Get it Done by Ayelet Fishbach

GET IT DONE by Ayelet Fishbach offers “Surprising Lessons from the Science of Motivation.” To address this topic, Fishbach draws on her professional experience as the Jeffrey Breakenridge Keller Professor of Behavioral Science and Marketing at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and as the past president of the Society for the Study of Motivation. In order to better help her readers identify and effectively achieve the right goals, she breaks the book into four parts: Choose your Goal; Keep Pulling; Competing Goals; and Social Support. Each of those contains several chapters (“Put a Number on It,” “Incentives Matter”) with end of chapter questions for readers to ask themselves.  Fishbach acknowledges the impact of the pandemic, saying, “Like most people, I worry, get distracted, and struggle to stay motivated.” She maintains a generally positive, coach-like tone, and further notes that “getting anywhere, as well as sustaining the things you cherish in life, requires a great deal of pulling [motivation].” At school, we have certainly worked to address the difficulties our students have faced with maintaining momentum. This issue was echoed in Michael Luca’s recent Wall Street Journal review where he wrote, “had I read GET IT DONE when I was a struggling student, the path to where I am now might have been a lot smoother.” Perhaps Fishbach will also craft a version aimed specifically at young adults, similar to Covey’s adaptation, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens?

Professor Fishbach will be speaking (via Zoom) on Tuesday, January 18 at 7:00pm for an event sponsored by Family Action Network (FAN); I am looking forward to that talk especially after seeing the number of positive comments regarding GET IT DONE from authors like Adam Grant, Carol Dweck, and Angela Duckworth.

How Civil Wars Start by Barbara F. Walter

HOW CIVIL WARS START by Barbara F. Walter has received quite a bit of attention lately, especially in the light of the January 6 anniversary. Walter has spent over 20 years studying civil wars, is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and a Professor at the University of California, San Diego. She divides her book between explaining the forces that prompt civil wars and, as the subtitle says, “How to Stop Them.” The recent review in The Economist argues that the first part is a “well-argued one about what caused past civil conflicts around the world,” while it views the second part, especially about the likelihood of civil war in America, with more skepticism. Walter’s work is certainly engaging and thought-provoking and I know several students who will be curious to read this, although the geographic and temporal span (she draws examples from experiences in Syria, Yugoslavia, South Africa, revolutions in Russia and China, etc.) may make for a challenging read. Walter describes several risk factors (factionalism, democratic decay, abundance of guns, and the fear of losing status or power) that have appeared again and again. Shifting to present day, she points to issues with technology (particularly social media) and argues that Americans may also be hampered by too little imagination – that we tend to be limited by historical images of the American Civil War and the belief that political collapse happens elsewhere. Walter’s text could certainly prompt discussion in our Civics classes, just as it has in these recent editorials: “Are We Really Facing a Second Civil War?” and “Let’s Not Invent a Civil War.”

New texts from podcasters ...

 Here are a couple of new texts coming out this week from podcasters and an award-winning science writer:

ORGANIZING FOR THE REST OF US by Dana K. White promises “100 Realistic Strategies to Keep Any House Under Control.” It is unfortunate that the cover is so muted and not really appealing, but some of the ideas do gel. For example, White who is a blogger and podcaster about decluttering, encourages readers to accept that they have too much stuff. She says, “focusing on having “less” and making my home “better” is what finally brought about real change … When I focused exclusively on getting stuff out of my house instead of looking for creative ways to keep my stuff, my home started to look more organized, feel more organized and function [in a] more organized [manner].” Using a very informal tone, White provides much needed inspiration with humorous anecdotes and pragmatic advice.

WHY HAS NOBODY TOLD ME THIS BEFORE? by Dr. Julie Smith deals with coping techniques for emotional and mental health. Smith, a clinical psychologist with over 3 million followers on her TikTok channel, helps her readers to understand low moods, deal with emotional pain and grief in some of the early sections of this debut. She also offers advice on topics like fear, self-doubt, stress, and having a meaningful life. Each chapter has a bulleted summary (e.g., “to fight fear, you must be able to face it; escape and avoidance only provides short-term relief but feeds anxiety in the long term”). The last chapter, “When to seek help,” is especially important, of course.  Smith says that “this book is your toolkit to use for improving or enhancing your mental health and wellbeing.”  About five percent of the book contains useful references and other suggested (primarily UK-based) resources which might be of interest to our psychology students. 

EMOTIONAL, subtitled “How Feelings Shape Our Thinking,” is written by Leonard Mlodinow, an award-winning author (in addition to his own work, he has co-written other texts with Stephen Hawking) and physicist. Here, Leonard Mlodinow encourages increased self-awareness and reflection as he explains some of the more recent affective neuroscience findings. Mlodinow contends that today, “we know that emotion is as important as reason in guiding our thoughts and decisions … emotion operates at a more abstract level – it affects the importance we assign to the goals and the weight we give the data.” Fascinating to think about this in the context of the many personal decisions which are being made relative to vaccine mandates, mask wearing, and other restrictions related to COVID-19. Overall, EMOTIONAL seems a bit too sophisticated for many of our high school students; it does, however, contain extensive notes and received a starred review from Publishers Weekly.

Good Enough by Leanne Brown

GOOD ENOUGH by Leanne Brown is a mix of recipes and commentary from the author of Good and Cheap, one of my favorite cookbooks of the last few years. Brown subtitles her latest offering “Embracing the Joys of Imperfection and Practicing Self-Care in the Kitchen.” For someone looking for a more “mindful” approach to cooking, this might appeal, but I was more interested in finding easy to make recipes.  Brown definitely wants to support her readers, saying “my intention is for this book to be a gentle hug and a whisper in your ear that you are stronger than you know…” Throughout, she shares some cute graphics as well as attractive pictures of food and personal stories like the one that accompanies “How to Get a Girlfriend Salad” and describes her husband Dan’s cooking. In another part of the book is a section titled “Being Your Own Best Parent” and a list of healing activities like cooking and baking, reading a novel, listening to music, walking or running, and drawing or writing. I think most of us have found solace in cooking and baking during the pandemic – many may enjoy making Brown’s “Every Day is Summer Berry Cookie Bars” or “British Beer Cheese and Roasted Broccoli” or “Curried Chickpeas and Spinach.” However, I wish there was even more overall emphasis on practical, nutritious recipes like those in her earlier cookbook.