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

Solid material, presentation a little wanting.

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

There is good material in here, but I struggled to follow it through. The format is interesting, but the "wrong" way of doing things can be seperated from the "right" way by so much time that other than wincing, you feel you have not learnt much.

That said, there is still a wealth of knowledge in here. I read a lot of similar books, and still learnt a lot. Not just in how I could function better, but how I could counsel others who were struggling with aspects of their work.

What three words best describe Bob Walter’s performance?

Acceptable.

What did you take away from Your Brain at Work that you can apply to your work?

Check your frame of mind before starting a task, particularly a delicate one.

Any additional comments?

Another reviewer compared this book to "Spark." There is almost no overlap in the material. You can benefit from both.

A must read for everyone!

Excellent and very practical material. The performance was flawless! I most certainly read this book over and over again.

Excellent nuances of communication

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

The audio was almost meditative at times. I found it most useful when starting the work day to listen to a section and apply the techniques throughout my day and week when applicable.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

The nuances of insight in how we react, what we say and don't say, and at what time is one of the finer points of having successful or failing interactions with the ever interesting human condition. I found that the detailed approach to examples and case scenarios while at times pedantic and plodding, help simplify complex interaction issues that everyone goes through. The backing science behind it all just helped bolster the understanding of how it all ties together to make or break your everyday communications wherever you go...

Have you listened to any of Bob Walter’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

no

Everybody will get something useful from this book

A truly outstanding book. I've read a lot of books about our brain, but most of them are usually packed with some information that you can only use to try to impress someone at a dinner party.

"Brain at work" is a different kind of beast. It does not introduce a fact or a scientific research unless it serves the purpose of the book, and the purpose of the book is to make a reader better at work, parenting, leisure, and pretty much any aspect of life. It's filled with practical ideas and techniques. No matter who you are, a busy executive, an individual contributor or a stay-at-home mom, you will find this book applicable, insightful, and practical.

This is one of few books that I am going to re-read at least once and maybe I'll make a habit to re-read it every couple of years.

great book

terrific book with great insights and,recommendations. excellent for work and personal life. have listened to it 5 times and bought the book.

Pretty good info on the brain

As courses go I would say this course was slightly above-average. I glean some useful information, but wasn't overwhelmed by the content.

Hard topic made easy

Bob's performance and David's choice of words manage to make a "dry" theoretical topic not just easy to follow but practical and thus easy to try for yourself as you follow along.

Insights are packaged in ways that make understanding how they might affect you, as the listener, as simple as coming to the insights yourself... Without the hard research that is required.

Good Information - So-So presentation

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

I enjoyed the book and will have to listen to it a couple more time to get all I can out of it. It was very educational but, based on the title and description, I was expecting a little bit more of a 'how to' approach. The techniques are there but hidden a little bit.
Maybe having a hard copy of the book too would help.

Fascinating Book!

One of the best books I've ever read! Provides a rich insight into how your brain works and how to use it to maximise performance in work and normal day-to-day life. Very well written complex concepts made easy to understand. Highly recommended A+

insight on you & your brain

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

David Rock uses a stage metaphor which proves to be useful in understanding the way your brain addresses inside and outside realities. The main points of this book can be a the basis for a lifelong development of your