In Smarter Faster Better, Charles Duhigg observes, “Productivity is the name we give our attempts to figure out the best uses of our energy, intellect, and time as we try to seize the most meaningful rewards with the least wasted effort. It’s a process of learning how to succeed. It’s about getting things done without sacrificing everything we care about along the way…This book is the result of my investigations into how productivity works, and why some people and companies get so much more done than everyone else.”

Here is an example of a flowchart that Duhigg uses when setting a goal:

WHAT IS YOUR STRETCH GOAL?
To run a marathon

WHAT IS A SPECIFIC SUB-GOAL?
Run seven miles without stopping

HOW WILL YOU MEASURE SUCCESS?
Twice around the park, no walking

IS THIS ACHIEVABLE?
Yes, if I run three miles a week.

IS THIS REALISTIC?
Yes, if I wake up early on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday

WHAT IS YOUR TIMELINE?
Run three miles this week, four miles next week, five miles…

Try it. It really works!

* * *

In his own words, “My name is Charles Duhigg. I’m the author of The Power of Habit, about the science of habit formation in our lives, companies and societies, and Smarter Faster Better, about the science of productivity.

“I was a reporter at the New York Times for a decade, writing such series as “The iEconomy” which focused on Apple and won a Pulitzer prize for explanatory reporting in 2013. Before that, I contributed to other series, including “Golden Opportunities,” “The Reckoning,” and “Toxic Waters.” Today, I write books and magazine articles for The New York Times Magazine, The New Yorker and The Atlantic.”

To learn more about him and his brilliant work, please click here,

Smarter Faster Better: The Transformative Power of Real Productivity was published by Random House (2016).