Nerdist Way, The

by Chris Hardwick

Nerds: Once a tormented subrace of humans... Now captains of industry! You don't have to be a stereotypical geekwad to appreciate the tenets of Nerdism and to make your innate talents for overanalysis and hyper-self-awareness work for you instead of against you. Join Nerd superstar Chris Hardwick as he offers his fellow ?creative-obsessives? the crucial information needed to come out on top in the current Nerd uprising. Nerds subsist on the minutiae of their chosen passions. As a lifelong member of ?The Nerd Herd, ? as he calls it, Chris Hardwick has learned all there is to know about Nerds. He's studied them, lived with them, and has endeavored to milk their knowledge nectar and isolate its curative powers for what ails you. Thus, he has founded a philosophical system (and blog) called The Nerdist, and here he shares his hard-earned wisdom about turning seeming weaknesses into world-dominating strengths. From keeping your heart rate below hummingbird levels to managing the avalanche of sadness that is your inbox, from ignoring your brain to attracting wealth by turning down work, Hardwick reveals the secrets that can help you accomplish what you want by tapping into your true nerdtastic self. The Nerdist Way shows how to focus your mind, body, and time into an unstoppable laser of goodness. Don't wait for another social tragedy. Don't resort to cheap ?mass murder? tactics to exact your revenge on society. Success is the most satisfying ? and legal ? form of vengeance there is. And you can achieve it when you follow the Nerdist Way.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Humor, Audiobook, Biography, Memoir, Personal Development

MP3 CD

First published November 1, 2011

About the author

Christopher Ryan "Chris" Hardwick is an American television host, stand-up comedian, actor, writer, producer, podcaster, musician, and voice artist.

Reviews

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember loving Chris Hardwick when he co-hosted Singled Out on MTV with Jenny McCarthy. I had the hugest crush on him in my 13 year old heart. Even with that horrible 90s hair and clothes that looked like he found them on the street. SWOON.



But then after Singled Out ended, he just fell completely off my radar until recently, when I've been hearing his name all over the place. Of course I, being the highly observant and detail oriented person I totally am, didn't realize it was the same Chris Hardwick. I just had a "His name sounds familiar" kinda of glimmer. So I had a bit of a Google-fest confirming the identity of said "Chris Hardwick" - if that's even his real name!

But it is! :D Though I totally think that I might start calling him Chris Nerdwick, because it's awesome. I hope that becomes a thing. Embrace it, Chris!

Since listening to this book, I feel like I have missed out on so much of this dude's career that I would totally have loved following. (Except that he's on TV and I'm just not really a TV person, but you know, theoretically.) But he's done a TON of work in the intervening years between when Singled Out ended and now, and he seems to have really embraced who he is as a person, and what makes him happy. Which is awesome.

I have to admit that I'm kinda proud of where he is in his life and career. He seems to have learned and grown, quit drinking, gotten in shape, and somehow managed to become a successful and happy person without becoming a douchebag or an egotistical asshole, or worse, a joke that nobody takes seriously because every time she opens her mouth something ignorant comes out of it. Not naming any names or anything. (I lied: Jenny McCarthy. Please just stop talking.)

ANYWAY, so what I'm getting at is that I'm glad that Hardwick went his own way after Singled Out, and didn't get dragged down into that brand of shittiness. He had his own problems, but he has managed to figure out his life, and is now putting what he's learned out there for anyone else who might find his mistakes and fixes useful in their own lives. He is not a doctor, or a psychologist, or an exercise guru, or even an accountant, and makes that abundantly clear, but still has pretty good thoughts about stuff in those areas.

I love the way that he defines what it is to be a nerd. He's put into words so many things that I have felt about myself but never really managed to quantify. The internal hyper-awareness, the self-recognition we feel for attaining seemingly ridiculous accomplishments and achievements (*cough* this book may or may not be book 118 out of 150 for my 2015 Reading goal, and I may or may not have been stressing about the fact that I have 41 days to read 32 books *cough*), the quest for knowledge, even if that knowledge pertains to completely made up stuff, etc. This has nothing to do with pocket protectors, taped-together horn-rim glasses frames, plaid shirts and suspenders, or never leaving home without your scientific calculator. This is a state of mind, and it may or may not be visible to the outside world. (Though usually it is because us nerds totally love to wear our favorite shit on our T-shirts.)



