Ebook: Four seconds: all the time you need to stop counter-productive habits and get the results you want

pt. 1. change your mental defaults -- Four seconds : Pause, breathe, course correct -- Why the pinto blew up : Rethink goal setting -- Byron's real problem : Commit to following through -- My first TEDx talk : Ditch the urge to be perfect -- It finally felt like mine : Trust yourself first -- Nothing helped my tennis elbow : Stand back and do nothing -- Everything is amazing and no one is happy : Accept reality. Change expectations. -- The value of drinking tea : Make time for rituals -- Before slipping the kayak into the water : Prepare every day -- A lesson from my wireless router : Reset yourself -- This is what it feels like to ... : Stop performing. Start experiencing. -- "I have no time to think" : Invest in unfocused focus -- Why I returned my iPad : Embrace boredom -- Dorit's first-grade classroom : Ignore the inner critic -- Carlos's double whammy : Reclaim your sweet spot -- House rock rapid : Imagine the worst -- Turn the boat toward the wind : Be prepared with a process, not a solution -- pt. 2. Strengthen your relationships -- A lesson from my mother-in-law : Prioritize relationships -- The hardest part is after the speech : Show people who you truly are -- He broke up with her in a text : Don't let the package distract you from the message -- I want to be like you when I'm seventy-seven : Choose to be inspired by people -- A lesson from my mother : Refuse to write someone off -- The inescapable parking ticket : Walk away from an argument -- Don't blame the dog : Take the blame instead -- Hardware stores don't sell milk : Learn other people's rules of engagement -- Sophia's first powder day : Meet people where they are -- It was a long shot : Become a great receiver -- A false start gets you disqualified : Empathize first. Help them feel better later. -- It's not about the shampoo : Listen for the unspoken -- My best birthday ever : Give the gift of appreciation -- Getting a free upgrade to first class : Appeal to people's generosity -- Why Tim didn't get the promotion : Don't skip your thank-yous -- No : Establish boundaries with others -- Towing our neighbor's son's car : Ask questions. Don't attack back. -- pt. 3. Optimize your work habits -- Hair salon leadership : Keep your cool -- George Washington vs. Super Bowl I : See individuals individually -- Complaining with complainers : Neutralize negativity -- The training wheels had to come off : Let people fail -- or almost fail -- Are you ready to be a leader? : Support others' success -- Who deserves credit for a great movie? : Share the glory -- The chef who didn't get it : Take responsibility for your colleagues' work -- I've got too much to do ... : Offer to do other people's work -- The day the distribution centers were full : Focus on outcome, not process -- Don't bet on winning the lottery : Zero in on what matters to the organization -- Ron drones on and on : Be helpful instead of nice -- "Actually, there is something ..." : Accept the gift of criticism -- Crying about a gift : Create a safe space for yourself and others -- I don't miss a thing : Stop checking e-mail -- The no-PowerPoint rule : Embrace the informal meeting -- The pea haters who ate like pea lovers : Tell stories to get others to change -- How Jori lost eighty pounds : Forget willpower, restructure your environment.;"All too often our best efforts to accomplish the things we want most--to do our jobs well, to make meaningful contributions at home and at work, to have satisfying relationships with loved ones, friends, neighbors, and coworkers--are built on bad habits that sabotage us. We feel overwhelmed by our increasingly large to-do list, so we automatically multitask to get more done--and end up more stressed and more overloaded. We say something with the hopes of impressing the other person, but instead of offend them--then spend days trying to repair the damage. We give what we think is a pep talk to our team-- but they walk away demotivated. How can we be most effective and productive in a world that moves too fast and demands so much of us?In Four Seconds, Peter Bregman shows that the answer is to pause for as few as four seconds--the length of a deep breath--to replace bad habits and reactions with more productive behaviors. In his trademark style of blending personal anecdotes with practical advice, Bregman reveals some of our most common counter-productive tendencies and describes counter-intuitive strategies for acting more intentionally, including: Why setting goals can actually harm your performance How to use strategic disengagement to recover focus and willpower Why listening--not arguing--is the best strategy for changing someone's mind How taking responsibility for someone else's failure can actually help you succeed Drawn from Bregman's hugely popular Harvard Business Review blog, this engaging and wise book provides simple solutions to create the results you want without the stress"--