The Now Habit at Work: Perform Optimally, Maintain Focus, and Ignite Motivation in Yourself and Others

According to the book jacket, the author draws on the latest neuroscience, behavioral psychology and peak performance research to teach us how to revolutionize how we think and behave at work. The author doesn't quote any specific studies or research, but the information in the book is still highly useful.

Although this summary might sound like a slew of other self-help, career-related books out there, "The Now Habit at Work" contains some very effective strategies. This is the kind of book that will appeal to those of you looking for an easy and accessible introduction to time, and life, management.

Here, you're going to learn how to work smarter, not harder, so that you can take charge of your time and your life. The author also spends time talking about guilt-free play. You know, having fun. Remember that? Well, we learn why it's so important to take time to have fun, and how to work it into our schedule so we don't neglect it.

Is this book worth the read? We can tell you right now, it definitely is. It's short, fascinating, and the strategies are fairly easy to implement.

The author, Neil Fiore, Ph.D, is a renowned psychologist, trainer and best-selling author. He's consulted with global organizations such as AT&T, Levi Strauss and Company, the Smithsonian Institution, and the Federal Reserve Bank.

So, keep listening to find out why you should stop saying the phrase I have to, why you should try to start every project immediately, and how to motivate the procrastinators on your team.

"The Now Habit at Work" is divided into nine short chapters. The book, including the index, comes in at just 163 pages, so it's definitely a quick read.

The first chapter starts off with the author's seven basic principles for performing optimally at work. These are easy, quick changes we can implement immediately in our lives to struggle less and be more effective.

One of these principles is that we need to shift from our current habits to corrective action. Essentially, this means if we're doing something that's not working, we need to do something different immediately, not spend time analyzing what we're doing wrong. Often, the action we need to take is the polar opposite of what we're doing right now.

The author shares a great story that helps illustrate this concept.

When the author was teenager he took a sailing lesson with an instructor. After a while, his small boat began keeling over and taking on water. The instructor asked him, "Why are you doing that?"

The author felt this was a really dumb question to ask in such an emergency. After all, if he took the time to analyze that question, and his actions, the boat would sink before he got it figured out.

Instead, he decided to do the opposite of what he was currently doing – literally. He pushed the rudder in the opposite direction and released the main sheet. The boat righted itself immediately.

We liked this principle because so many of us spend a lot of time analyzing why our efforts aren't working. We criticize ourselves and devote precious energy to figuring out where we took a misstep. While it's important to learn from experience, it can sometimes pay to focus our attention on what we can do right now to fix a situation or achieve our goals. And often, the action we need to take is the opposite of what we're doing.

Another principle we liked was eliminating the phrase "I have to" from our vocabulary. The author says that when we tell ourselves, or our team, that we have to do something, it implies it's something we don't want to do. It's a self-sabotaging phrase that often hypnotizes us into passive resistance and inner conflict.

For instance, imagine you tell yourself, I have to start this project in fifteen minutes. Sounds depressing, right? It makes you feel tired and overwhelmed because you have so much to do.

Instead, just say I'm starting that project in fifteen minutes. Can you hear the subtle shift? It sounds more confident, like you're owning that project, and the decision to get going on it. You're choosing to start.

There are five other great strategies in this chapter, and this first chapter sets the tone for the rest of the book.

Chapter two focuses on time and life management. And one of our favorite strategies from this chapter is that we need to start projects immediately.

Now, obviously we can't start and finish every project the moment it's handed to us. But, the author says, just spending five minutes getting started will give us more information about the project than making a dozen to-do lists.

And when we get started immediately, we avoid procrastination. It also shifts our thinking. Instead of worrying about how much we have to do, we immediately transition to problem-solving mode, which often floods our brains with ideas.

The author advises us to just keep starting. Keep telling yourself that all you're going to do is start, and for a set amount of time – 5, 10, or 15 minutes. This will eliminate ambivalence, inner conflict and indecision.

There are plenty of other great strategies in this book, like how to transform your to-do list. This is particularly useful because most to-do lists are things we have to do. We learn how to create alternative to-do lists that are far more meaningful. If you're ready to rip up your own to-do lists, then don't miss this chapter.

As you can probably tell by now, the author's strategies are simple but profound. They're easy to implement, and yet they can transform the way we think and work if we choose to stick by them. Reading this no-nonsense book will likely give you a feeling of hope that you can quickly change your habits for the better. It sure made us feel that way.

Chapter three focuses on self-management. And this is a chapter we can all learn something from.

Think about how you talk to yourself. You probably say things like, "I should have finished this by now, or I shouldn't have checked my email this morning," or "I really should have left earlier than I did."

Chances are, these thoughts make you feel pretty bad about yourself. They subtly communicate that you're not living up to some imagined ideal. Repeat these thoughts a dozen or more times a day, like most people do, and it's easy to see why so many of us feel overwhelmed, anxious or depressed.