So, his understanding and definition of what it is to be Nerd actually allows for this book to be a self-help guide that we will understand and actually not hate! YAY! There is no "think positive thoughts and positive stuff will happen to you" crap. This is all just practical, common sense, realistic advice that I'm thankful that someone wrote it down on a piece of paper, folded it up into a paper airplane, and then piloted it right into my brain. Because it makes perfect sense... but apparently sometimes we just need someone to slap us upside the head with it.

I really liked the methods he suggests for figuring out one's goals and then figuring out whether you're meeting them or not: XP points.

And I love how he assures the reader, over and over and over, that it's OK to fail. That even failure can be a success, because you've tried, and that is more than doing nothing. I appreciated how he stressed that even doing a little bit toward your goal is good, and that one doesn't have to get a perfect score in life (or at anything) to be successful at it.

I am not even being facetious here. I am glad that he did this, because it was like he spoke right the fuck to me. I do this - I talk myself out of doing things that I know are good for me. I procrastinate. I wait for "special start times" to get back on track, or start new projects. I do all of this shit, and it annoys me, but I still do it because I had not yet been slapped upside the head with this audiobook airplane of common fucking sense. I know I mixed my metaphors there. It's on the list.

If I had one criticism about the book, it would be that some of the humor felt a little bit forced. I think this could have something to do with the reading, which was akin to an excited puppy jumping all over your shit. It was a bit manic and yell-y... but 90% of the time, it worked. It was just some of the things that felt like Hardwick was just trying a bit too hard to make funny.

Still, I pretty much loved this book, and I am NOT a self-help fan. I think most of it is trite garbage that sounds just good enough to start a trend and get people to shell out money for. This book is not of that kind. Yes, it is self-help (which I actually didn't realize when I got it - I thought it was just a clever comedian humorous title), but I never felt like it was condescending to me, the feckless mortal who hasn't yet figured shit out and has to hope some stranger will come and show them the way. This is just entertaining and intelligent, and spoke to me without talking down to me.

Highly recommended!

[Claire · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hmm. I would have given this a three if he'd left out his handful of sexist jokes which popped up like periodic road blocks saying, "Why are you giving this book your time?!" It's a fair question since it's another self-help book where the author's credentials are only his experiences.

My impression of Chris Hardwick from a few episodes I've seen of The Nerdist on BBC-A are that he is not sexist. I believe he was sincere when he wrote that he wants to help people feel better with his book.

Why then include some sexist jokes? They feel like the jokes male comedians still feel compelled to tell if only to bond with each other. Or as a way to bond with other men in general. The various dick and balls jokes would fall in this realm too.

It would be easy to say I'm overreacting, but I bring it up because it made me feel that this book was aimed at male nerds rather than all nerds. Also the sexist jokes, and let me stress here that there were only about 5-10, were nonetheless off-putting and did not make me feel better. I leave that to Chris Hardwick to consider.

Intentional or unintentional sexism aside, there's quite a bit of value to the book. It's broken into three sections: Mind, Body, and Time. In them, Hardwick relays stories from his journey and shares his nerd-style approaches to changing from drifting, drunk chubster to successful, sober fit guy. I wasn't familiar with his past, so I found a lot of these back stories really interesting. He talks about aimlessness, panic attacks, and drinking among other things.

Though I grokked 95% of his nerdy references, I think his exercises (he calls them "charactercizes") favor people into RPGs. (His book is peppered with tasks to help the reader put his suggestions into action.)

I really enjoyed his interview with Trainer Tom in the Body section. There are even workouts with diagrams. They are actually described quite well.

