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How to Live on 24 Hours a Day

by Arnold Bennett

3.46 of 5 stars 3.46 · rating details · 567 ratings · 121 reviews

Unabridged audiobook in MP3 format.

Kindle Edition, 52 pages

Published (first published 1910)

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Apr 10, 2013 Peter Heinrich rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: nonfiction, humor

Flowery and funny self-help from the turn of the (last) century, this little book was an uncanny, spot-on description of my daily routine and how I often think of it. It was slightly shocking to hear my modern quotidian hang-ups called out by a guy addressing "clerks" in a time of 36-cent round-trip train tickets, since I tend to think of them as my personal hang-ups. As in, they're my cross to bear and no one else could possibly understand, yadda yadda yadda.

It was pleasantly deflating to be sh...more Flowery and funny self-help from the turn of the (last) century, this little book was an uncanny, spot-on description of my daily routine and how I often think of it. It was slightly shocking to hear my modern quotidian hang-ups called out by a guy addressing "clerks" in a time of 36-cent round-trip train tickets, since I tend to think of them as my personal hang-ups. As in, they're my cross to bear and no one else could possibly understand, yadda yadda yadda.

It was pleasantly deflating to be shown in no uncertain terms that my problems weren't new.

Some of my favorite quotes:

"I will continue to chat with my companions in distress—that innumerable band of souls who are haunted, more or less painfully, by the feeling that the years slip by, and slip by, and slip by, and that they have not yet been able to get their lives into proper working order."

"But he will not be tormented in the same way as the man who, desiring to reach Mecca, and harried by the desire to reach Mecca, never leaves Brixton."

"[Our aspiration] springs from a fixed idea that we ought to do something in addition to those things which we are loyally and morally obliged to do."

"Until an effort is made to satisfy that wish [to do something more], the sense of uneasy waiting for something to start which has not started will remain to disturb the peace of the soul."

"There is no magic method of beginning. If a man standing on the edge of a swimming-bath and wanting to jump into the cold water should ask you, 'How do I begin to jump?' you would merely reply, 'Just jump. Take hold of your nerves and jump.'"

"[Ardour] is eager to move mountains and divert the course of rivers. It isn't content till it perspires. And then, too often, when it feels the perspiration on its brow, it wearies all of a sudden and dies, without even putting itself to the trouble of saying, 'I've had enough of this.'"

"A failure or so, in itself, would not matter, if it did not incur a loss of self-esteem and of self-confidence."

"In the cultivation of the mind one of the most important factors is precisely the feeling of strain, of difficulty, of a task which one part of you is anxious to achieve and another part of you is anxious to shirk."

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Nov 14, 2008 Tricia rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: daily-lit, 2008

You might expect from the title that this book will be some kind of time management tome, but it is anything but that. The author is intent on making sure that people 'live' rather than merely 'exist'. He proposes just one method for this 'living': to use your time wisely and learn to expand your mind and concentration. Some of his advice may seem archaic, and yet it is still quite relevant today. In this age of mindless entertainment, it may be even more important to make an active decision in...more

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May 11, 2013 Andrea Ika rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Review : How to Live 24 hours a day
Favourite Quotes/points;

- "Sleep is party a matter of habit -- and of slackness"
- You can accomplish x2 in 1 morning hour than an evening hour
- After a long day of work, "look facts in the face and admit your not tired"
- Don't arrange evenings with dinner in the middle

-Employe 1 1/2 hours every other evening in some important and consecutive cultivation of the mind. However, give yourself a larger slot of time as life happens (9 - 11:30). Study a topic in this...more

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Feb 02, 2013 Eli rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

