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After receiving a surprising email from a super-productive
fellow author, Charles Duhigg wondered that same thing. The
answer, as he came to see, is in seven parts.
Productive people, first of all, know how to motivate
themselves, which “is triggered by making choices that
demonstrate… control.” They also can clearly determine the
“why” for their actions.
In a team setting, productivity zooms when
individuals are allowed to speak without fear of fallout.
Team members don’t have to be close friends, Duhigg says,
but they do need to understand that the others got their
back.
While focus may seem to be a productive thing, Duhigg
says that it depends on the type of focus. “Cognitive
tunneling” can cause projects to crash. Reactive thinking
may be too rash. Instead, “cultivate a habit of imagining”
the way things can and should be.
Set goals, but learn how to make them both SMART and
stretchy. Manage wisely by letting the person
“closest to a problem” be in charge of fixing the problem.
Learn to make decisions by becoming a prognosticator.
Look to your own life and experiences to spark innovation,
but don’t panic if chaos ensues for a short time and don’t
let a good idea hide a better alternative. And finally,
learn how to absorb data by eating the metaphoric
elephant, one bite at a time.
So many tasks, so little time? You won’t feel that way
again, once you’ve read and applied Smarter Faster Better
to your work and life.
Author Charles Duhigg indicates in several places in his
book that humans learn by telling stories and that’s exactly
what he does here: to illustrate each of his seven main
points, Duhigg employs tales from Toyota, Disney, the FBI,
technology, medicine, the Marine Corps, and other businesses
and organizations. Those anecdotes clearly show how each
brain-trick leads to achieving what needs to be done, and
how they fit in with the other six methods. What’s
especially nice is that these are all productivity boosters
that you can employ immediately after reading them and that
you’ll get better at, with practice.
If you’re thinking ahead to graduation, this is a great book
to give. It’s the perfect shape for that empty spot on your
bookshelf. If you want success to be your super power, then
Smarter Faster Better may help you leap over the
competition in a single bound. |