My favorite thing from the book is, "Oh, lizard almonds! Won't you EVER learn?! Now, back to the cave with you, or I'll make you stare at yawning kitty videos for a half hour!" (For context, check out the grey box on page 40, hardcover edition.) It's in the Mind section which I found most useful with its tips to trick your brain into productivity and out of anger, anxiety, and the like.

For me, this book is very much a take what's useful and ditch the rest affair. What's useful will vary from nerd to nerd, but may make this book worth a look.

[Mender · Rating 1 out of 5]

Audiobook. Oh my god, I am so glad this is over.

People writing self-help books would probably benefit from being gentle, coaxing, humble, honest and persuasive. Hardwick is overconfident, arrogant, annoying, profane and his advice is useless.

I was embarrassed to be listening to this in the car with somebody else, because it was bad. Two different passengers, two identical observations: "This guy is a jackass".

The first section is the most useful of the three, offering a suggestion to base your goals on a computer game system of leveling up; this is possibly good advice.

Then he went off track talking about his panic attacks, very specific advice that he assumes is universal, he's wrong but I didn't begrudge it of him.

After that was a section on Body. This is where it went downhill. He honest to god, not even kidding you, lists off machines at the gym one by one and how to use them. There is no world where this is an appropriate space to present that information. It is advice that you can only use if you are at that present second at a gym, and they happen to have identical machines. This goes on in tedious, useless detail for the better part of an hour. THEN HE REPEATS IT ALL, on how to exercise your muscles one by one, again, without machines.

I can find that specific advice, better presented, in any book on fitness. Which is what I would have checked out if I was interested in it. I get why he did it - it is filler. He had no useful insights to offer himself, so he puts in pages of crap that is overly specific because it's easy stuff to know. You can look it up anywhere, it's precise, it's easy to repeat. But for fucks sake, I was actually forced to skip sections of the damn audiobook because he's a broken bloody record. Pathetic waste of my time, lost me completely as a listener.

Then he moves back to a section on time usage, which again actually has a voice rather than just being lists of crap. But it's his voice, and his advice does not link back up to the advice in the first section. There is no continuity. It is just his stupid stream of conscious vacuous crap with not the slightest attempts made at editing or relevancy.

Infuriatingly bad.

[Carrie · Rating 1 out of 5]

With nerd in the title, it's hard to believe I was not in at least one of the target audiences for this book. Sadly, I was not. This is a very basic foundational book for at least one the following: 1) male nerds, 2)people that have suffered from mental illness, 3)people who have suffered from addiction/substance abuse 4)people that do not engage in any physical activities and/or lack basic nutritional knowledge, and 5) people that don't understand time management and/or struggle with organization. While all of us could improve and learn more about these topics, this book is written at a basic level for someone just starting out in life. This was surprising, as the subtitle of this book is 'how to reach the next level'. A better title would have been along the lines of 'how to start the game'.

Perhaps more disturbing, the author made many generalizations about nerds that were more reminiscent of cheesy 80's movies, than the robust and diverse population that nerdom comprises currently. While (sadly) some people may still inaccurately default to the stereotype overweight male, socially awkward, clinically depressed, under employed, living in his parents basement gaming for half the day, it was sad that the author--founder of the Nerdist podcast-- did this. Nerds come in all shapes, sizes, walks of life and even gender!

I applaud the author for personal authenticity and using many examples from his own life to discuss the topics in the book. I liked how he carried the gaming analogies through the book and the genre references. However as a proud nerd, who also happens to be a young professional woman with many interests (including fitness!), this book was disappointing.

[Alice · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I consider myself a fan of things Nerdist, I found this book a chore to read and ultimately threw in the towel with about 20 pages left. Some of the reasons:

* I actually didn't realize it was a self-help book when I picked it up. I don't ever read those. This one seemed better than most in that it didn't use a lot of new-agey mumbo-jumbo to 'help' the reader.

* I appreciate Hardwick's efforts to make this accessible to nerds, but it seemed geared to a very specific sort of person, namely a creative/artsy type of person. Not being such a person, I found entire sections of the book unhelpful and uninteresting.