How to Live on 24 Hours a Day, a very short work, (or perhaps more appropriately called a pamphlet), by Arnold Bennett, insists on the very high importance of living to the fullest, constantly and with all expedience. It is not a time-management guide, (as the length and title would suggest), but more of a brief examination of the importance of truly living, as opposed to mere monotonous and melancholy existence. General aims, and the means to employ them are suggested, and the author, (whom I h...more How to Live on 24 Hours a Day, a very short work, (or perhaps more appropriately called a pamphlet), by Arnold Bennett, insists on the very high importance of living to the fullest, constantly and with all expedience. It is not a time-management guide, (as the length and title would suggest), but more of a brief examination of the importance of truly living, as opposed to mere monotonous and melancholy existence. General aims, and the means to employ them are suggested, and the author, (whom I have grown to admire), has a curt and tact way of asserting himself and what he has to say. It is surprising to note that a problem which I had thought only seriously prevalent in today's world of endless, (and usually mindless), electronic stimulation, that of a habitual and perpetual laziness from which follows an endless dissatisfaction with lack of accomplishment, existed in the pre-electronic world. Granted telephones, and possibly radios, would have been fairly common in 1910, it is practically nothing in comparison to today. I digress, however. I suppose this is one element of humanity that hasn't changed in a century.

The work starts with noting the preciousness of time; how it is a gift, (a gloriously beautiful one), and it is entirely taken for granted. How we have a constant and steady supply of it, entirely unmolested in the future. He then proceeds to say, (and he personifies a skeleton, pointing his finger at us in a tone of mockery), that all people are dissatisfied with their use of this so precious gift. That one who wishes to go to Mecca and never leaves Brixton lives with the perpetual torment of lack of accomplishment, and is worse off than the man who died along the rough trail. Any finite amount of accomplishment would only recognize a lack of a greater amount of it, and thus, the author proposes, we must learn to live with it. To always live, and enjoy living, accomplishing what we may, inspecting life with a childish curiosity and joy, and yet, be content with the fact that we will never satisfy ourselves with our accomplishments. "Let me principally warn you against your own ardour. Ardour in well-doing is a misleading and treacherous thing. It cries out loudly for employment; you can't satisfy it at first; it wants more and more; it is eager to move mountains and divert the course of rivers. It isn't content till it perspires. And then, too often, when it feels the perspiration on its brow, it wearies all of a sudden and dies, without even putting itself to the trouble of saying, "I've had enough of this.""

There is serious emphasis on the removal of all instances of merely "wasting time". Constantly, you should be 'alive', not merely existing; not vegetating. Consider the last paragraph. To be alive does not at all mean incessant advancement towards accomplishment, as that is not a source of life, (though it should be a product of it), but rather, to do something of value and to enjoy doing it. All too often do we sit idly by as the great gift of time constantly presents itself, while we, with discomfort, refuse it, and prefer to maintain a state of hypnotic stupor over engaging vivacity.

Bennett warns us not to be too ambitious in our attempt to live, fail, and revert to our prior state of sleepy existence. He cautions us to remember human nature, to allow room for failure and mistake. What a magnanimous change of direction it is to transform your entire life from a state of passivity to active, strenuous living! Always try hard, allow room for failure, and when it does show its face, (for it can never be entirely killed, but it can be reduced), do not drop your whole endeavor, do not shame yourself, (for failure is quite natural), make note of how that particular instance could be avoided, pick yourself up again, and keep at it.

So far the narrative covers the importance of true living, the unfortunate state of its rarity, and the emphasis we must make to do so. The following chapters concern how it is to be done. This section, I believe, is very important, and due to it being so short, is worth careful review, note and meditation, to fully digested. It is asserted that life begins with the control of your mind. He says that this is entirely possible, despite popular belief, (perhaps more so in his day than in ours), and even simple. All that is needed is constant persistence. "And without the power to concentrate-that is to say, without the power to dictate to the brain its tast and to ensure obedience-true life is impossible. Mind control is the first element of a full existence.". He instructs us to merely, (even in the course of our daily business, such as "on the train to work" or its modern equivalent), to merely focus on something (be it a book, idea, something you are looking at, or whatever else), ponder it and do not be distracted. When you are, merely redirect your focus, and resume. Beyond this, regular persistence is the only key to success.

Another emphasis is quiet reflection. More specifically, (and I think this to be a brilliant practical definition of 'reflection', which is so vague and arbitrarily used in most cases)- to study one's self in the form of reviewing how our conduct aligns to our principles, and to the share of our actions that were well guided by reason. I paraphrase, but with the review of this passage of text, I can confidently say this is what was communicated, just more concise. It is also encouraged to consider what one read the previous day during this time of reflection. For reading alone is almost pointless if we do not thoroughly consider its value and implications on our life. Oh, how we might learn and benefit from this, and yet it is so often ignored! How our lives might be so wisely guided!

