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Your Brain at Work: Strategies for Overcoming Distraction, Regaining Focus, and Working Smarter All Day Long Audiobook
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(4.01) - 957 listener ratings
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Plot Summary
In "Your Brain At Work: Strategies For Overcoming Distraction, Regaining Focus, and Working Smarter All Day Long", author David Rock introduces you to Emily and Paul, two people just like you. Emily and Paul are a two professionals who struggle with feeling mentally exhausted at the end of each workday. While Emily is a Vice President for a major corporation and Paul is an independent IT professional, they are also the parents of two young children. This audiobook will take you on a journey inside the brains of these two people to get a closer glimpse at how the vast amount of information Emily and Paul are presented with each day can be managed more easily.
Rock is brilliant when it comes to his valuable instruction for how busy people can handle the insurmountable piles of paperwork, endless phone calls and urgent emails that pass through their minds every day. In Your Brain At Work, you'll learn how to maximize the potential that lies within your mind so that at the end of each day, you won't feel that mental exhaustion you're used to feeling. You'll also learn valuable skills like how to manage in difficult situations so that through the calmness of your mind, you'll make appropriate decisions.
Emily and Paul are great examples of what the untrained human mind deals with during the course of the day. You'll find that you'll quickly identify with them in their struggles, and Rock will help you fix the issues you're facing in your own life.
David Rock developed the term "Neuroleadership" and he is the co-founder of the Neuroleadership Institute, which effectively marries the efforts of neuroscientists and leadership experts to form a new take on science's role in leadership today. Your Brain At Work is just one of his four books, and it quickly rose to become a bestseller following its release in 2009. David is dedicated to using advancements in science to further develop more leaders all around the world.
"This book is the perfect combination of brain science, interesting anecdotes and practical methods for applying the information to your own life. At first, the format - scenarios involving two imaginary people at work - was tedious, but after the first few chapters, I got the hang of what the author was trying to do and I actually looked forward to reading about how 'Paul' or 'Emily' changed a situation through the concepts presented in the chapter. It felt a bit like 'chose your own adventure' with the emphasis on making different choices based on brain science. The stand-out concept for me was reappraisal and I also enjoyed the section on mindfulness."
— Jayme (5 out of 5 stars)
Publisher 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 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 reader, 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
Download and start listening now!
Quotes
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“Simply put, this intriguing book offers fascinating research about the brain’s functions, limitations, and capacities, and it teaches us how we can ‘direct’ our own brain chemistry in order to achieve fulfillment and success. Well worth reading and ingesting these skills.”
— Stephen R. Covey, New York Times bestselling author -
“Rock makes the science of your mind accessible and relevant.”
— Fortune Small Business -
“Rock deserves an ovation for his writing and direction.”
— Fort Worth Star-Telegram -
“[A] highly informative look at the way our minds work at work.”
— St. Paul Pioneer Press -
“This book will improve how you work—by showing you how your brain works!”
— Marshall Goldsmith, author of What Got You Here Won’t Get You There -
“This is the best, the most helpful, and the brainiest book I’ve read on how the brain affects how, why, and what we do and act.”
— Warren Bennis, distinguished professor of business and university professor, University of Southern California, and author of On Becoming a Leader
Your Brain at Work Listener Reviews
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Bradley Palmer, 12/11/2016
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" Have you ever evaluated your work performance and asked yourself questions like, "Why haven't I been more productive today?" "Why did I deal with this situation so poorly?" or "Why doesn't my brain work??" Your Brain at Work is truly read-able brain science. It helped me isolate the most problematic of my work behaviors and provided me with suggestions on how to change them. "
— K., 2/9/2014 -
" Interesting ideas. Pretty similar to the Power of Now. Same idea of mindfulness. This book, however, goes into a bit more detail of the explanation behind certain behaviors. "
— Jorge, 1/23/2014 -
" I am a little over a fourth of a way through and I have found this book to be outstanding so far! I would recommend this to be on your "to be read" list. "
— Peter, 1/16/2014 -
" A enjoyed this book, did not agree with everything but worth readying "
— Bruce, 1/15/2014 -
" reading ebook version...finally finished this and thought it was written in an easily accessible style. lots of technical information made easy to digest. will try other works by Rock. "
— Robin, 1/14/2014 -
" The ideas were interesting, but without more practical examples, I think they'd be difficult to put into practice. "
— Sarah, 1/12/2014 -
" It changed the way I work and coach. "
