I bought this book (Amazon) because I’m a huge fan of Burkeman’s column “This column will change your life”. He has a knack for taking a large self help book and extracting the one actually useful piece of advice – like the 10-10-10 method for making decisions. And debunking popular myths – like it taking 28 day days to change a habit. The article on email has made me think I might actually be able to get my email under control (key is the manageable 45 minute slots to tend to it). My favorite column, though, is the one on whether you’re an asker or a guesser – basically, askers are direct (and okay with no), and guessers hint. You can probably guess that when the two meet it’s not smooth sailing…
Anyway, love the column, love the book. Spent a very pleasurable afternoon reading it, entertained and encouraged to increase my own happiness and productivity (but only slightly). Highly recommend!