The author's advice is simply to stop using the word should. The word should makes us frustrated and sad because we're always struggling against ourselves. So, stop using it.

Another closely connected strategy when it comes to our self-dialog is what the author calls "push or pull motivation." When we talk to ourselves, our internal language often falls into two categories. It's either oppositional and hostile, or cooperative and peaceful.

When we push ourselves, using threats or negative talk, we automatically create resistance or self-sabotage. And that's not a fun or productive way to get through the day. Instead, we should pull ourselves, and our teams, forward with encouragement and motivation.

There's so much more in this chapter than we can cover here. If you're suffering from stress or anxiety, or if you feel overwhelmed with all you have to do, chapter three will teach you how to tone down the internal self-criticism and create a sense of safety in your own mind. Although this sounds more self-help than time-management, these strategies can reduce your stress and allow you to be much more productive in your work. At the very least, they can help you be happier during the day.

There are some really useful exercises at the end of the chapter to help you get started on some of these techniques.

Another chapter you won't want to miss is chapter six, The Power of a Compelling Mission.

The author says when we have an overarching sense of mission, our work efficiency improves. And, it makes sense. It's easy to feel discouraged about your job if you don't have a sense that it's helping you stay on course for something bigger.

One way to bring a sense of purpose into our day is to create mission statements. These statements can help us move from a stressful frame of mind to one of safety and purpose. They remind us of what we can do right now.

This sounds a little vague, but fortunately the author gives us plenty of examples to show us what he's talking about.

For instance, if you find yourself constantly stressed and focused on the past or future, then your mission statement might say, "I am committed to accepting reality instead of fighting it. I stay focused in the present."

Another mission statement might say "I start the day with thirty minutes of high quality, uninterrupted work on my top priority."

These mission statements should align with our values and goals. Their true purpose is to quickly focus our attention back to managing our career and business goals.

There's an interesting section in this chapter about high-performing athletes. The author says researchers have studied what distracts athletes from optimal performance. They found that when the athletes thought about the future, such as the outcome of a game or event, or when they thought about winning or losing in general, those thoughts made them lose focus.

We have to learn how to shift our focus within seconds so we perform like a champion. This is another benefit to the mission statements you heard about a moment ago. Those statements help eliminate doubt and confusion so we can focus on what matters, which is performing right now at our best.

There's a valuable exercise in this chapter which teaches you how to quickly regain your focus when you start to get stressed or frustrated. Like all the strategies in this book, it's easy to pick up and start using immediately.

If you're in a management or leadership position, chapter nine will be particularly useful for you. It focuses on how to manage procrastinators and difficult employees. Managing procrastinators is always difficult, because they often cause delays or miss deadlines. And as you well know, this can set your entire team back.

So how do you manage them effectively?

The author says putting pressure on procrastinators only backfires, and it can even make the situation worse. Instead, you need to create a strategy.

It helps to realize that most procrastinators engage in negative self-talk, and this tends to fall into four main areas. First, the prospect of doing a task may make them worry about failure. Second, they may feel like a victim, because they have to do something. Third, they may feel overwhelmed by what they have to do. And fourth, they may think that the task has to be perfect.

To combat these unhelpful thoughts, offer your employee a safety net. Make them understand that they can focus on the task without being judged or criticized.

Next, give your employee options. Instead of demanding compliance or making them do something, let them choose. When your procrastinator has options he'll often choose a challenge on his own, simply because it's up to him.

You can also follow the advice you heard earlier. Get them to focus on starting a task, not finishing. Procrastinators often feel they have to do a task or project all at once, and this makes them feel overwhelmed or anxious. So structure your encouragement on just beginning the project, or working on it for just fifteen minutes. This can reduce the pressure, and might get them motivated to work far longer.

There are more great strategies for motivating procrastinators. And if you have a procrastinator on your team, you might want to head to this chapter first.

So what's our last word on "The Now Habit at Work"?

We think it's a highly practical and useful book with the potential to transform the way you think about your work, your productivity and your goals. These strategies will help you focus more during the day, improve your self confidence and lower your stress. You'll become more motivated and excited about what you're doing, and bounce back more quickly from obstacles and setbacks.

What we liked best about this book is that the strategies are not complex. Many are downright simple. But just because they're simple doesn't mean they won't work, or they're not worth your time. We were surprised at how helpful and insightful many of the chapters were.

All the information is also really easy to find. This is the kind of book you can read for five minutes a day and still walk away with a great tip you can use immediately. Every chapter is divided into short, chunky sections, which means you can open the book up to any page and learn a quick tip or strategy.

If you're ready to get out of your own head and start seeing your work as a creative challenge – even the boring bits – then this is the book for you.

"The Now Habit at Work," by Neil Fiore, is published by John Wiley and Sons.

That's the end of this episode of Book Insights. Thanks for listening.