“This book is dedicated to translating the most valuable research into the context of today’s working world—the tough assignments, the packed schedules, the complex relationships—to show you how to make every day reliably more enjoyable and productive.”
- How to Have a Good Day, page 12
"Less of the day seems driven by chance once we understand some of the forces that shape our choices and our emotions, and once we recognize how our thought patterns can affect everything from our perception of reality to the moods of those around us."- How to Have a Good Day, page 3
Just about everything that Webb shares in How to Have a Good Day is grounded in three essential scientific themes. These are: the two-system brain, the discover-defend axis and the mind-body loop.
The two-system brain refers to our automatic and deliberate systems (Kahnemann’s System One and System Two for those who are familiar with Thinking Fast and Slow). The automatic system “streamlines our decision making by nudging us toward whichever choice requires the smallest amount of conscious effort.” It guides us towards the (often erroneous) conclusion that the most obvious option is the best option. Engaging the deliberate system is critical—and underpins many of the suggestions outlined in this book.
The discover-defend axis refers to the reality that even mild stress can push us into “defend” mode—and reduce the activity in our pre-frontal cortex, where the deliberate system’s work gets done. While we need the “defend” response to protect us from real harm, when it prevents us from thinking and behaving expansively—it isn’t serving us. Webb shares strategies for both tamping down the defend axis and activating the discover axis which loves (even small) rewards.
Finally, Webb makes the case for remembering and using our bodies, not only our brains, to create good days. By paying attention to and caring for our bodies (exercise and sleep) and our minds (mindfulness, reflection) we can think better, live better and ultimately be happier.
What follows are just a couple of gems from the book—specifically ones that I’ve adopted since starting the book which are helping me have even better days.
"We can’t switch off our automatic system’s filtering function—by definition, it’s automatic. But we can adjust the settings, by being more proactive in defining what our brain sees as “important” each day."- How to Have a Good Day, page 36
I coach people on the importance of setting intentions and getting clear on priorities, yet often find myself feeling unclear about my own priorities. The suggestions Webb provides (a couple of which I include here) and the research she shares are helping me by making the process easier and by highlighting just how critical the activity of intention and priority setting is.
Here are the four “As” that are outlined in the book, and that I’m now using, diligently, as I start my day (or if I get stuck in the middle of a day):
Aim: What matters most and what does that mean my real priorities should be?
Attitude: What concerns are dominating my thoughts? If they don’t help me with my priorities, can I choose to set them aside?
Assumptions: What negative expectations do I have going into this? How might I challenge those expectations?
Attention: Where do I most want to direct my attention? What do I want to be sure I notice?
I’ll also sneak in an incredibly useful tip that I learned from Webb about managing to-do lists: Those long lists (that I am so very fond of) are not actually that helpful, within a given day. Instead, I review my big list the night before, identify what I am going to focus on the next day, and put that into a separate, much shorter, list. Throughout the day, I only work with that shorter list. I am less overwhelmed and getting much more—and what really matters—done.
"How can we apply this to tricky tasks at work? It can be as simple as framing the task as an open question—simply pausing and asking, “What’s the right way to solve this, ideally?” When I feel frustrated by a lack of progress, I often find that’s enough to put me in a more exploratory mindset."- How to Have a Good Day, page 167
Here’s a simple way to engage our “discover” axis and be more creative and expansive in our thinking—reframe your thinking into questions. Doing so results in a signal to your brain that you want it to explore and think new thoughts.
We learn from a study of people working on anagrams that the group that wrote down the question “Will I solve these anagrams?” solved nearly twice as many puzzles as those who wrote down “I will solve these anagrams.” An easy, powerful shift.
Remember Sheryl Sandberg’s question, “What would you do if you weren’t afraid?” It’s one of those questions I come back to again and again, because it helps kick me out of defensive mode and into expansive thinking. Research shows that we benefit from “rhetorical questions that invite us to set aside barriers that might be narrowing our thinking.” Other examples of questions like this include: “If you knew the answer, what would it be?” Or “If you had no constraints, what would you do?” Try this kind of question when you feel stuck and see if they can help you unstick.
Also on the subject of questions: When we are asked a question rather than being told to do something, we feel more in control, less defensive and more open. So, notice when you are asking others vs. telling them and how you can shift to questions—of others and of yourself.
If you’re looking for good, research-based, ideas about how to be more focused, more organized, prioritize better, manage your emotional state and work better with others, How to Have a Good Day is a resource you’ll want to have on your shelf—and refer to often.
Caroline Webb is an economist, management consultant and executive coach who has spent the last fifteen years showing her clients how to apply insights from behavioral science (neuroscience, psychology and behavioral economics) to boost their professional effectiveness and job satisfaction. After a first career at the Bank of England, she worked for 12 years at management consulting firm McKinsey & Company, where she was a partner in their leadership and organizational change practice. She then founded her own firm (Sevenshift) to provide behavioral science-based coaching to leaders. Her forthcoming book, ‘How To Have a Good Day’, translates that experience onto the page, showing readers how they can use behavioral science to transform the quality of their everyday working lives. The book is published by Random House (Crown Business) in North America, and Macmillan (Pan Macmillan) in the UK & Commonwealth. Thirteen translations will be published around the world in 2016.
