The Lowdown: Discover why some people work better than others, and how to be one of those high achievers with this Great At Work summary.
Have you ever wondered why some people perform better than others at work?
I know I have, and the author of this book did he. The only difference between myself and him, is that he did something about it.
After analyzing over 200 academic papers, to create a hypothesis and then surveyed 5,000 employees to test.
- Audible Audiobook
- Morten Hansen (Author) – Robert Petkoff (Narrator)
- English (Publication Language)
- 01/30/2018 (Publication Date) – Simon & Schuster Audio (Publisher)
The three key lessons from the book are:
- Avoid multitasking
- Use a leaning loop to improve performance
- Encourage debate in your meetings
Lesson One: Avoid multitasking
Odds are you are so busy that you try to get as much done as quickly as possible.
This overwhelm and never ending to-do list means that you are often left trying to juggle multiple tasks at the same time in an effort to get more done.
However, when you multitask, you spread yourself too thin and wear yourself out, taking longer to finish tasks.
A 2015 study of judges in Milan showed that judges who tackled multiple cases at a time were over twice as slow in completing cases.
So, instead of trying to do everything at once, focus on a few select tasks and tackle them one at a time.
Once your undivided attention is focused on one particular task, you can obsess over completing that task to the best of your ability.
In the author’s study of 5,000 people, those who had a limited focus performed 25% better on average.
Lesson Two: Use a leaning loop to improve performance
Just because you aren’t at school any more, doesn’t mean that you stop learning and trying to improve.
In your job or business, you need to be looking for constant improvement. However, that just doesn’t mean “do what you’re doing…. but better”.
In order to actually learn and get better at your craft, you need to start a learning loop.
Basically, a learning loop is where you learn, execute, get feedback and reflect. Then, rinse and repeat.
What most do when they try and learn is just to constantly execute, maybe tweaking a few things.
In other words, many people just throw shit at a wall to see what’ll stick.
Don’t be that guy.
Instead, look to get honest feedback. That can be from others, and even self-assessment. This feedback should be reflected upon and brought into future attempts.
Lesson Three: Encourage debate in your meetings
Who has been in a work meeting before?
*Raises hand*
Okay, who has been in a work meeting that was absolutely shithouse?
*emphatically raises both hands*
Meeting time at work can sometimes be a complete waste of time, but it doesn’t have to be.
Look to start with a debate on the topic or even an argument! Let people have their say so that they’re invsted in the result.
Then, after opinions are discussed, look to unite to make a decision.
To do this properly, a diverse team is required.
Actually, let me rephrase that… to have an innovative team, you have to have a diverse team.
If you employ a group of people who are all too similar and think alike, then there’ll never be any new ideas.
My Personal Takeaway
I love the idea of debating at the start of meetings! So often meeting times are a waste due to the fact they’re often boring with nothing exciting ever seemingly happening.
However, by encouraging debate, you can explore a series of diverse opinions which will help you come to a conclusion.
Put it into action
Start saying ‘no’ to things!
Seriously. How many times have you been overworked because you said yes to too many things?
Well, it is time to start hyper-focusing on one thing at a time. That means start saying no to things if you’re already busy.
You should consider buying this book if…
This book is perfect for anybody who is trying to multitask their way through life!
Or, read our other business book summaries.
Cheers.
Vince
a Swedish university student, marketing professional, and life-long learner. Here at BookSummaryClub I summarize my favorite non-fiction books into easily digested posts. Hope you like what you’re reading!
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