— Mark, 1/4/2014 -
" Good stuff.... listened to it on audio... would like to have paper version of some of the suggestions for retraining your brain. "
— Tammy, 12/18/2013 -
" Top Ten Booklist. A must-read. Should be taught in grade school. I'm not kidding. "
— Mary, 12/9/2013 -
" Excellent book that will require a few re-readings to put a lot of the good suggestions into practice. "
— James, 10/15/2013 -
" Some excellent ideas for improving your productivity at work by understanding more about how your brain works. Each idea is explained using examples. "
— valpal, 9/27/2013 -
" Interesting take on brain chemistry and productivity. "
— Davy, 7/24/2013 -
" Loved this easily digestible take on neuro-plasticity. The SCARF model really resonated with me and I'm seeing it pop up a lot in change management stuff. "
— Susan, 7/17/2013 -
" Good book on the brain works at work. Great scenarios and made the brain easy to understand. "
— Rick, 5/16/2013 -
" Really glad I picked this up. Expands my vocabulary for thinking about thinking. Also complements things like NVC or Discussing the Undiscussable nicely. "
— Daniel, 2/26/2013 -
" I find it amusing that a book about using your brain more effectively is so badly edited! There was some useful information but I found the tone very repetitive. Not quite the life changing book I had heard about... "
— Jules, 8/19/2012 -
" Love this book! One of those rare books that I borrowed from the library and immediately bought for myself after reading. I want to read it again in a few months, there are so many things to think about. "
— Ryan, 8/3/2012 -
" This is best of the "brain science" rehashed genre I've read. Very useful actionable info to take to work and home with you. "
— Ddweir2000, 4/16/2012 -
" This book is REALLY good. I highly recommend it to anyone who is feeling fragmented, overwhelmed, unable to concentrate... Explains WHY based on neuroscience and WHAT you can do differently that will help. "
— Erica, 2/4/2012 -
" Guide to developing and maintaining focus and improving productivity "
— Sally, 11/6/2011 -
" I started to read but then got distracted... "
— Mike, 8/27/2011 -
" This is one of those books that I want to read again, wait a few months and read it a third time. His reasoning seems sound and the lessons he uses would apply in both business and personal life. I highly recommend. "
— Randall, 6/30/2011 -
" i enjoyed this book as i was introduced to my brain! the concept of small stage, looking forward to employ my director to oversee the atoms of thoughts that the brain process every moment "
— Mohammed, 6/12/2011 -
" Quite a lot of good research, cases, neuroscientific explanations and ideas for how to do things better and more effectively. "
— Ccdempsey, 5/10/2011 -
" "Fascinating insight into how we operate at work as told from the perspective of two workers - a freelance consultant and a corporative exec. Recommended reading for anyone who wants to know why they act they way they do." "
— Sinead, 4/22/2011 -
" Good book on how the brain works and how to use the knowledge to your advantage. Told like a story so doesn't get too technical. "
— Sally, 4/21/2011 -
" Good book on the brain works at work. Great scenarios and made the brain easy to understand. "
— Rick, 4/7/2011 -
" A enjoyed this book, did not agree with everything but worth readying "
— Bruce, 3/5/2011 -
" Decent book full of good tips. Not as impressed as most others it appears. I'd still recommend it. "
— Brandon, 12/4/2010 -
" It changed the way I work and coach. "
— Mark, 12/3/2010 -
" Practical advice how to work better by recognizing human cerebral limitation. "
— Scott, 12/1/2010 -
" Great Book (sometimes confusing, I will definitely need to go through it again in the future) "
— nemo, 11/30/2010 -
" One of the most brilliant books I've read. I limit myself to one chapter a day so that I can let it all sink in. "
— Clare, 10/27/2010 -
" A great overview of both how your brain works (with pictures and diagrams!) but also strategies and ideas to help with specific needs (distraction, shifting between different tasks, etc.) "
— Jen, 10/4/2010 -
" reading ebook version...finally finished this and thought it was written in an easily accessible style. lots of technical information made easy to digest. will try other works by Rock. "
— Robin, 9/3/2010 -
" This book is REALLY good. I highly recommend it to anyone who is feeling fragmented, overwhelmed, unable to concentrate... Explains WHY based on neuroscience and WHAT you can do differently that will help. "
— Erica, 5/13/2010 -
" I learned more about how our brain functions and how to deal with its limitations in a work context. The metaphor of a theater with a stage, actors and directors appealed to me. The director made me think of "the observer" that some meditation schools talk about. "
— David, 3/21/2010
About David Rock
David Rock is a consultant and leadership coach who advises corporations around the world. The author of Coaching with the Brain in Mind, Quiet Leadership, and Personal Best, he is the CEO of Results Coaching Systems, a leading global consulting and coaching organization. He is on the advisory board of the international business school CIMBA and the cofounder of the NeuroLeadership Institute and Summit. He lives in Sydney, Australia, and New York City.
About Bob Walter
Bob Walter is a producer, director, and audiobook narrator. He is best known for his work as a music producer and sound effects designer for the movies Halloween, The Little Brave Toaster, and Apocalypse Now. His audiobook narrations include several nonfiction and fiction titles from Hachette, Random House, and HarperCollins, among others.