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How to Live on 24 Hours a Day
This classic personal-time management book is a challenge to leave behind mundane everyday concerns and focus on pursuing one's true desires.
Paperback, 104 pages
Published
December 21st 2000
by Shambling Gate Press
(first published 1912)
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I really enjoyed this thought-provoking short book on the value of time. Written 100 years ago, it has nothing in common with the time management books of today and their tips on how to control the flood of email or the best way to write and stick to a to-do list. It is more philosophical in nature and makes you think about the value of time and from there goes on to other things like improving yourself, reflecting on yourself, and the need to cultivate your mind. It was a pleasure to read and q...more
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
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...more
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...more
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 wrot...more
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 wrot...more
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
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 supp...more
* Time is a precious commodity.
* The supp...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, complai...more
Now, I know you may see some other reviews that fail to perceive its greatness, complai...more
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-ana...more
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
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 app...more
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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 mes...more
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 mes...more
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
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 o...more
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 (wh...more
"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 (wh...more
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"...more
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 re...more
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 w...more
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 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 brill...more
Ha! This is brill...more
Abner Huertas
added it
Un libro corto que puedes leer en pocas horas. Te da una idea de cómo podemos llegar a desperdiciar nuestro día y en cómo podríamos aprovechar mejor cada minuto que tenemos a nuestra disposición.
Con el lema que todos tenemos el mismo tiempo en un día, el autor te dara una nueva perspectiva sobre lo que haces en tus tiempos libres como en el tráfico o mientras esperas.
Una lectura recomendada.
Con el lema que todos tenemos el mismo tiempo en un día, el autor te dara una nueva perspectiva sobre lo que haces en tus tiempos libres como en el tráfico o mientras esperas.
Una lectura recomendada.
Bennett argues people need to spend more time cultivating their lives, instead of just going through the motions. He lays out one approach (learn a lot about one specific topic, spend time reflecting on how you live, read poetry), but the spirit of the book is more interesting than the specifics. I think this is a worthwhile read for anyone, made all the better because it was written 100 years ago yet still feels relevant.
A MUST READ! This book was short but full of good perspectives. And even though Bennett is not the most modern writer (he lived in England from 1867 to 1931), everything he says still applies to today with a wonderful dose of humor. I can't say enough about the book. I happened to read this book at exactly the right time in my life, but I know that it would be a meaningful read for anyone.
Huma Rashid
rated it
·
review of another edition
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review of another edition
Shelves:
20th-century,
culture,
england,
humor,
instructional,
nonfiction,
philosophy,
proletariat,
self-help
Who would have thought that in my love of super hokey (really bad) self-help books, I would accidentally stumble upon this absolute gem from 1912?
It's a quick, engaging, brisk read, and the author is droll and hilarious and a total baller. I can't do this justice with a review; you're going to have to check it out for yourself. But I just ADORED it.
It's a quick, engaging, brisk read, and the author is droll and hilarious and a total baller. I can't do this justice with a review; you're going to have to check it out for yourself. But I just ADORED it.
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This book is not about 'how to fit your life into 24 hours each day', but 'how to LIVE more fully, for all the hours you have'. A quaint, quirky book with humor and unapologetic morals, it suggests the best life is a reasoned life, which requires in-depth study of a field, any field (though not, necesarily, fiction!). A good read for a plane ride. :)
This was a free Kindle download and contains some very good advice. Mr. Bennett gives you a practical and uplifting way to look at how you spend the hours of each day. During the work week we tend to see our day as dominated by work hours but in essence it may only be 1/3 of our day. And if we approach our work more positively and with interest then in a sense we can reclaim our time at work as our own. I find books like this written around the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the...more
Slightly misleading title, probably better summed up as.. 'You don't seem to do much when you get home from work each day, why not pick up a book instead?'
It is however well written, entertaining and short. There's bound to be one good suggestion you'll take away from it, diverting if nothing else.
It is however well written, entertaining and short. There's bound to be one good suggestion you'll take away from it, diverting if nothing else.
This was a shorter read than I expected; remarkable in its simplicity. What was interesting is the suggestion contained in it for improving one's mine. Despite the archaic, dated language, the information is vital and useful. And Bennet writes conversationally. An added bonus.
TrueEd
added it
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Young men
Recommended to TrueEd by:
Brent Nagtegaal
Shelves:
philip
Some real nuggets in here. In a nutshell: When you get home from work/school, do something with your life. We usually get home, act tired, have dinner halfway through the evening, then wind down. Instead, go to work on becoming great at something when you get home.
Easy read. Actually, I listened to it. Easy listen. Funny at times due to dated references (how to make breakfast without your servant around). Not a time management book. It is a reminder that you only get 24 hrs in a day. Use it wisely.
This was a wonderful short book on how to make the most out of the hours one is given each day. Even though it was written many years ago the advice is timely.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys older literature.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys older literature.
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Much like Charles Dickens, Bennett began his young life at a legal clerk writing serialized fiction in his spare time. The author of more than thirty works of fiction, he is also highly regarded for his nonfiction writing.
More about Arnold Bennett...
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“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.”
—
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