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15th out of 71 books
—
42 voters
Your Brain at Work: Strategies for Overcoming Distraction, Regaining Focus, and Working Smarter All Day Long
by
David Rock
Meet Emily and Paul: The parents of two young children, Emily is the newly promoted VP of marketing at a large corporation while Paul works from home or from clients' offices as an independent IT consultant. Their lives, like all of ours, are filled with a bewildering blizzard of emails, phone calls, yet more emails, meetings, projects, proposals, and plans. Just staying a...more
Hardcover, 304 pages
Published
October 6th 2009
by HarperBusiness
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The good news is I'm not Dazed and Confused . It's just my brain being a brain; everyone is in the same boat. David Rock's goal is to help the reader understand the brain's limitations,be mindful of it and act accordingly.
The prefrontal cortex, the Director of the Mind, is limited. It can only hold on to a small number of items for a limited time, gets tired easily, easily distracted, and reacts strongly to even mild threats. This book follows a husband and wife in typical work and family situa...more
The prefrontal cortex, the Director of the Mind, is limited. It can only hold on to a small number of items for a limited time, gets tired easily, easily distracted, and reacts strongly to even mild threats. This book follows a husband and wife in typical work and family situa...more
By far the most useful book about productivity I've ever read. Taking the whole of neuro-cognitive research to date, he talks about how and why your brain functions (or fails to function) during day-to-day tasks. More importantly, he reveals how you can help your brain out by using it in an efficient way. The information is presented in an engaging way, and all the "secrets" of your brain will ring true with your own experience.
Essential reading for anyone who has a hectic schedule or ever feels...more
Essential reading for anyone who has a hectic schedule or ever feels...more
Your Brain At Work attempts to explain cognitive function by depicting a typical day in the life of a fictional but relatable stressed-out couple, Emily and Paul. Each chapter illustrates a scene in their lives and explores how a few exercises and insights may significantly affect the outcome and their well-being.
I found this book incredibly helpful with reasonable, actionable items one can do to make improvements in his/her productivity. The book never claims to make huge strides, it does not c...more
I found this book incredibly helpful with reasonable, actionable items one can do to make improvements in his/her productivity. The book never claims to make huge strides, it does not c...more
I gave this book five stars because I really, really enjoyed reading it. The language is unsophisticated and the pattern of delivering is predictable. It's almost as if the author knew the optimal way the brain would receive his message. The book focuses on two fictional but very real characters, Paul and Emily, one an IT consultant, the other a recently promoted VP of marketing, and both a couple with two teenage children. You follow them through a variety of scenarios where they make choices o...more
As sophisticated as we all know our brains are, there are limits to what our minds can do under situations of distraction, anxiety, sleeplessness and the like . This book is perhaps the most accessible and PRACTICAL explanation for how our minds work I've read, and really gets to the crux of what brain research says. It lays out an enjoyable and clear narrative on how to take care of your mind so it can take care of you, and you can best do what you want in a timely fashion (and hopefully with a...more
David does an excellent job of synthesizing an incredible amount of research in the field of cognitive neuroscience.
Typically many authors leave their ideas unaccounted for scientifically or resort to providing some emperical evidence for the things they propose. This is not the case here.
In an incredibly thorough fashion David manages to explain scientifically the behaviour experienced in most of the challinging situations that individuals and groups face in knowledge work, cooperation and so...more
Typically many authors leave their ideas unaccounted for scientifically or resort to providing some emperical evidence for the things they propose. This is not the case here.
In an incredibly thorough fashion David manages to explain scientifically the behaviour experienced in most of the challinging situations that individuals and groups face in knowledge work, cooperation and so...more
Surprisingly good and useful for business self-help/ pop psych, a genre that often sends me to sleep.