Following this, (and thus the transition from the previous 'phase' to the present), it is encouraged to take interest in the arts, literature, and for those who dislike both, life itself, or whatever you fancy. This section seems less essential than the previous, and I think not so quite as applicable. Although this does not at all necessarily mean an appreciation of the cliche way in which one might say that. This could very well apply to any thing or practice, thoroughly examined and appreciated. Golfing, sailing, music, painting, or what have you. Learn about them, examine them, appreciate them, enjoy them. To do this is to cultivate a growing interest in, and satisfaction from, art. I apologize for my summation of this being reduced to simple imperatives, but this is clearly what the author is saying. Is there not so much beauty overlooked in so many things? Is not the hand of God so visible? As it concerns reading, it is emphasized that poetry is the 'highest form of writing', which I would disagree with, (herein lies some of the subjectivity), and beyond that history and philosophy, (which I would accredit to the highest value of the written world). No guide as to how to go about doing this is given, merely the emphasis to do so.

He then goes on to say that nothing in life is "humdrum", that all things follow the universal Law of Causation. All things can be enjoyed and examined through this lens, that all effects have a cause, and that they themselves are a cause. Virtually anything can be learned from through this lens, except logic and free will, and thus this nullifies the statement that something is pointless, "humdrum" or boring.

It is concluded by a series of warnings. The fist of which is important to know, heed, and take to heart, to not become a snobby, know-it-all brat. You will have no positive relations with anyone except your own admiring reflection. Secondly is to note that you should maintain your routine, (or 'programme'), and not worship as an object of religion, or give it so much priority that you cease to do other things of importance, (such as visiting a friend who comes to town and lives miles away, or such). Effort and regularity are what your routine should be constituted of, not obsessive adherence to. It is even noted that you will defeat your own ends by thinking about your routine, and not what it is constitutes. If in the process of doing your 'step 1', all you are thinking about is your timing in relation to 'step 2', then step one would have been entirely wasted. Avoid this. He also says not to try to go from one to the next with hurried impatience and too much attention to your effort, and not on that which you are doing.

The author lays out a rather vague timetable as to when these suggestions ought to be done, basing them off of the typical workday of a middle-class office worker in London at the height of the Victorian Era. Due to this, it will suffer more in my review. Life, being common to all who exist, ought not to be so confined. Granted, I don't expect him to not write and give examples from the perspective of his era, but honestly, he tells us to "do such and such as you are on your train to work ... or do this while you are walking home ... etc." I think everyone's individual situations should render this portion of the book virtually worthless. The positive review comes only from the message imbued, and its general aims in achieving it, not his particular, "this ought to be done on the train etc. It indeed causes the message to suffer, and thus, I have to chip a star off of the otherwise five star message and implication of this work. Along with this necessitating that the fifth star be withheld, is that there was much to be said that wasn't, and what was may have been quite incomplete. I do appreciate the "short and sweet" essence to it, but something so serious as living life to its fullest ought to be given more attention. More could have been said of what 'living on 24 hours a day' would look like in detail, more examples of the right ways of doing something, (nothing was said of work or even the weekends), except for that the suggested 'three hours in the evening' would add zest and enrichment to the entire day. In fact, all that is covered is this three hour session! Even for these three hours were not seriously instructed as to what specifically we ought to do other than, "read" "reflect" etc. How exactly ought we to read and reflect beyond the basic implications of what is said? Notwithstanding, even though these two things are of immense value, there is much, much more to life than merely reading and reflecting, and the book certainly could have covered what it did cover more thoroughly, and much more could have been said. Howbeit, the message that it does convey is of such great importance that this easily deserves four stars.

A positive point would be the matter-of-fact, curt manner of speaking in which the author employs his message. It does make it easier to follow, and I absolutely appreciate that it isn't written with the frilly, weenie sort of means, which tolerates anything and everything. It's more of a "get off your ass and start living!" than a "come on, you can do it! I know it's SO hard, but you've got to try. It's okay, just keep at it". What little is said, (and not enough), is communicated well.

