and on the brink of catastrophe – until they shake up their team in just the right way, spurring a creative breakthrough that leads to one of the highest-grossing movies of all time.
What do these people have in common?
They know that productivity relies on making certain choices. The way we see ourselves and frame our daily decisions; the big ambitions we embrace and the easy goals we ignore; the cultures we establish as leaders to drive innovation; the way we interact with data: These are the things that separate the merely busy from the genuinely productive.
At the core of Smarter Faster Better are eight key concepts – from motivation and goal setting to focus and decision making – that explain why some people and companies get so much done. Drawing on the latest findings in neuroscience, psychology, and behavioral economics – as well as the experiences of CEOs, educational reformers, four-star generals, FBI agents, airplane pilots, and Broadway songwriters – this painstakingly researched book explains that the most productive people, companies, and organizations don’t merely act differently. They view the world, and their choices, in profoundly different ways.
An instant classic – couldn’t put it down Having recently read the Power of Habit, I have been hooked on Duhigg’s insightful research and approachable writing style. With Smart Faster Better, I was hoping for more of the same, and it definitely delivered.Â
This book can literally change your life. I wish I was exposed to these things all along. First let me tell you where I am at, and then we can better understand where I am going and what a profound impact this book is having on me. So where I am is that I am somewhat of a perfectionist. Consequently I make jobs a lot more arduous than they need to be. While I am pining over every little detail others are soaring ahead in what is essential. I marvel at creating to do lists no matter how trivial and am delighted when at the end of the day I have most of them checked off as…
Too much reliance on anecdote to prove its points Charles Duhigg is a good journalist (his share of a Pulitzer Prize proves that), and his book Smarter Faster Better is a good read. I enjoyed reading it. It’s inspiring and insightful.Â