Smarter Faster Better

The Secrets of Being Productive in Life and Business

Charles Duhigg · 2016 · Productivity

7 min · 10 chaptersNarrated in your voice

Original summary · AI-drafted, human-published · added by Library

What it's about

Charles Duhigg argues that productivity is not about working harder or longer but about mastering a set of learnable mental skills: motivation, focus, goal-setting, decision-making, and the ability to absorb information. Drawing on case studies from the Marine Corps, Google, GM's Fremont factory, and airline cockpits, he claims the most productive people and organizations succeed by building specific cognitive habits rather than relying on raw talent or effort.

Reading plan

Pick a finish date and Genius lays out the days — the plan shows today's target and keeps you honest.

Read together

Start a circle and share the code — everyone sees everyone's honest place in the book. Accountability, not leaderboards.

Who it's for

- Managers looking for evidence-based ways to improve team performance without adding headcount - Readers of business narrative nonfiction who want case studies alongside psychology research - Anyone who feels busy but unproductive and wants a framework beyond simple time-management tricks

What’s inside

1
Motivation as a Choice
Motivation is not a fixed trait but a skill built by repeatedly choosing to exert control over even small, low-stakes decisions.
1 min
2
What Makes Teams Work
The best teams are not defined by who is on them but by unwritten norms governing how members treat and listen to each other.
1 min
3
Managing Attention
Sustained focus depends less on willpower than on the habit of mentally narrating what should happen next.
1 min
4
Setting Goals That Work
Ambitious goals only produce progress when paired with disciplined, specific, near-term plans that make the ambition actionable.
1 min
5
Managing Others Through Commitment
Productivity rises most when workers are given real authority to stop, question, and fix problems rather than simply follow fixed procedure.
1 min
6
Deciding Under Uncertainty
Good decisions come from picturing several possible futures and weighing their odds, not from waiting for certainty.
1 min
7
Where Innovation Comes From
Innovation is less the product of solitary genius than of forcibly recombining existing ideas from disconnected fields under real deadline pressure.
1 min
8
Where the Argument Runs Thin
1 min
9
Final summary
1 min
10
Actionable advice
1 min

About Charles Duhigg

Charles Duhigg is an American journalist and former New York Times reporter who won a Pulitzer Prize as part of a reporting team in 2013. He is also the author of The Power of Habit (2012). His work translates behavioral science and organizational research into narrative case studies for general readers.