* The section on fitness is boring and silly. There are many great resources out there for fitness, and this book would be better served to focus on some of the other areas. Some of the fitness advice he offers actually contradicts some of those other resources, so I don't know how much stock can put in what he has to say here.

* Hardwick himself can be kinda irritating to me, and that comes across in this book. He comes off as arrogant on occasion, and he quite often seems to go into this weird manic mode of trying WAY to hard to cram as many 'nerd' references as possible into a conversation and get as many laughs as humanly possible. He doesn't really do this in his stand-up, which I find funny. But in other formats it happens a lot. That same tone seems present here and so I found it a bit off-putting.

In the end, if I felt the need to recommend a self-help book to a friend (I wouldn't), it probably wouldn't be this one. If I wanted to introduce someone to Hardwick or Nerdist, it wouldn't be with this book.

[Andie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've been obsessively listening to the Nerdist podcast for a couple of months now, and have loved the great discussions of craft (writing, acting, standup) that have happened with various guests inbetween the Doctor Who obsessiveness. So when I saw that Chris Hardwick had a book out, I picked it up without knowing it was a self-help book.

As a self-help book, it has a lot of quality advice, but it lacks the charm and spontaneity that I find so attractive in the Nerdist Podcast. Compared to listening to Chris have a discussion of writing with Neil Gaiman or spiritually with Rainn Wilson on the podcast, the book felt formulaic. Though to be honest, I don't know if I would have picked it up if I knew it was a self-help book.

[Mike · Rating 1 out of 5]

This guy may have some Nerd-Cred because he claims to have been a member of his high school chess club, and claims to have been shoved in a locker by some jocks at lest once. He also claims to have once been a virginal player of D&D... but I don't know... I'm not buying it.
The book really had no bearing on nerd culture. In fact, the book seems to be saying "I'm no longer a nerd, a geek, or a dork! Here's how I escaped, so now I'm going to show you how to do it."
I couldn't finish it.

[Jonathan Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like it when the author narrates their own book.

[Jakub · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like Chris Hardwick. I first found out about him from his articles in Wired, and I started listening to his podcast. He seems like a cool guy, and when I heard that he’d written a self-help book, I figured I’d give it a go.

Since he is a self-described nerd, and he is building his “Nerdist” empire, the book is written towards what he imagines nerds to be. Now, I have been labeled a nerd since about the third grade, and I seem to fulfill many of the qualifications, yet huge swaths of this book were irrelevant to me. I felt like he was writing for a very stereotypical nerd. The fat guy dressed as a Klingon at the Star Trek convention or, better yet, the guy who wants to do that, but has too much social anxiety to actually go out and do it. He does get one thing right, which is that one of the fundamental characteristics of a nerd is an ability to obsess over something, whether it be baseball stats or the Star Trek: TNG collectible card game. And he does have some interesting ideas about how to take this ability to focus and obsess and use it to become successful in life. I also found what he had to say about creativity and rejection to be not only insightful but even helpful! However, if you don’t have crippling mental disorders, substance abuse problems, or a hatred for physical activity, then there are entire chapters of this book that you will find yourself skimming through.

Now, in addition to the social awkwardness and obsessiveness, there are also many nerds who are interested in science. Hell, in my mind, if you don’t love science then you don’t deserve to be called a nerd, but that’s just my own bias. Now, Hardwick always talks about how much he loves science, so I’ve always assumed that he’s in the same camp as I am. So why then is there so little science in this book? Maybe it’s just me, but it seems like one of the best ways to communicate with nerds is to make reference to scientific studies, to new findings in psychology, sociology, kinesiology, or neuroscience. All of these are relevant to what he’s talking about. But no, most of the book is simply him describing things that he’s learned through his own personal experience. It’s more of a memoir than a science-based self-help book like Richard Wiseman’s 59 Seconds. Consequently, there were sections of the book that I found unpersuasive (“Just because it worked for you, why should I think it would work for me?), in addition to other sections which I knew contradicted established scientific findings. And let’s not forget that one of the major things that science does is search for general truths, things that apply to most people. Personal anecdotes are the opposite of that!