Considering that it would take you perhaps an hour to read this, I would absolutely encourage you to do so, and heed what it says! This certainly a worthy use of your time, and not a pathetic joke like so many widely-read books of today are.
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Jan 30, 2013 Tasneem Adel rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

تم نشر هذا الكتاب عام 1910، أى أنه نشر منذ 103 عام!
قد يبدو من عنوان الكتاب أنه يدور حول إدارة الوقت، فى الواقع موضوع إدارة الوقت يكاد يكون مناقشا على هامش موضوع الكتاب الأصلى و هو أن "نحيا" وليس مجرد أن "نتواجد" فقط. هذا الكتاب يهتم بمناقشة موضوع الوقت من وجهة نظر فلسفية مما يحث القارىء على التفكر.

خصص الكاتب الفصل الأول للتركيز على هذه النقطة ليضع أهمية أن "نحيا" نصب عينى القارىء الذى ظن أن الكتاب يدور حول إدارة الوقت و الذى يرى أنه ينام يأكل ليعمل ثم ينام ويأكل ليعمل وهكذا. أهم فصل فى الكتاب...more

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May 15, 2012 Yzobelle rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audio-books, ebooks

How to live on 24 hours a day?! … Oh tell me about it! I had always thought 24 hours in a day are never enough to do everything I want to do. Oftentimes I wished that a day extended to at least 34 hours. Some other times though, I wished for the clock to stop so that I get to do what I want without compromising the things I NEED to do. The dilemma between the wants and the needs is always a strenuous battle.

But Arnold Bennett managed to pacify and console my soul. Written 102 years ago (!!!), t...more

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Mar 09, 2011 Dan Tasse rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: philosophy

This guy is quite a baller. "What I suggest is that at six o'clock you look facts in the face and admit that you are not tired (because you are not, you know)..." "'I hate all the arts!' you say. My dear sir, I respect you more and more." and a lot more badass quotes that I forgot to write down.

But also, he's an example that proves that this "lifestyle design" or even "time management" stuff wasn't born yesterday. He's writing this for the common middle-class you or me, who wishes to "accomplish...more

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Jan 01, 2011 Maureen rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

My true rating: 3.5 stars.

Most of the other reviews mention this, but it is worth repeating: this is NOT a how-to manual for squeezing every last drop of productivity out of your day. It's much more philosophical, which, depending on your preference, could be tiresome, but I found it to be an insightful look into the subtle ways we manage to waste our time, as well as a nice reminder of how blessed we are to have time at all. Even more interesting, to me, is the fact that Bennet wrote this book...more

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Aug 03, 2009 Avel rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

In the book, Bennett addressed the large and growing number of white-collar workers that had accumulated since the advent of the Industrial Revolution. In his view, these workers put in eight hours a day, 40 hours a week, at jobs they did not enjoy, and at worst hated. They worked to make a living, but their daily existence consisted of waking up, getting ready for work, working as little as possible during the work day, going home, unwinding, going to sleep, and repeating the process the next d...more

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Feb 17, 2009 Sean rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'd give it 3.5 stars. The book was written around 1910, so some of the examples are a bit dated, but the ideas can be applied to your life today. The "voice" of the author is a bit like a crotchety old man telling you to suck it up and get down to business, so he can be entertaining at times It isn't a book about time management, but rather a push to improve the "life" you get out of each day. The main ideas are:

* Time is a precious commodity.
* The supply of time is gloriously regular (you get...more

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Aug 17, 2011 Weasel rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction, to-reread, lifestyle, psychology, mindfulness

Do you have self-help books on your shelf? Well, you may now throw them away, secure in the knowledge that they are but pale shadows of this book. For this… this is the greatest self-help book in the history of the world. (Imagine that with lots of reverb.) And yes, it was written in 1910. And the victorian style language may be a bit challenging for some, but it's worth it. And it's funny too.

Now, I know you may see some other reviews that fail to perceive its greatness, complaining that it lac...more Do you have self-help books on your shelf? Well, you may now throw them away, secure in the knowledge that they are but pale shadows of this book. For this… this is the greatest self-help book in the history of the world. (Imagine that with lots of reverb.) And yes, it was written in 1910. And the victorian style language may be a bit challenging for some, but it's worth it. And it's funny too.

