In the book, Bennett addressed the large and growing number of white-collar workers that had accumulated since the advent of the Industrial Revolution. In his view, these workers put in eight hours a day, 40 hours a week, at jobs they did not enjoy, and at worst hated. They worked to make a living, but their daily existence consisted of waking up, getting ready for work, working as little as possible during the work day, going home, unwinding, going to sleep, and repeating the process the next day. In short, he didn’t believe they were really living. Bennett addressed this problem by urging these “salarymen” to seize their extra time, and make the most of it to improve themselves. Extra time could be found at the beginning of the day, by waking up early, and on the ride to work, on the way home from work, in the evening hours, and especially during the weekends. During this time, he prescribed improvement measures such as reading great literature, taking an interest in the arts, reflecting on life, and learning self-discipline. Bennett wrote that time is the most precious of commodities. He said that many books have been written on how to live on a certain amount of money each day. And he added that the old adage “time is money” understates the matter, as time can often produce money, but money cannot produce more time. Time is extremely limited, and Bennett urged others to make the best of the time remaining in their lives. This book has seen increased appeal in recent years due to the explosion of the self-improvement phenomenon, and the book has much relevance in today’s world.
A timless self-help book that can work for everyone. Though it was written 90 years ago, “How To Live” addresses the inadequacies, frustrations, disappointments of people today in all walks of life and it does so with humor and wisdom. A daily dose of “How To Live” is at least as nourishing for the brain and soul as a multi-vitamin for the body. Arnold Bennett created a classic of its kind, a self-help book that really helps.
Time, our most precious commodity, is yours to cherish It is hard to imagine that this little book could be so persuasive. I consider it a classic, and an early precusor to many others that have attempted to demonstrate how time is our own and ours to manage and expand our boundaries of our selves. In the thirty minutes it takes to read, you will be left forever vigilant, and will never sit idle, unless you consciously choose to sit idle, while you ride a train, wait for plane, or drive home from what once may have been a routine. Read it,…
An Excellent Book on Time Management Arnold Bennett’s book “How to Live on 24 Hours a Day” is an excellent piece of classic work. Arnold Bennett (for those of you who don’t know) was a popular English novelist in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s.Â