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How To Have A Good Day: Think Bigger, Feel Better and Transform Your Working Life by Caroline Webb
victorfrank's review against another edition
5.0
This book should be called “how to be an effective adult.” Although nominally it’s about how to have a good day at work, it covers a whole lot more. The book revolves around three themes:
1. The brain’s activity is split across System 1 (deliberate and controlled) and System 2 (automatic and instinctive).
2. The discover-defend axis: Our brains function best when it’s in discovery mode instead of defending against perceived threats.
3. Mind and body are deeply entwined. Simple physical interventions can immediately boost our intellectual performance, emotional resilience, and personal confidence.
Webb then applies these themes to seven main areas: Priorities, Productivity, Relationships, Thinking, Influence, Resilience, and Energy. For each of these, she gives practical, scientifically-sound principles that I’m sure have been tested up and down the halls of her famously meticulous consulting firm McKinsey & Co.
For example, to boost your energy, do these six things: think about three good things; engage in random kindness; find something interesting; give yourself a quick win; make time for human connection; find the personal purpose; and smile. To beat back procrastination, use implementation intentions, e.g. “When I first sit at my desk, I will write for 15min.” Intrinsic motivation works better than extrinsic motivation, so find your inner why. Boost your brainpower by scheduling blocks of deep thinking time, engineering your environment, prioritizing your sleep (HUGE!) and doing a short burst of aerobic exercise.
This one book is more like a summary of 12 books on productivity and self-management, boiled down to their most useful essence and presented in a highly structured, user-friendly package. Each chapter has a one-page summary, and there are three appendices at the end for mastering meetings, email, and reinvigorating your routine.
This is a superb guide and reference for getting life right. 10/10
-- Ali Binazir, M.D., M.Phil., Happiness Engineer and author of [b: The Tao of Dating: The Smart Woman's Guide to Being Absolutely Irresistible|33977456|The Tao of Dating The Smart Woman's Guide to Being Absolutely Irresistible|Ali Binazir|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1485248157s/33977456.jpg|13580088], the highest-rated dating book on Amazon for 4 years, and [b: Should I Go to Medical School?: An Irreverent Guide to the Pros and Cons of a Career in Medicine|34099644|Should I Go to Medical School An Irreverent Guide to the Pros and Cons of a Career in Medicine|Ali Binazir|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1486004834s/34099644.jpg|55119946]
1. The brain’s activity is split across System 1 (deliberate and controlled) and System 2 (automatic and instinctive).
2. The discover-defend axis: Our brains function best when it’s in discovery mode instead of defending against perceived threats.
3. Mind and body are deeply entwined. Simple physical interventions can immediately boost our intellectual performance, emotional resilience, and personal confidence.
Webb then applies these themes to seven main areas: Priorities, Productivity, Relationships, Thinking, Influence, Resilience, and Energy. For each of these, she gives practical, scientifically-sound principles that I’m sure have been tested up and down the halls of her famously meticulous consulting firm McKinsey & Co.
For example, to boost your energy, do these six things: think about three good things; engage in random kindness; find something interesting; give yourself a quick win; make time for human connection; find the personal purpose; and smile. To beat back procrastination, use implementation intentions, e.g. “When I first sit at my desk, I will write for 15min.” Intrinsic motivation works better than extrinsic motivation, so find your inner why. Boost your brainpower by scheduling blocks of deep thinking time, engineering your environment, prioritizing your sleep (HUGE!) and doing a short burst of aerobic exercise.
This one book is more like a summary of 12 books on productivity and self-management, boiled down to their most useful essence and presented in a highly structured, user-friendly package. Each chapter has a one-page summary, and there are three appendices at the end for mastering meetings, email, and reinvigorating your routine.
This is a superb guide and reference for getting life right. 10/10
-- Ali Binazir, M.D., M.Phil., Happiness Engineer and author of [b: The Tao of Dating: The Smart Woman's Guide to Being Absolutely Irresistible|33977456|The Tao of Dating The Smart Woman's Guide to Being Absolutely Irresistible|Ali Binazir|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1485248157s/33977456.jpg|13580088], the highest-rated dating book on Amazon for 4 years, and [b: Should I Go to Medical School?: An Irreverent Guide to the Pros and Cons of a Career in Medicine|34099644|Should I Go to Medical School An Irreverent Guide to the Pros and Cons of a Career in Medicine|Ali Binazir|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1486004834s/34099644.jpg|55119946]
jakeyjake's review against another edition
4.0
How we spend our days is how we spend our life. Annie Dillard
jaclynday's review against another edition
3.0
Enjoyed this, but found it repetitive of several other similar books in the genre. I liked the recaps at the close of each chapter. Most of my issues with it stem from the fact that it feels bloated--like an overlong blog post.
jinnayah's review against another edition
3.0
From the introduction, I was expecting that Webb had taken research that was not readily available to laymen, developed practical implementations in her consulting, and had now put them in a book.
In actuality, How To Have A Good Day is mostly regurgitating other popular behavioral science and productivity books that you have probably already read or or at least seen summarized if you've done any reading in these areas at all: Thinking Fast and Slow, Getting Things Done, Drive, Good To Great, Nudge, The Power of Habit, and so on.
If you're new to this genre, it's an OK introduction. If you've already read the big hitters, you've basically already read this book.
In actuality, How To Have A Good Day is mostly regurgitating other popular behavioral science and productivity books that you have probably already read or or at least seen summarized if you've done any reading in these areas at all: Thinking Fast and Slow, Getting Things Done, Drive, Good To Great, Nudge, The Power of Habit, and so on.
If you're new to this genre, it's an OK introduction. If you've already read the big hitters, you've basically already read this book.
jensteerswell's review against another edition
2.0
I read this because my book club chose it, but my kind of self-help is The Anatomy of Melancholy, not this. She claims it's all based on science, but what she provides is a very vague and general anecdote, followed by very vague and general advice on how that person applied these techniques. The subjects are always successful, but it's not clear why, because the evidence is so broad. She cites no statistics or large-scale studies in her text, only anecdata.
A lot of the advice is shallow, and gives no concrete steps on how to achieve it. For example, there's an entire section on how poorly you perform when you're tired. True, but her advice is to get more sleep. She just assumes that the only reason you aren't sleeping enough is that you've been sacrificing it to get more work done. Very helpful.
A lot of the advice is shallow, and gives no concrete steps on how to achieve it. For example, there's an entire section on how poorly you perform when you're tired. True, but her advice is to get more sleep. She just assumes that the only reason you aren't sleeping enough is that you've been sacrificing it to get more work done. Very helpful.
melmetzger's review against another edition
2.0
Actually didn't finish. Maybe I'm not in the right mindset for this, maybe it's because it seems to repeat a lot of what I've heard/read in other titles.
tpanik's review against another edition
2.0
A dense, slow read. Spare yourself the disappointment by flipping right to the appendices. Those who get past the happiness Kool-Aid that permeates the opening chapters will garner a few helpful tips on how word choice, tone, and intention can influence and even redirect a work day.
indogirlsteef29's review against another edition
5.0
Well writen and very practical book to improve every aspect in your everyday life. Needs to be reread to fully grasp these concepts and to develop habits that stick.