The author carefully explains recent research about the brain and especially the prefrontal cortex, then uses it as a launching point for suggestions about how to work more effectively. Not surprisingly, a lot of it has to do with discarding bad habits that our computers and mobile devices -- and our increasingly intrusive employers -- have lulled us into adopting. This would be dull stuff if not...more
The author carefully explains recent research about the brain and especially the prefrontal cortex, then uses it as a launching point for suggestions about how to work more effectively. Not surprisingly, a lot of it has to do with discarding bad habits that our computers and mobile devices -- and our increasingly intrusive employers -- have lulled us into adopting. This would be dull stuff if not...more
After reading "Brain Rules" by John Medina, I was drawn to this book as well to see if I could focus some of my newfound knowledge on my work. While the subject matter of the brain regions and functions wasn't quite as inherently fascinating as Medina's book, it was still compelling in the practical application of this info to work and life. He uses a fictitious couple to demonstrate a typical day and typical scenarios that we all face in one way or another. The first act of each scenario is how...more
The style of this is annoying. There, I've said it; neatly packaged "life examples" seem condescending and irritate me. Life is never so neatly packaged. I've also read a ridiculous number of books with such examples that have miniscule amounts of useful information in them that could be applied in practice. Sometimes they give truly terrible advice, especially the easily-digestible and popular ones. (Hint: to create enemies at work, start thinking of individuals as "difficult people" you must "...more
A fairly easy listen/read--the examples of what they do and then a rewind of how they could improve with what's happening in your brain interspersed. I'll have to listen to this again to glean even more.
Meet Emily and Paul: The parents of two young children, Emily is the newly promoted VP of marketing at a large corporation while Paul works from home or from clients' offices as an independent IT consultant. Their lives, like all of ours, are filled with a bewildering blizzard of emails, phone c...more
Meet Emily and Paul: The parents of two young children, Emily is the newly promoted VP of marketing at a large corporation while Paul works from home or from clients' offices as an independent IT consultant. Their lives, like all of ours, are filled with a bewildering blizzard of emails, phone c...more
This central thesis of this book is summed up perfectly in its own conclusion:
"[M]icroscopic changes in brain functioning, made in a hundredth of a second, can sometimes create massive change in people’s lives."
That is what is argues: understand how your brain works, pay attention to what it’s doing, and take control of it to improve you work life.
Not just work, people who master the skills set out in this book are (according to its author at least):
"... less stressed, have more fun, have a bett...more
"[M]icroscopic changes in brain functioning, made in a hundredth of a second, can sometimes create massive change in people’s lives."
That is what is argues: understand how your brain works, pay attention to what it’s doing, and take control of it to improve you work life.
Not just work, people who master the skills set out in this book are (according to its author at least):
"... less stressed, have more fun, have a bett...more
There are 3 Acts (parts) of this book
Act 1: Problem and decision - I feel the strategies and rationals pretty close David Allen's Get thing done ie.
Keep issues from our head or do one thing once a time.
Act 2 and 3 become unique and sticky idea with "SCRAF" - Status, Certainty, Relateness, Autonomy and Fairness.
I have good impression after applying this model for social network.
The character made this book transformative , in my opinion, is "Four Noble Truths (ariyasaj sii)" way of approach....more
Act 1: Problem and decision - I feel the strategies and rationals pretty close David Allen's Get thing done ie.
Keep issues from our head or do one thing once a time.
Act 2 and 3 become unique and sticky idea with "SCRAF" - Status, Certainty, Relateness, Autonomy and Fairness.
I have good impression after applying this model for social network.
The character made this book transformative , in my opinion, is "Four Noble Truths (ariyasaj sii)" way of approach....more
Ch. 1:
Prefrontal cortex responsible for understanding, deciding, recalling, memorizing, inhibiting (keeping extraneous thoughts out so you can concentrate). It's like a very small stage--you pull things to/from the audience (memory), only a few can fit on stage at a time. It uses a ton of energy, which is a limited resource. That's why it's hard to do serious thinking late in the day. Prioritize first--it's hard.
