Title:
Four seconds : all the time you need to stop counter-productive habits and get the results you want
Author:
Edition:
First edition.
Publication Date:
2015
Publication Information:
New York, New York : HarperOne, [2015]
Physical Description:
x, 258 pages ; 22 cm
ISBN:
9780062372413
Abstract:
All too often our best efforts to accomplish the things we want most--to do our jobs well, to make meaningful contributions at home and at work, to have satisfying relationships with loved ones, friends, neighbors, and coworkers--are built on bad habits that sabotage us. We feel overwhelmed by our increasingly large to-do list, so we automatically multitask to get more done--and end up more stressed and more overloaded. We say something with the hopes of impressing the other person, but instead offend them--then spend days trying to repair the damage. We give what we think is a pep talk to our team-- but they walk away demotivated. How can we be most effective and productive in a world that moves too fast and demands so much of us? In Four Seconds, Peter Bregman shows that the answer is to pause for as few as four seconds--the length of a deep breath--to replace bad habits and reactions with more productive behaviors.
Contents:
pt. 1. Change your mental defaults -- Four seconds : Pause, breathe, course correct -- Why the pinto blew up : Rethink goal setting -- Byron's real problem : Commit to following through -- My first TEDx talk : Ditch the urge to be perfect -- It finally felt like mine : Trust yourself first -- Nothing helped my tennis elbow : Stand back and do nothing -- Everything is amazing and no one is happy : Accept reality. Change expectations. -- The value of drinking tea : Make time for rituals -- Before slipping the kayak into the water : Prepare every day -- A lesson from my wireless router : Reset yourself -- This is what it feels like to ... : Stop performing. Start experiencing. -- "I have no time to think" : Invest in unfocused focus -- Why I returned my iPad : Embrace boredom -- Dorit's first-grade classroom : Ignore the inner critic -- Carlos's double whammy : Reclaim your sweet spot -- House rock rapid : Imagine the worst -- Turn the boat toward the wind : Be prepared with a process, not a solution -- pt. 2. Strengthen your relationships -- A lesson from my mother-in-law : Prioritize relationships -- The hardest part is after the speech : Show people who you truly are -- He broke up with her in a text : Don't let the package distract you from the message -- I want to be like you when I'm seventy-seven : Choose to be inspired by people -- A lesson from my mother : Refuse to write someone off -- The inescapable parking ticket : Walk away from an argument -- Don't blame the dog : Take the blame instead -- Hardware stores don't sell milk : Learn other people's rules of engagement -- Sophia's first powder day : Meet people where they are -- It was a long shot : Become a great receiver -- A false start gets you disqualified : Empathize first. Help them feel better later. -- It's not about the shampoo : Listen for the unspoken -- My best birthday ever : Give the gift of appreciation -- Getting a free upgrade to first class : Appeal to people's generosity -- Why Tim didn't get the promotion : Don't skip your thank-yous -- No : Establish boundaries with others -- Towing our neighbor's son's car : Ask questions. Don't attack back. -- pt. 3. Optimize your work habits -- Hair salon leadership : Keep your cool -- George Washington vs. Super Bowl I : See individuals individually -- Complaining with complainers : Neutralize negativity -- The training wheels had to come off : Let people fail -- or almost fail -- Are you ready to be a leader? : Support others' success -- Who deserves credit for a great movie? : Share the glory -- The chef who didn't get it : Take responsibility for your colleagues' work -- I've got too much to do ... : Offer to do other people's work -- The day the distribution centers were full : Focus on outcome, not process -- Don't bet on winning the lottery : Zero in on what matters to the organization -- Ron drones on and on : Be helpful instead of nice -- "Actually, there is something ..." : Accept the gift of criticism -- Crying about a gift : Create a safe space for yourself and others -- I don't miss a thing : Stop checking e-mail -- The no-PowerPoint rule : Embrace the informal meeting -- The pea haters who ate like pea lovers : Tell stories to get others to change -- How Jori lost eighty pounds : Forget willpower, restructure your environment.
Language:
English
