Status
Available
Collection
Publication
New York : Random House, [2016]
Description
Business. Psychology. Self-Improvement. Nonfiction. HTML:NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER â?˘ The author of The Power of Habit and â??master of the life hackâ?ť (GQ) explores the fascinating science of productivity and offers real-world takeaways to apply your life, whether youâ??re chasing peak productivity or simply trying to get back on track. â??Duhigg melds cutting-edge science, deep reporting, and wide-ranging stories to give us a fuller, more human way of thinking about how productivity actually happens.â?ťâ??Susan Cain, author of Quiet In The Power of Habit, Pulitzer Prizeâ??winning journalist Charles Duhigg explained why we do what we do. In Smarter Faster Better, he applies the same relentless curiosity and rich storytelling to how we can improve at the things we do. At the core of Smarter Faster Better are eight key conceptsâ??from motivation and goal setting to focus and decision makingâ??that explain why some people and companies get so much done. Drawing on the latest findings in neuroscience, psychology, and behavioral economicsâ??as well as the experiences of CEOs, educational reformers, four-star generals, FBI agents, airplane pilots, and Broadway songwritersâ??this book reveals that the most productive people, companies, and organizations donâ??t merely act differently. They view the world, and their choices, in profoundly different ways. Smarter Faster Better is a story-filled exploration of the science of productivity, one that can help us learn to succeed with less stress and struggleâ??and become smarte… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member rivkat
Behavioral psych as self-help book! I liked it. Lessons from the military, Google, psychology experiments, etc. on motivating oneself. It’s useful to explicitly articulate why your choices are affirmations of your values and goals: when you say out loud “I’m doing this because I want to
I also liked the discussion of creativity, which often comes from “taking proven, conventional ideas from other settings and combining them in new ways”—that’s how I’ve always thought of creativity; I don’t believe there’s anything new under the sun, but there are useful and pleasing ways of re-presenting ideas. I learned about one study of top-cited papers that found that 90% of what was in these highly creative and generative manuscripts had been published elsewhere, but the creative authors applied the concepts to questions in ways that others hadn’t. “A lot of the people we think of as exceptionally creative are essentially intellectual middlemen,” according to another expert, which seems just right to me. The creativity chapter also includes a great story about the development of Disney’s Frozen, which started off terrible and became great as the team figured out the story it really wanted to tell.
And I really appreciated the discussion of why students should handwrite class notes—because translating what goes on in class into your own language, and struggling through the effort of condensing material in order to write down only the key points, requires an engagement that leads to better memory and better learning in the long run despite the initial difficulty. I’m a bit of a hypocrite here, because I could always write fast enough to take near verbatim notes of important stuff, but I always also did my own processing and wrote commentary as I went, and I still do (or try to, anyway) when I now take notes on a computer. The takeaway is that real learning requires “some kind of operation,” such as using a new word in a sentence, whether written or spoken.
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…” you are more likely to stick to the choice by linking small tasks to broader aspirations. Duhigg emphasizes that you have to clarify both—small tasks alone leave you stranded or maximizing the wrong things; big goals alone leave you with no path to them. Having the goals and breaking them into manageable parts is the balanced path. I definitely struggle with crossing off items on my to-do list just for the immediate thrill of having done them, without necessarily making progress on my larger aspirations—as one of the experts in the book says, using a to-do list for “mood repair” rather than for productivity. I also liked the discussion of creativity, which often comes from “taking proven, conventional ideas from other settings and combining them in new ways”—that’s how I’ve always thought of creativity; I don’t believe there’s anything new under the sun, but there are useful and pleasing ways of re-presenting ideas. I learned about one study of top-cited papers that found that 90% of what was in these highly creative and generative manuscripts had been published elsewhere, but the creative authors applied the concepts to questions in ways that others hadn’t. “A lot of the people we think of as exceptionally creative are essentially intellectual middlemen,” according to another expert, which seems just right to me. The creativity chapter also includes a great story about the development of Disney’s Frozen, which started off terrible and became great as the team figured out the story it really wanted to tell.
And I really appreciated the discussion of why students should handwrite class notes—because translating what goes on in class into your own language, and struggling through the effort of condensing material in order to write down only the key points, requires an engagement that leads to better memory and better learning in the long run despite the initial difficulty. I’m a bit of a hypocrite here, because I could always write fast enough to take near verbatim notes of important stuff, but I always also did my own processing and wrote commentary as I went, and I still do (or try to, anyway) when I now take notes on a computer. The takeaway is that real learning requires “some kind of operation,” such as using a new word in a sentence, whether written or spoken.
