Reviews for Smarter Faster Better

by Charles Duhigg

Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

Investigative reporter Duhigg defines productivity as attempting to realize the most meaningful rewards with the best uses of our energy, intellect, and time by learning to succeed with less effort and stress and by efficiently accomplishing tasks without sacrificing other priorities. His eight concepts to expand productivity include innovation, motivation, mental models, and the correct way to set goals. A skillful storyteller, the author weaves his thought-provoking ideas into lessons learned from interviews of businesspeople, government leaders, psychologists, and others. One standout anecdote tells how, under enormous time pressure, with its creative team spinning, Disney promoted an underling to be, effectively, a film's codirector. This shake-up launched the all-time highest-grossing animated film, Frozen. We also learn about the world's most famous woman poker player, whose mastery of decision making stems from leaning to live with uncertainty and constantly updating her assumptions while thinking probabilistically having the ability to hold multiple conflicting outcomes in your mind and estimate their relative likelihoods. This is an excellent book, suitable for most public libraries.--Whaley, Mary Copyright 2016 Booklist


Library Journal
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Everyone is busy, but not everyone is productive, says New York Times reporter Duhigg (The Power of Habit), who here explores the hows and whys of eight ideas that he feels are most important to expand effectiveness in the workplace. By using case studies, research reports, and experiences from a variety of industries, the author hopes to make everyone smarter, faster, and better at what needs to be accomplished, and to understand why some people and companies are more efficient than others. While the chapters deal with such topics as motivation, psychological safety in teams, focus, goal setting, and absorbing data, the examples are so enjoyable that Duhigg's point often tends to get lost. Other concepts include creative desperation, information blindness, reactive thinking, and cognitive tunneling. Even the notes section at the end makes for a compelling narrative. VERDICT Although a fascinating read in which the pages turn quickly, the author's goals may not have been realized. For readers who enjoy their business lessons disguised as entertaining stories, although in this case, absorbing the main arguments will require diligence.-Bonnie A. Tollefson, Rogue Valley Manor Lib., Medford, OR © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.


Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Why some people are more productive than others. Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times reporter Duhigg follows up his bestselling The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business (2012) with a revealing, brightly written exploration of the ways in which successful people make the right choices necessary to succeed with less effort. Drawing on research studies and innumerable interviews with neurologists, businesspeople, government leaders, and psychologists, the author identifies a series of key ideas that help expand productivity. In absorbing stories from every corner of life, he shows how these ideas explain why some people get so much done. Each chapter offers a remarkable blend of anecdotes and science illustrating concepts that clearly have much to offer individuals and companies striving for greater productivity. In Marine Corps training and nursing homes, he finds people are more motivated when they feel in control. Teams like the original group that created Saturday Night Live thrive in a place made safe for risk-taking. In accounts of the experiences of FBI agents, educators, airline pilots, and others, Duhigg explains the importance of creating mental models ("we must take control of our attention"), having large ambitions and realistic plans (rather than "achievable but inconsequential goals"), and managing people successfully in a culture of commitment and trust. In making decisionsin poker, for instancewe must see the future as having multiple possibilities. In innovating, we must be mindful that fast originality often lies in using proven ideas from elsewhere in new ways. Finally, in workplaces inundated with information, we can learn from data by actually doing something with it, as happened in the recent overhaul of the Cincinnati public school system. In each instance, Duhigg shows an uncanny ability to find just the right exciting example of productivity-boosting methods, leaving readers to nod in recognition that they might act in the same way to improve their lives and work. Highly informative and entertaining and certain to have wide appeal. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.