Four Seconds: All the Time You Need to Stop Counter-Productive Habits and Get the Results You Want

Four seconds—enough time to stop, take a breath, and rethink your response. That is really all you need to change all sorts of poor habits, as Peter Bregman explains in this engaging, enlightening book. He focuses on three areas: mental reactions; relationships; and workplace habits. Each of the fifty-one chapters is extremely short, concentrating on just one small habit or accepted dogma that might be inhibiting you from being the effective person you want to be. He illustrates each chapter with anecdotes and experiences he’s had that are, unfortunately, common, but easily solved with his tips. For example, if you find yourself overextended and exhausted, Bregman’s advice is to respect your own priorities, show appreciation but firmness, and practice saying no. The ideas are mostly commonsense, like changing your environment rather than relying on willpower alone, but they key is taking those four seconds to rethink the knee-jerk reaction you know is wrong or unhelpful and choosing instead the reaction you know actually gets you the results you want. It is an easy, interesting, extremely helpful set of tips that will benefit anyone who reads it.