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LibraryThing member strandbooks
"Productivity is about recognizing choices that other people often overlook. It's about making certain decisions in certain ways:
The way we choose to see our lives
The stories we tell ourselves
The goals we push ourselves to spell out in detail
The culture we establish among teammates
The way we frame
This is the second book I've read by Duhig. Although I liked the habit book better, I took a lot of notes while reading this one. His introduction starts off about Atul Gawande and duhig wondering how one person can be so productive. This is what made him research the topic, but alas, he never got a chance to interview Gawande which I'd love to read.I like that he incorporates research with anecdotes. My favorite chapters were about building effective teams, managing others and staying motivated. It's nice that the appendix boils everything down.
The way we choose to see our lives
The stories we tell ourselves
The goals we push ourselves to spell out in detail
The culture we establish among teammates
The way we frame
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our choices and manage the information in our lives."This is the second book I've read by Duhig. Although I liked the habit book better, I took a lot of notes while reading this one. His introduction starts off about Atul Gawande and duhig wondering how one person can be so productive. This is what made him research the topic, but alas, he never got a chance to interview Gawande which I'd love to read.I like that he incorporates research with anecdotes. My favorite chapters were about building effective teams, managing others and staying motivated. It's nice that the appendix boils everything down.
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LibraryThing member RhodesDavis
Though I have read many productivity books in the past, I don't read many now due to the repeated advice, some of which seems like theory to the author and not their actual practice. I usually skim the books to look for a different approach but gave special attention to this one because of the
I was already a fan of Duhigg after the insightful book The Power of Habit. He typically presents good support material, diverse views on the topic, and a tendency to plunge below the surface of "accepted knowledge." The book addresses productivity as it relates to motivation, teams, focus, goal setting, managing others, decision making, innovation, and absorbing data. He draws on research and anecdotal evidence from a broad spectrum of society, not just the business world as is the case with many productivity books. The author is a good storyteller and uses suspense very well to cycle between the narrative and the research. I found myself tense after reading the account of Qantas flight 32. The appendix is especially valuable because Duhigg describes the application of the productivity areas discussed in each chapter to his own challenges in writing the book.
Although Duhigg describes some techniques for enhancing the productivity areas described above, he mostly outlines the science and principles of improved performance, leaving the reader to determine how to apply them to their personal and professional life. I made several notes of techniques that I will integrate into my own productivity processes. Whether you use a Cove or GTD type approach, the discussion of goal setting and focus will enhance and mesh with the principles of those systems.
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author. I was already a fan of Duhigg after the insightful book The Power of Habit. He typically presents good support material, diverse views on the topic, and a tendency to plunge below the surface of "accepted knowledge." The book addresses productivity as it relates to motivation, teams, focus, goal setting, managing others, decision making, innovation, and absorbing data. He draws on research and anecdotal evidence from a broad spectrum of society, not just the business world as is the case with many productivity books. The author is a good storyteller and uses suspense very well to cycle between the narrative and the research. I found myself tense after reading the account of Qantas flight 32. The appendix is especially valuable because Duhigg describes the application of the productivity areas discussed in each chapter to his own challenges in writing the book.
Although Duhigg describes some techniques for enhancing the productivity areas described above, he mostly outlines the science and principles of improved performance, leaving the reader to determine how to apply them to their personal and professional life. I made several notes of techniques that I will integrate into my own productivity processes. Whether you use a Cove or GTD type approach, the discussion of goal setting and focus will enhance and mesh with the principles of those systems.
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LibraryThing member tgraettinger
Good, but not great. I like the Appendix at the end of the book that tries to boil down the central points from each of the chapters. It runs several pages, but a 1-pager would be better.
LibraryThing member Daniel.Estes
Charlies Duhigg has surprised me and exceeded my expectations once again. Similar to his last book, the critically-acclaimed Power of Habit, I was expecting Smarter Faster Better to be kind of dumbed down for the business/corporate crowd, but this book is much to smart for that.
LibraryThing member brianinbuffalo
At the risk of sounding flippant, Duhigg should have been smarter, better and faster at pinpointing strategies for improving productivity.
Some communicators ascribe to the belief that the four most important words in journalism are “tell me a story.” This book takes this principle to an extreme
Unfortunately, the “secrets” for becoming more productive could easily be fit on a double-spaced piece of 8 1/2 X 11" paper.
Don’t get me wrong. Some of the ground covered by Duhigg is valuable. His case studies that chronicle the benefits of setting audacious or “stretched” goals offer important insights. The advantages of what he calls “bullet train thinking” can help boost productivity. But other tips fall into the class of “Productivity 101.” Example: pay attention to those goals/tasks that really matter and practice ignoring the less-important goals.
Still, I suspect many readers who are eager to find new tactics for becoming more productive will conclude lessons contained in this book could have been presented in a more efficient manner.
