Your Brain at Work

Strategies for Overcoming Distraction, Regaining Focus, and Working Smarter All Day Long

By: David Rock

Narrated by: Bob Walter

Length: 9 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's summary

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 ahead of the storm has become a seemingly insurmountable task.

In this book, we travel inside Emily's and Paul's brains as they attempt to sort the vast quantities of information they're presented with, figure out how to prioritize it, organize it, and act on it. Fortunately for Emily and Paul, they're in good hands: David Rock knows how the brain works - and more specifically, how it works in a work setting. Rock shows how it's possible for Emily and Paul, and thus the listener, not only to survive in today's overwhelming work environment but succeed in it - and still feel energized and accomplished at the end of the day.

Your Brain at Work explores issues such as:

• Why our brains feel so taxed, and how to maximize our mental resources
• Why it's so hard to focus, and how to better manage distractions
• How to maximize your chance of finding insights that can solve seemingly insurmountable problems
• How to keep your cool in any situation, so that you can make the best decisions possible
• How to collaborate more effectively with others
• Why providing feedback is so difficult, and how to make it easier
• How to be more effective at changing other people's behavior

©2009 David Rock (P)2011 HarperCollins Publishers

Must read for any ambitious person.

The book explains brain function as it is experienced in many contexts throughout the day, cognitive, emotional, social. Getting a better handle on the brain's strengths and limitations in all of those areas makes for a more important effective, productive, balanced and happier lifestyle.

Scientific approach to behavior

I think it very good and insightful. The narrator was kind of dry but content is worth it.

Informative and enlightening

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

If used in conjunction with some of the other great works on similar topics (Baumeister's groundbreaking work on willpower comes to mind). Learn how to modify your own behavior patterns so that the split second decisions you are often forced to make in daily life come more naturally and lead you in a more positive general direction. The way in which the author passed along his message, by using the same two fictional people in various situations made the writing less dry than other works of the same genre.

Who was your favorite character and why?

There really weren't characters..

Which scene was your favorite?

Again not really applicable.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, if only because it wasn't really a story and this would have been a bit too much info to take in in one sitting and still be able to properly make use of.

Tedious but very insightful

Not for the casual listener, I had to skip back all the time. But there's some crucial stuff in here that everyboy really should know about the brain. (Never mind about the work smarter angle and some contrived examples.)

So all the world is a stage

If you could sum up Your Brain at Work in three words, what would they be?

Useful, adaptable, most-read

Which scene was your favorite?

I can't pick one part of the book that was not useful for busy ppl

Worth your time.

Would you consider the audio edition of Your Brain at Work to be better than the print version?

I have only listened to the audio book, so I couldn't compare, but the narrator does a good job.

Who was your favorite character and why?

NA

Which scene was your favorite?

NA

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Probably not.

Highly motivated and enthusiasm him makes the brain work

This book has been a great experience. It has really opened my mind up to utilizing a different perspective with managing my staff and understanding how my brain works in a different capacities for which I deal with day-to-day.

Remarkable insight into how to improve performance

What did you love best about Your Brain at Work?

It is an insightful and instructive volume that helps create understanding about how to use your brain more effectively.

What other book might you compare Your Brain at Work to and why?

Just Listen by Mark Goulston has some similar themes, but has different takes on those themes, and in combination gives good ideas on how to improve.

What about Bob Walter’s performance did you like?

Yes, he is very easy to listen to.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, it takes a bit of time to absorb, so I have had to handle it in parts.

Any additional comments?

I recommend the Brain at Work to many of my clients.

Powerful

I made immediate changes that yield big benefits. I warmly recommend this book for all readers. I love this book.

One of the best books I have ever read

This book reveals incredible insights of our mysterious brain. We know so little about it, but the good part is that if u r willing to learn - the potential is endless...