Now, I know you may see some other reviews that fail to perceive its greatness, complaining that it lacks "practical tips" or somesuch rot. I assure you these people are misguided in at least two ways. Firstly, this is not a book on how to cram more tedium into 24 hours, but how to LIVE on only 24 hours a day. Live in the sense of an intellectually rich, stimulating life. A simple misunderstanding. The second way in which these people are misguided evokes my sympathy, for I have been there also, riding on the self-help merry-go-round. Feeling that enthusiasm while reading that fades so quickly, within days if not hours after reading some self-help book, while our commitment to implementing its advice lasts at best a few days beyond that. We then tell ourselves, well, that just wasn't the right advice for me, and begin the cycle again with some other self-help book. No, what we are looking for in that situation is not advice, but a magic spell, that will somehow change everything without requiring us to change anything. How to Live on 24 Hours a Day holds no such spell, as Arnold Bennett tells us himself.

In truth, the book does contain practical tips, such as his advice that one should use that block of time that constitutes one's morning commute as an opportunity for practicing concentration, (which some will recognize as mindfulness meditation), rather than reading the paper. Of course this advice might not be so sound for those who commute by car rather than train, but that's neither here nor there.

Of course, much of the advice here can be found in bits and pieces in various modern self-help guides, but reading it in a book that's over 100 years old should serve as a more effective reminder that success is not a matter of getting the advice, but of implementing it. And did I mention it's funny?

Now, I am off to download some of Mr. Bennetts other, undoubtably fabulous, works to my kindle, and find a hardcopy of How to Live to keep at my bedside table.(less)

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Jan 04, 2009 Kiri rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Initially I thought this book would be another compilation of time-management advice. Not at all! Its emphasis is on the word "live" in the title, and the goal is to help you arrive at a feeling of having lived your life, rather than passing through it and feeling vaguely dissatisfied. The advised process by which you may achieve this is to revisit how you employ your non-work hours, and to use them to greater personal benefit through a combination of mental focus exercise, self-analysis, and en...more

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Nov 29, 2010 Casey Wootton rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was a worthwhile short read. Arnold Bennet's advice can be applied to our lives today and I found great pearls of wisdom in his essay. Mostly what I took away from this book is that it's important to remember that ever person has the same amount of time as everyone else. We can choose to waste our time away and yet we are still allotted a fresh new day to with what we wish. He gives advice on what we should do with some of our time. Specifically, he suggests setting aside 90 minutes a day f...more

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May 06, 2013 Monique rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Don't treat the work day as the WHOLE day.

The chief beauty about the constant supply of time is that you cannot waste it in advance. The next year, the next day, the next hour are lying ready for you, as perfect, as unspoilt, as if you had never wasted or misapplied a single moment in all your career.

(Just jump...You think the water will get warmer; it will not. It will get colder.)

The tense bracing of the will before anything worth doing can be done is a necessity.

Beware of ardour. Beware of un...more

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Feb 04, 2011 Sarah rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: nonfiction

I like that this was sort of a philosophical look about how people spend their time instead of a self-help type of "this is how you should manage your time!" kind of thing. He does recommend a certain amount of time every week to engage your mind (learning about music, reading poetry, or even just trying to identify the local moths that flock to your nearest street light), but that's it. Even that is just a stepping stone to the greater message of "be aware of everything and appreciate life."

Fav...more

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Jun 12, 2011 Lis rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011-reads, non-fiction

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jan 11, 2011 Gergely rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: self-help

I really enjoyed this self-help book from 100 years ago for multiple reasons. It's a jolly good read because of the author's style, though I'm biased towards the British style. Also the author have very good insights into how people really work and can express things very clearly.

There were quite a few expressions that I should still look up (the language changed a lot since 1910) and many of the contemporary authors mentioned are unknown to me, but that does not take away from the message.