Some communicators ascribe to the belief that the four most important words in journalism are “tell me a story.” This book takes this principle to an extreme
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– especially for readers who presumably are bent on becoming more efficient. Scenarios that could have been effectively recounted in a lively but tightly-written page-long anecdote drag on far longer than warranted or necessary. I found myself skimming numerous passages until I hit the proverbial “punch lines” or, as Duhigg describes them, “secrets.”Unfortunately, the “secrets” for becoming more productive could easily be fit on a double-spaced piece of 8 1/2 X 11" paper.
Don’t get me wrong. Some of the ground covered by Duhigg is valuable. His case studies that chronicle the benefits of setting audacious or “stretched” goals offer important insights. The advantages of what he calls “bullet train thinking” can help boost productivity. But other tips fall into the class of “Productivity 101.” Example: pay attention to those goals/tasks that really matter and practice ignoring the less-important goals.
Still, I suspect many readers who are eager to find new tactics for becoming more productive will conclude lessons contained in this book could have been presented in a more efficient manner.
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LibraryThing member ShadowBarbara
Good updated information about how productivity can be increased in teams, decision-making, learning.
LibraryThing member jpsnow
This is a full of deep insights about being productive, individually and in partnership with others. In a world of various hacks, I found it meaningful to read something rooted in empirical cases and the underlying psychology. A lot of the concepts tie to how our human minds work. Visualizing,
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teaching to others, and manipulating data manually are all ways of reinforcing the cognitive loop. (Side note: this was the first non-fiction book I read on Kindle. I found it harder to integrate the concepts into a coherent whole, but I do now have a handy collection of the excerpts that stood out to me.) Show Less
LibraryThing member nicdevera
Some good anecdotes but no main idea this time, so it's all over the map
LibraryThing member Alice210
Very well-written, engaging investigations into why some individuals and teams function effectively. The chapters on Focus and Innovation are particularly compelling. A few take-homes for the reader form an appendix at the end.
LibraryThing member KyleLanser
Good book on Productivity, covers lots of different but related topics.
Demonstrates:
- Productivity is a skill that can be improved.
- Creativity & Innovation are skills that can be improved.
- Innovation is combining old things in new ways.
- Creating mental models helps with focus in stressful
- Create Achievable goals - success on the small stuff is encouraging.
- Create Stretch goals - having a hard goal encourages innovation.
Related to: Start With Why
Because: People work harder when they can find a Why behind their actions.
Demonstrates:
- Productivity is a skill that can be improved.
- Creativity & Innovation are skills that can be improved.
- Innovation is combining old things in new ways.
- Creating mental models helps with focus in stressful
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situations- Create Achievable goals - success on the small stuff is encouraging.
- Create Stretch goals - having a hard goal encourages innovation.
Related to: Start With Why
Because: People work harder when they can find a Why behind their actions.
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LibraryThing member libraryhead
Lots of interesting insights at the intersection of business and psychology. I got a lot from the chapters on group process and goal setting. Reminiscent of Malcolm Gladwell in use of moderately entertaining anecdotes to make a point. Very little about productivity, in terms of getting more done --
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more a focus on being successful overall. Show Less
LibraryThing member BraveNewBks
I read Duhigg's previous book, The Power of Habit, and found it fresh and thought-provoking. I expected more of the same from this one.
Unfortunately, this feels a lot more like a retread of some b-school case studies. Toyota's factory successes, Annie Duke's poker strategies, GE's smart goals,
All in all, some helpful reminders and good examples, but for anyone who's done any reading about corporate culture and experimental business models, there's not much to get excited about.
Note: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
Unfortunately, this feels a lot more like a retread of some b-school case studies. Toyota's factory successes, Annie Duke's poker strategies, GE's smart goals,
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data-driven but hands-on education reforms... most of these are fairly well-known stories. The only major examples that were unfamiliar to me were the conflicting airplane emergency stories (one that crashed horrifically for no good reason, and one that one that landed miraculously despite mechanical failures). But they are used to illustrate the importance of mental modeling and avoiding tunnel vision, which are hardly new concepts. All in all, some helpful reminders and good examples, but for anyone who's done any reading about corporate culture and experimental business models, there's not much to get excited about.
Note: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
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LibraryThing member decaturmamaof2
I really enjoyed reading this book - it is that rare combination of good writing and useful, actionable insights! Thank you Mr. Duhigg!
LibraryThing member PlanCultivateCreate
Great tips for both professional and personal productivity illustrated by real-world examples.