So, while there are parts of this book that were helpful, and that I will return to, I have to say that I was ultimately disappointed with it. I wish he’d focused a bit less on himself, and a bit more on everyone else.

[Jaime · Rating 4 out of 5]

I generally don’t read self-help books, but I picked this up because I am a fan of Chris Hardwick. Hardwick, who some may recognize as being one of the hosts of MTV’s Singled Out way back in the 90s, spent much of his 20s partying, drinking, and generally ruining his life. What happened when he hit 30 is best expressed in his own words:

"Then, when I hit thirty, I began to look around at my life: I was consuming a baby elephant’s weight in alcohol EVERY DAY. I lived in a shitty apartment near UCLA … my place was always a mess, I had ruined my credit, and I had no real work prospects. I had become a thing I had always feared–the fat, drunk guy who used to be on television."

Hardwick quit drinking in 2003 and started trying to improve his life. Now he has multiple projects on the go, including a successful (and extremely entertaining) podcast, a new podcast network, and several TV gigs.

The secrets to Hardwick’s success aren’t anything new. Basically, he was able to harness his innate nature (his nerdiness, so to speak) and use it to his advantage. And that’s what this book is about.

His techniques aren’t going to appeal to everyone, but if you enjoy the quantitative over the qualitative, you may find some ideas here. In general, he is advocating identifying your goals and developing a way to track your progress in a visible way. He also talks a lot about how to deal with the generally obsessive "nerdist" brain, something which I could relate to. It’s nice to know that you’re not the only one who thinks the way you do. In the final section, he talks a lot about his diet and fitness, even providing a starter fitness plan that is modeled after what he has done with his trainer.

One thing you can’t forget is that Hardwick is a comedian. The tone of the book is funny and descriptive, even during the more serious parts.

All-in-all, I enjoyed the book, even if I won’t adopt some of the more time-consuming tracking techniques. However, there is one big ding against it. Hardwick spends a fair amount of time on the development of a "character tome" that is the heart of his goal-tracking technique. He sends readers to a web site for sample templates, but that website is not functional. We’re now almost 3 months after the release of the book, and that’s really not acceptable.

Good thing it’s hard to be mad at Hardwick for long.

[Mark Young · Rating 1 out of 5]

Yes, I'm finished with this book, Goodreads. Totally finished. Chris Hardwick is a guy who likes to write down things that happen to him, and stuff from his daily journal, or financial plan notes, or whatever crosses his mind. He likes to write down a lot of stuff. He got a personal trainer and wrote down a lot of the things he said. Now you have this book. Go fitness! There are also pages and pages of garbage dietary advice that he literally advises you not to take because he is not a nutritionist and it's just stuff his trainer told him (no, the trainer is not a nutritionist, either). Thanks for writing that down, Chris! You may also get the sense from the diction that the voice of the text should be in ALL CAPS LIKE SOMEONE SHOUTING! I listened to the Audible version, and I can confirm that it is 100% Chris Hardwick yelling things that he wrote down. He even says it's easy to write a book. "Just write 500 words a day until you have enough for a book. It's only a few paragraphs a day." I'm really sorry that he discovered this and that his publisher realized he had already spent the advance when he delivered this manuscript. Except for a few good jokes, it is complete drivel.

[Mike McDevitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't think it was possible. Nothing since school used to make me exercise has EVER made me exercise. This heady combination of humour, indefatigable optimism, and cursing is amazing. Or to use the vernacular: AMAZEBALLS.
Chris Hardwick speaks exactly my language and I'd like to own this as an e-book for future reference. It's in the bookstore humour section, but it was also a surprisingly insightful life guide. Likening oneself to a role-playing character and gaining experience is preferable to the crap I have filtered to me about so-called self-help books where the UNIVERSE hands out wishes.