It is...more

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Apr 22, 2013 Steve rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a great little book detailing a process to break free, at least to some extent, from the daily grind of working, eating, and sleeping. It's turn-of-the-century self-help at its best. As I read the description of the generic "clerk's" day, I was amazed at how little things have changed over the last hundred years. This made me think again about my Goodreads goal of reading 100 books this year: "The second suggestion is to think as well as to read. I know people who read and read, and for...more

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May 20, 2013 Nina rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Amusing enough to read for the fine Brit humour it contains, but actually also strikes a few really good points that are still present in modern-day self-help works. One good point was that one may actually not really be tired after a day of work, but rather feel so because it is a habit or even expectation to feel that. Also, he encourages working people to see beyond eat, work and sleep, in pointing out that there are all these other hours in the day and that with careful planning and even tur...more

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Jan 04, 2011 Cassildalouis428 rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Arnold Bennett’s „How to live on twenty-four hours a day” is the hint, the tip, yes, the epiphany we’ve all been seeking. It deals with one of our most serious problems: Not having enough hours in the day to do those things our souls tell us we should be doing. It deals also with the reverse side of this problem, which is having too much time to do the things that mean nothing to us at the close of day. We all get our fair share of time—24 hours and if there ever has been a better example of Equ...more

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Feb 14, 2013 Crystal Wormser rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013-reads

While I appreciate this is a classic, and can understand his perspective, I just don't think his suggestions are applicable in modern life. At least it isn't to my life. Basically he says outside of your 8 hour work day, you have 16 hours to choose to do whatever it is you like, whatever inspires you, cultivates your mind, fulfills your passion, etc. So you should carve out at least 7 hours a week pursuing those interests. That's just not realistic considering my current life with small children...more

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Mar 23, 2013 Nancy Wu rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This books is preaching to the choir, but does have a few gems of wisdom. The final chapter in this book is the biggest lesson that I have yet to master.

On the benefits of learning about human nature, I appreciated this passage from the author:

One loses, in the study of cause and effect, that absurd air which so many people have of being always shocked and pained by the curiousness of life. Such people live amid human nature as if human nature were a foreign country full of awful foreign customs...more

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Mar 07, 2009 Sandy T rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2009, classics, non-fiction

This book was written in the early 1900's and just the language itself is a kick to read... it's a short book that has a philosophy that is still relevant today: you have to carve out time in your life to think, read and learn, because that is what "living" is really about. I liked this quote on reading: "The makers of literature are those who have seen and felt the miraculous interestingness of the universe. If you have formed literary taste, your life will be one long ecstasy of denying that t...more

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May 09, 2011 Jeremy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

An early 20th century philosophical view by a novelist on time and how we procrastinate and how we should all really be cultivating our minds. Fairly funny at times and a good read.

"Which of us lives on twenty-four hours a day? And when I say "lives," I do not mean exists, nor "muddles through.""

We never shall have any more time. We have, and we have always had, all the time there is. It is the realisation of this profound and neglected truth (which, by the way, I have not discovered) that has l...more

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Aug 14, 2012 Safak Basnak rated it 5 of 5 stars

In this fine book Bennet advices us to do a very radical change in our lives to achive a better feeling of "living" rather than "existing". Even though his ideas and suggestions are radical these are the things that sophisticated and educated man actually does in his life without even planning it like Bennett does. Because of the feeling of a programmed life I highly think that this book is directly written at white-collar workers, rather than -I will say- everyone. Still it's a thought provokin...more

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Feb 13, 2011 Jaci rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This read was just ok for me. As a mom balancing a full-time job and a long commute I've been forced to get everything I can into each day, with little time allowed for me to "waste". However, if you feel like you'd like to do more or be more this is good place to start. It's gives tempered advice on how to accomplish just a little more each day. It is not a book that advises you to change your entire live in order to be successful, but rather suggests ways you can "tweak" your time managment wi...more

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Jun 16, 2010 Ryan Lang rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was a very short book, so I decided that despite its age I should give it a chance. It still has relevance in todays world. Unfortunately it lacked important details, clarity, ambition, and the intensity that I look for in "self-help" styled books such as this one. I would recommend it for the average man in todays world, but for the people who are already interested in the field of self actualization and making the most out of your life by really living etc., it is less than a review of th...more

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Aug 12, 2012 Bill rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A gem. You have to forgive the Victorian, male-centric view to get at the insights in this book.

The fundamental point is that arranging one's life so that twice a week you can do 90 minutes study in an evening and can reflect on that and one's self whilst commuting to work the next day - is the foundation for a profound shift into meaningful specialisation / expertise and achievement.