LibraryThing member dmturner
Duhigg is a thorough and very readable writer who tells useful stories and organizes ideas well. I enjoyed his book on developing habits, so I picked up Smarter Faster Better when it came out. At first, I was less interested in it, because unlike The Power of Habit it seemed less content-driven and
Anyone who has read many of this kind of books will be familiar with the assertions in it, of course. Successful people have a strong locus of control, remind themselves of why they are doing things rather than being too task-focused, encourage psychological safety in their teams, avoid cognitive tunneling and reactive thinking by visualizing what things should look like, and create mental models. They set both stretch and SMART goals, create commitment cultures, think probabilistically and see the future as a collection of potential possibilities. They take ideas from other settings, pay attention to how things make them feel and think, and reframe situations to create tension and dissonance. They make data disfluent and process it actively rather than absorbing it passively, and they break problems into smaller pieces to make it easier to process. What makes the book worth reading is the combination of well-analyzed narrative and good research, which allow the reader to envision putting the ideas into action.
That is: A readable and worthwhile book, more conventional and focusing closer to the ground than The Power of Habit.
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more narrative, a conventional self-help book. I even gave up on it for a while. But then, when I finished it finally and went back to skim it for main ideas, I realized it had a nicely coherent and well-researched set of ideas for making effective decisions. Anyone who has read many of this kind of books will be familiar with the assertions in it, of course. Successful people have a strong locus of control, remind themselves of why they are doing things rather than being too task-focused, encourage psychological safety in their teams, avoid cognitive tunneling and reactive thinking by visualizing what things should look like, and create mental models. They set both stretch and SMART goals, create commitment cultures, think probabilistically and see the future as a collection of potential possibilities. They take ideas from other settings, pay attention to how things make them feel and think, and reframe situations to create tension and dissonance. They make data disfluent and process it actively rather than absorbing it passively, and they break problems into smaller pieces to make it easier to process. What makes the book worth reading is the combination of well-analyzed narrative and good research, which allow the reader to envision putting the ideas into action.
That is: A readable and worthwhile book, more conventional and focusing closer to the ground than The Power of Habit.
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LibraryThing member LDVoorberg
Super easy to read -- the writing isn't frenetic, but it does move you along quickly. I'm not sure what it is about the writing that does that, but if I had listened to the audiobook instead of reading it, I would have felt like it was on 1.5x, but I had a hard copy, so I controlled the speed. Yet
That said, it's not as good as The Power of Habits. That book had a clear theme at its centre and then looked at it from many angles. This book is a bit more like Duhigg had a lot of awesome anecdotes and smaller themes and then quilted them together. It works, especially if you take it chapter by chapter (which makes it easy pick up and put down and leave it alone for a while before moving on to the next chapter), but it's not as strong as a unit.
That's not to say there isn't good stuff in this book. I did take notes at the end of each chapter, though Duhigg has a great Appendix in which he explains how he took the advice from the book to write the book, and there you'll find great succinct summaries of each section for your own notes. In fact, the Appendix might be the best part of the book: a clear tangible application of the book's wisdom that is grounded in reality. (Too many self-betterment books are so penthouse-level in their examples and models that the advice can feel unachievable for its loftiness; not here. Duhigg is just like the rest of us with his procrastination and distractions.)
Don't be deceived by the page count -- the endnotes are so robust that they take up more pages than the best chapter (#1), and the print is big, the keening generous. It's not actually a long book, and because it's such an easy, fast read, it's no trouble to get through and start applying.
So go ahead, read it!
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every time, it was like getting on a train instead of walking -- in a good way! That is, the book does not plod along like some follow-up self-helps do.That said, it's not as good as The Power of Habits. That book had a clear theme at its centre and then looked at it from many angles. This book is a bit more like Duhigg had a lot of awesome anecdotes and smaller themes and then quilted them together. It works, especially if you take it chapter by chapter (which makes it easy pick up and put down and leave it alone for a while before moving on to the next chapter), but it's not as strong as a unit.
That's not to say there isn't good stuff in this book. I did take notes at the end of each chapter, though Duhigg has a great Appendix in which he explains how he took the advice from the book to write the book, and there you'll find great succinct summaries of each section for your own notes. In fact, the Appendix might be the best part of the book: a clear tangible application of the book's wisdom that is grounded in reality. (Too many self-betterment books are so penthouse-level in their examples and models that the advice can feel unachievable for its loftiness; not here. Duhigg is just like the rest of us with his procrastination and distractions.)
Don't be deceived by the page count -- the endnotes are so robust that they take up more pages than the best chapter (#1), and the print is big, the keening generous. It's not actually a long book, and because it's such an easy, fast read, it's no trouble to get through and start applying.
So go ahead, read it!
Show Less
LibraryThing member jamestomasino
Some decent take-aways here.
LibraryThing member wvlibrarydude
Good stories to illustrate the suggestions on raising productivity. I really enjoyed the background on the making of Frozen, and especially the chapter on working with teams.