[Brooke · Rating 2 out of 5]

I guess I've never read a self-help book before, because I went into this expecting some funny philosophizing from a self-proclaimed nerd who likes Doctor Who and instead found a step-by-step instruction book that included creating an RPG-ish notebook where you give yourself points and a how-to about cleaning up your credit score. Fine and fluffy at best, but I'd expect someone who insists he's super-nerdy to have a better grasp of "your" vs. "you're" and to know that symbols are not the things that are on drum sets.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reviewed at Brunner's Bookshelf

This book was great. Check out my review to read the full thing and check out a clip video of some of the best #Hashtag wars from Comedy Centrals @Midnight show

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am not the biggest fan of self-help books, but this one looked fun.

Humorous advice on how nerds can take hold of their lives, get out of their own way, and become more organized, productive, and focused.

3 dimensions to...
Mind: how to get your brain to work for you and not aging you...
Body: a fertIle mind...
Time: the first two are all but useless...

Nerdism:

Even though the book was published in 2011, some of the tech terminology is already dated. I mean, 3G mobile networks are no longer the thing.

Overall, it was an entertaining book, if a bit too self-congratulatory for my taste. I did not recognize the author's name and that was likely because I have not really paid attention to the media in which he specializes.

I went ahead and looked him up online and was fascinated to discover that he was born in the same year as me, which explains quite a bit about the fact that I could relate to much of his pop culture and historical references, even though our current (at least back in 2011) life circumstances and preferences were nothing alike.

I also discovered that he has finally settied down and gotten married (to an heiress who happens to be Patty Hearst's daughter, no less.)

In the end I found him to be enthusiatic, bordering on maniacal, and intelligent, if a bit pedantic.

I appreciate that he tailors the discussion to those who are much like him, and I can empathize with some of his revelatory 'Aha!' moments.

But the book became quite boring when he started making detailed lists of workouts, achievements, collaborators, etc. It was almost as if he needed filler to make up the remaining pages he was contractually obligated to write for the book.

Oversll, worth the listen. Our oldest daughter and I had to chuckle at some of the nerdist 'truisms' he proclaimed. And I discovered his podcast, located on https://nerdist.com through this book.

I listened to Episode 902 , of his podcast, which features an encore discussion with Max Brooks. I don't know if it's the recency of the topic of conversation, the witty banter among the participants, a slight sense that the author had matured some (nah, never mind), the poignant insights offered by Mr. Brooks, whose insightful book on contemporary society, World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War, has greatly amused our family, or a combination of all of the above, but I liked the podcast much more than the book itself and I plan to listen to more of them.

interesting quotes (page numbers from edition with ISBN13):

"I had become the one thing in life I'd most feared: the fat guy that used to be on television." (p.)

"If I can do that for you, it will justify this purchase. If not you can shout at me on Twitter with the hashtag #douchechimp." (p.)


"I am not a life coach." (p.)

"Any email that starts with the salutation, 'Hey Asshole!' is going to be gold." (p.)

"Strength isn't about the attack. True strength is the ability to not follow every impulse. Act, don't react." (p.)


"Be thankful and gratified enough by your success. .. Having a bunch more stuff is not going to fix you. You have to do that through reflection, assessment, and appreciation." (p.)



"Here's how to not go from zero to yelly in four point five seconds: Whatever yourfirst reaction is, make it your third." (p.)


"A good workout is the most constructive way to..." (p.)

"" (p.)

"" (p.)

"" (p.)

[Kater Cheek · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can't remember what enticed me to pick up this audiobook, except that I'm kind of a sucker for self-help books, and one that is designed to be used by "nerds" has a cute angle. I've never heard of Chris Hardwick, and am not familiar with any of the shows he brags about having been a part of, but I presume that most readers are fans of his. From what I gleaned from the book, he's a comedian and tv personality who also has a blog.

It must be daunting to write a self-help book, because there are so many out there, and it's hard to add anything new. Hardwick's contribution is to borrow the concept of a character sheet from role playing games, and make one for yourself. That way, when you accomplish something, you can add it to your character sheet and feel a sense of accomplishment. In the book, he reminds you of this by saying "character size!" I didn't understand until like the 6th time he said it that he meant "these are things for your character sheet." Maybe it makes more sense in text.