It requires mental discipline to keep to the task at hand but the payoff is progress to a purpose aligned with on...more

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Oct 25, 2011 Manda rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Charmingly outdated, this book is directed at the professional gentlemen of 1910. While probably of little practical use to the modern working mother or internet addicted couch potato, it does give some inspiring advice regarding time management and the capacity for self improvement that we all have.

I particularly enjoyed the amusing advice pertaining to reading the newspaper, "which you might as well just read while waiting for your dinner." Hmmm, yes. He can just keep on waiting. Dinner isn't...more

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Jan 07, 2011 Kaethe rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-about-books, essays, nonfiction, philosophy, format-ebooks

I am not normally drawn to philosophy, which seems to me, like religion, to get caught up in eddies of meaningless dispute. Nor am I drawn to self-help, which seems to be one or two good sentences surrounded by a tremendous amount of padding. Sometimes, not even one good sentence. Anyway, I had gotten the idea that this was funny (I don't know where I came by that idea), so that's why I started it. "It'll make a nice little palate cleanser," I thought.

Ha! This is brilliant stuff. Okay, Bennett w...more I am not normally drawn to philosophy, which seems to me, like religion, to get caught up in eddies of meaningless dispute. Nor am I drawn to self-help, which seems to be one or two good sentences surrounded by a tremendous amount of padding. Sometimes, not even one good sentence. Anyway, I had gotten the idea that this was funny (I don't know where I came by that idea), so that's why I started it. "It'll make a nice little palate cleanser," I thought.

Ha! This is brilliant stuff. Okay, Bennett was clearly a product of his time, and he's writing rather pointedly to a white, middle-class adult male, working in the City. The premise is straightforward: sure, you probably hate your job, but that's only 40 hours out of your week. If you really wanted to, you could devote some serious time to thinking. About anything really. Books are good (Bennett likes poetry and essays, but considers novels to be to easy if they're written well). But there's also music, and history, and the natural sciences. They're all good, too.

In 1912 college education was still pretty restricted. Public schools, lecture series, libraries, the mass publishing of books were among some of the many ways intended to improve the common people. Bennett isn't particular, he doesn't care what people devote themselves to as long as it is an intellectual hobby. He doesn't care much for your body, although you're welcome to give it some exercise now and then. Crafts won't do, you understand. He doesn't want you to take up playing an instrument, we wants you to take up music appreciation.

Really, Bennett wants you to blog. He wants you to develop a narrow fascination with something specific, learn everything about it that you can, and devote time to really thinking about it; there's no better thinking that, as he mentions, preparing to write on a topic. From this effort, Bennett assures you, will derive numerous benefits in life enjoyment and a decrease in boredom. So, get to work blogging or reviewing: it'll make you a better man.*

Seriously, I do think it would be a good idea to make this required reading in high school, followed by in depth discussion. For most people, whatever satisfaction they derive from work, it isn't the main focus of happiness. For most of us it is the time spent gardening, or reading, or solving sudoku, or building trains, or directing community theater, or blogging about hideous cakes; that is what *really* satisfies us. Growing up, we are constantly asked what kind of job do we want to have, but "bureaucrat", though necessary, isn't defining. Maybe we should be clearer on that.

* Woman doesn't enter into it. Women are presumably too busy taking care of all the other stuff that needs to happen in order for the men to be free to pursue intellectualism.(less)

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About Arnold Bennett

Enoch Arnold Bennett (always known as Arnold Bennett) was one of the most remarkable literary figures of his time, a product of the English Potteries that he made famous as the Five Towns. Yet he could hardly wait to escape his home town, and he did so by the sheer force of his ambition to succeed as an author. In his time he turned his hand to every kind of writing, but he will be remembered for...more

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Quotes from How to Live on 24 Hour...

“Which of us is not saying to himself
which of us has not been saying to himself all
his life:
"
I shall alter that when I have a little
more time"?
We never shall have any more time. We
have, and we have always had, all the time
there is.” — 5 people liked it

“One of the chief things which my typical man has to learn is that the mental faculties are capable of a continuous hard activity; they do not tire like an arm or a leg. All they want is change - not rest, except in sleep.” — 4 people liked it

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