To make things easier for your brain, don't try to hold ideas in it while doing som...more
Prefrontal cortex responsible for understanding, deciding, recalling, memorizing, inhibiting (keeping extraneous thoughts out so you can concentrate). It's like a very small stage--you pull things to/from the audience (memory), only a few can fit on stage at a time. It uses a ton of energy, which is a limited resource. That's why it's hard to do serious thinking late in the day. Prioritize first--it's hard.
To make things easier for your brain, don't try to hold ideas in it while doing som...more
The forays into neurobiology, however high-level and simplified for non-biologist readers, make the concrete suggestions here more credible. There are some useful (though not necessarily completely novel) insights into the limitations of the brain, and techniques for compensating for them. I've found myself using some of these techniques to good effect already. Another thing I didn't quite expect was that while reading this, I could map a lot of the brain behaviors described to larger social beh...more
The really great chapters are in Act-I and the Intermission. It is worth buying the book even only for this excellent part. Act II is good and useful (especially scenes 7 and 8), though the picture is not completely accurate. Other books on the neuroscience of emotions cover this topic better (say Antonio Damasio's 'Looking for Spinoza' that gives an evolution perspective on emotions and feelings and Elaine Fox's 'Rainy-Brain Sunny-Brain' on emotion regulation and the importance of a positive co...more
It was timely for me to read this. It reinforced many techniques I have been neglecting and has made me more self aware. Books like these should be required reading before leading anyone. How to enforce that without harming status or autonomy might be a good follow on book. So many senior leaders focus on solutions that regularly kill morale. My favorite quote in pg. 230 "ineffective leaders tend to make people feel less safe, by being too directive, which attacks status. They are not clear with...more
Speaking as a layman with not much in the way of previous exposure to the field of neuroscience, but with a general interest in both psychology and behavioural economics, I found this insight into the essential functionality of the brain to be absolutely fascinating.
The author's style is one of engaging narrative. He provides easy-to-identify-with behavioural scenarios to illustrate the central message of the book: namely that everything we do, think and feel is the direct result of neurochemic...more
The author's style is one of engaging narrative. He provides easy-to-identify-with behavioural scenarios to illustrate the central message of the book: namely that everything we do, think and feel is the direct result of neurochemic...more
Excellent book that should be required reading for people that work and have a brain, lol. It doesn't read like a self help book, very entertaining and you'll learn a thing or two as well. Highly recommended.
This book is the perfect combination of brain science, interesting anecdotes and practical methods for applying the information to your own life. At first, the format - scenarios involving two imaginary people at work - was tedious, but after the first few chapters, I got the hang of what the author was trying to do and I actually looked forward to reading about how 'Paul' or 'Emily' changed a situation through the concepts presented in the chapter. It felt a bit like 'chose your own adventure'...more
Read this for work. It was fairly interesting around how emotional spirals build on themselves. Break free! Name your emotions and regain control with calm.
I’ve become fascinated with the way human brains work. My reading began with On Intelligence by Jeff Hawkins, and continued with many others like Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman and, this book: Your Brain at Work by David Rock.
I recommend the book by David Rock because it brings together many disparate thoughts and ideas on the subject, then hypothesizes and theorizes applications from these better understandings of how brains work. Also, it’s very easy to read this book in spurts (v...more
I recommend the book by David Rock because it brings together many disparate thoughts and ideas on the subject, then hypothesizes and theorizes applications from these better understandings of how brains work. Also, it’s very easy to read this book in spurts (v...more
May 07, 2012
Trent
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Trent by:
Maura Solley
Shelves:
science
Seem to be reading books about the brain at the moment... Can't think why... This one's a good one though. It's not that the ideas in it are that different from other self-help, management or leadership texts, but it's basis in recommendation has a different angle. Things work like they do because of your brain. "sorry, it's not me it's just my prefrontal cortex" could conceivably be something I actually use now in conversation (perhaps only with someone else who's read the book). It's also help...more
It's got some great points about the workings of the brain and points on how to react to different situations. What makes it more interesting is the fact that the auther uses 4 characters - a family and their reaction to real life situations to explain the theories he is presenting.
