{Book Review} Smarter, Faster, Better: The Secrets of Being Productive in Life and Business

This book by Charles Duhigg instantly catches your attention with relevant and interesting stories about real life situations. Each of these stories lends to the point the author is trying to make and heightens the understanding of each productivity tip. He never leaves a story hanging, and gives useful advice throughout each chapter, enhancing it with more stories and results from studies. This book draws upon the knowledge gained from fields such as psychology, neuroscience and even behavioral economics. Throughout each chapter, approaches are discussed that can be easily implemented and improve our lives and lead to success. This book is not just about how to be productive, it provides so much more and guides thought patterns by giving the reader meaningful advice and providing practical and valuable lessons. This book, that encourages effectiveness at all levels will transform your daily activities and can be used to promote productive activities for individuals, groups and businesses alike. You can expect this book to be both informative and entertaining and highly appealing to all who have an interest in improving their productivity and overall success.

 The Basics

The basics of the book Smarter Faster Better focuses on eight important concepts – from ideas such as motivation and goal setting to focus and decision making. All are used to explain why some people and companies get so much more done. Drawing on the latest findings in neuroscience, psychology, and behavioral economics, not to mention the experiences of CEOs, educational reformers, four-star generals, FBI agents, airplane pilots, and Broadway songwriters. This meticulously researched book explains that the most productive people, companies, and organizations don’t just act differently. Productivity and success is a result of viewing the world and your choices in a profoundly different way.

Motivation

Personally, I have learnt a lot from this book and found it engaging and thorough. Each chapter was full of relatable anecdotes, studies that had been summed up and made easier to understand and useful tips. Not only was the advice explained in a way that anyone can understand, it was also practical and easy to transfer into your own life. My favorite chapter was on motivation, and I thoroughly enjoyed the neuroscience he brought into the stories. I have taken his advice and used it in my own life, giving myself more choices in order to take control of my world and feel more motivated to accomplish my goals (and even more)!

Faults

One fault I did have with the book was that some of the stories did become a bit too long-winded and the point could have been made without that much discussion about a topic that seems meaningless at first. The advice and so-called secrets tended to be buried deep within these stories and they take a while to become apparent. However, I only felt this way with some of the chapters, whereas others were intriguing and the lessons were obvious from the start.

Useful Advice

This book may not be particularly focused but it provides the readers with a diverse and broad overview of many tactics that can be considered when it comes to productivity. The advice is applicable in an individual’s everyday life and for larger groups or businesses as a whole. This book is well researched and written in an explorative way to reveal factors that make some people productive and successful and others not. Throughout the book he draws on information from experts in their fields to supplement the conversational stories and enhance the learning experience. This book is definitely worth the read, and I believe each individual will find something useful within it.

Have you read this book and what did you learn from it?