Charles Duhigg has done it again, this time with his new book, Smarter Faster Better. It’s already a New York Times Best seller.
The author talks to researchers who mine data from a recruiting firm looking for clues about the personalities and work habits of exceedingly productive people.
Data show that the most productive people know how to focus. They constantly try to develop new skills and meet with new people. They throw out ideas at meetings and eagerly solicit help from colleagues. Constant conversation helps them figure out how to focus their attention where it is needed.
At the core of Smarter Faster Better are eight key concepts, from motivation and goal setting, to focus and decision making, they explain why some people get so much done.
Duhigg also draws on the latest findings in neuroscience, psychology, and behavioral economics. He studies the experiences of CEOs, educational reformers, four-star generals and occupations where individuals have to make decisions.
He finds that the most productive people and organizations view the world and their choices in profoundly different ways. The ability to draw on personal knowledge and transfer it to a new setting is one of the strategies that drove the team behind Frozen.
An early screening flops and movie creators aren’t sure how to fix it. But they try to find ways to connect their own experiences with the lines of Anna and Elsa, the two sisters at the center of the film. These insights help make the music and the film successful.
“Every choice we make in life is an experiment,” Duhigg writes. He applies relentless curiosity, deep reporting and rich storytelling to explain how we can get smarter, faster and better.