But the narrator maybe is not the optimal for this kind of book. At least I didn't quite feel as the author was talking to me. The reader reads far to slowly oftentimes I was forgettinge the beginning of the sentence...more
But the narrator maybe is not the optimal for this kind of book. At least I didn't quite feel as the author was talking to me. The reader reads far to slowly oftentimes I was forgettinge the beginning of the sentence...more
One of the most brilliant books I've read. I limit myself to one chapter a day so that I can let it all sink in.
Sep 13, 2012
Nancy
added it
Okay anther brain book, but this one can teach you how you can be more effective and less stressed during your work day. How great is that?
Each of our brains have different peak times to work, and once we know that we can schedule our more important tasks to ur peak performance times. Our brains also can only really handle to work on 4 stimuli at a time, so shutting off email, or putting the phone on silent are good tools to help narrow the amount of distractions that our brains have to deal wit...more
Each of our brains have different peak times to work, and once we know that we can schedule our more important tasks to ur peak performance times. Our brains also can only really handle to work on 4 stimuli at a time, so shutting off email, or putting the phone on silent are good tools to help narrow the amount of distractions that our brains have to deal wit...more
I've read my fair share of books about the brain. Most of them delve into the things you can do to *externally* to allow your brain to function optimally i.e. sleeping habits, eating habits, social relationships etc. This is the first book I've read which deals with meta-cognition on a very real and practical level.
I was a bit skeptical about the format of this book when I started reading it. The examples, in the form of short stories involving certain characters, seemed somewhat contrived and...more
I was a bit skeptical about the format of this book when I started reading it. The examples, in the form of short stories involving certain characters, seemed somewhat contrived and...more
This book that has helped me stay focused and prioritize throughout the work day and rethink how my brain functions. My brain, like any muscle, gets fatigued and is better at doing some things than others and can be exercised to improve situations (not just during work)if the right strategy is employed. The metaphors of "actors" and the "director" made the book easy to read and understand; and the different scenarios and alternate endings for Paul and Emily were a little hokey, but always helpfu...more
I just read about Emily and Paul in David Rock’s Your Brain at Work. Parents of two children in their struggle for an ideal work-life balance. Emily just got promoted in a large corporation; Paul runs his own business as a software consultant.
The pressure in their lives, just like yours and mine, is filled with a bewildering blizzard of friction, tension, ambition, execution in the midst of emails,
phone calls, conference calls, meetings, projects, proposals, and plans. Yeah, the kids are also a...more
The pressure in their lives, just like yours and mine, is filled with a bewildering blizzard of friction, tension, ambition, execution in the midst of emails,
phone calls, conference calls, meetings, projects, proposals, and plans. Yeah, the kids are also a...more
David Rock is a brilliant synthesizer of neuroscience. An experienced executive coach, Rock has a gift for translating complex topics and studies of neuroscience into plain English. More importantly, he makes the latest discoveries of neuroscience relevant to daily life and business leadership.
Each chapter of this book starts with a short story based on everyday life. Rock then unpacks the story to reveal what was happening in the protagonists' brains on a neurological level. Rock's protagonist...more
Each chapter of this book starts with a short story based on everyday life. Rock then unpacks the story to reveal what was happening in the protagonists' brains on a neurological level. Rock's protagonist...more
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is a practical, hands-on (well, thoughts-on) guide to understanding your brain as you deal with the ups and downs of life, and even better, lots of great advice on how to use your knowledge of the brain to deal with things better.
Much of the book is about five domains of social experience the author says are almost as important to the brain as basic survival issues (food and water): Status, Certainty, Autonomy, Relatedness, and Fairness. Our brains try to maxi...more
Much of the book is about five domains of social experience the author says are almost as important to the brain as basic survival issues (food and water): Status, Certainty, Autonomy, Relatedness, and Fairness. Our brains try to maxi...more
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Oct 04, 2010 09:27pm
Thanks for dropping by.
This is less of a review and more of brain dump of David Rock's Talk at Google.
The talk shares the title and ideas fr...more
updated Oct 05, 2010 03:53am