A groundbreaking examination of productivity, from the author of the bestselling The Power of Habit.
In the international bestseller The Power of Habit, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Charles Duhigg explained why we do what we do. In Smarter Faster Better, he applies the same relentless curiosity, rigorous reporting and rich storytelling to explain how we can get better at the things we do. The result is a groundbreaking exploration of the science of productivity.
A group of data scientists at Google embark on a four-year study of how the best teams function, and find that how a group interacts is much more important than who is in the group.
A Marine Corps general, faced with low morale among recruits, reimagines boot camp – and discovers that instilling a ‘bias toward action' can turn even the most directionless teenagers into self-motivating achievers.
The filmmakers behind Disney's Frozen are on the brink of catastrophe – until they shake up their team in just the right way, spurring a creative breakthrough that leads to one of the highest-grossing movies of all time.
What do these people have in common?
They know that productivity relies on making certain choices. The way we frame our daily decisions; the big ambitions we embrace and the easy goals we ignore; the cultures we establish as leaders to drive innovation: these are the things that separate the merely busy from the genuinely productive.
At the core of Smarter Faster Better are eight key concepts – from motivation and goal-setting to focus and decision-making – that explain why some people and companies get so much done. Drawing on the latest findings in neuroscience, psychology and behavioural economics – as well as the experiences of CEOs, educational reformers, four-star generals, airplane pilots and Broadway songwriters – this painstakingly researched book explains that the most productive people, companies and organizations don't merely act differently.
They view the world, and their choices, in profoundly different ways.
About the Author
Charles Duhigg is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter for The New York Times and the author of The Power of Habit. He is a winner of the National Academies of Sciences, National Journalism, and George Polk awards. A graduate of Harvard Business School and Yale College, he lives in Brooklyn with his wife and two children.
Industry Reviews
"As he did in The Power of Habit, Duhigg melds cutting-edge science, deep reporting, and wide-ranging stories to give us a fuller, more human way of thinking about how productivity actually happens." -- Susan Cain, author of QUIET
"Duhigg uses engaging storytelling to highlight fascinating research and core principles that we can all learn and use in our daily lives. A masterful must-read for anyone who wants to get more (and more creative) stuff done." -- David Allen, author of GETTING THINGS DONE
"Duhigg has a gift for asking just the right question, and then igniting the same curiosity in the rest of us. In Smarter Faster Better he finds provocative answers to a riddle of our age." -- Jim Collins, author of GOOD TO GREAT
"There are valuable lessons in Smarter Faster Better . . . I never felt like putting it down." * Financial Times *
"Duhigg brings impressive reportorial and narrative skills to the project." * Spectator *