I have to assume that most of the jokes worked better in text. In addition to the cringe-worthy habit of reading out urls (including the http://) he also reads out hashtags. I found this very annoying. He did say a couple of things that were funny (like the allegory of playing chess with an ape) but in general, most of his asides sounded like the random manic ravings of a 15-year-old who just drank a 6 pack of energy drinks. One of them, about the "Back To The Future" movies, made absolutely no sense. It seemed to just come out of left field. How did that make it past the editors?

I liked Hardwicks' idea of a character sheet, though I don't really think I'll use it. It's a valuable tool to have a running tally of your accomplishments, if for no other reason, so you can update your resume easily and have something to say at your annual review. Actually writing down your alignment is a little weird, since not only is the D&D alignment system skewed, but people's self-reported descriptions of their attributes can be highly subjective depending on the state at the time of recording. Eg. I'm prettier when I'm ovulating, I'm smarter when I'm well rested, and I'm stronger when I've had a good breakfast. Also, whom are you comparing yourself to? How do I decide how much xp something gives me? It's awfully subjective.

I didn't like Hardwick's focus on physical fitness. True, physical fitness is important, and he seems to be presuming that is main reader is a smart, physically under-developed brainiac who can quote from memory the stats of various spacecraft but wouldn't know Vitamin B-12 from a B52. I get it. But if you're trying to inspire people who respond to exercise like slugs do to salt, don't tell them how they have to hire a personal trainer and work out three to five times a week and how they have to have stretching and weight lifting and also cardiovascular fitness too, oh, and make sure you're getting a gazillion vitamins and 8 glasses of water and 10 servings of vegetables every day. Too much! I'm one of those annoying people who will happily discuss my exercise routine at the drop of a hat, but even I felt overwhelmed by Hardwicks' hard-sell. Just tell people to walk half an hour a day, and eat a piece of fruit a day. That's it. Exercise is pretty awesome, and it makes you feel better, and it has amazing anti-depressive properties, but telling people they have to do ALL THAT STUFF is going to turn everyone off. Once people start a little bit of exercise and eating right, the rest of it will follow.

Also, the exercise routines Hardwick includes in the book do not belong here. Not only does he lack the credentials to coach people, but there are many other books out there that do it better. It would have been better to just list a few suggested book or video titles. I skipped past all of the excercise description sections. BORING.

Some of his advice for getting your email and physical clutter into shape seemed useful, if a tad obvious, but Hardwick's career advice was so pointedly directed at a very specific type of freelancer that it didn't seem terribly useful to anyone not in his field.

If you like Hardwick's comedy, you might enjoy this for the entertainment value, and if you're a nerd who can't seem to get yourself motivated, the idea of giving yourself experience points for skills you improve or possess is charming. Otherwise, I can't say that Hardwick has much to offer the overglutted celebrit self-help sub-genre except for the usual ticket of entry "somewhat famous + repaired self-inflicted life-ruining problem."

It's not a bad self-help book for people with problems getting their act together. If you know this guy and think he's funny, this might be a help to get your life back together.

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, and definitely written in the voice of Chris Hardwick, nerd extraordinaire, and a guy whose career I've been following since the early 90s. I give this book an A for effort but a B overall.

Personally, for me, the meat is in the first section, where I highlighted damn near everything. I kinda wish Chris had offered up the best weight loss advice I ever heard - do what works for you - but instead it was the same old obvious stuff I've always heard and which never helped me lose a pound. Yes, it's the healthiest way to lose weight, but does it matter to me if I'll never do it? For a true nerdy diet that will give you results no matter how lazy you are, I can't recommend The Hacker's Diet strongly enough - it's a free ebook, and I've lost 40 pounds and kept them off for nearly 2 years, with minimal effort and even less exercise. I was kind of surprised Hardwick didn't mention anything like this, but I understand. Like I said, the Nerdist Way is healthier, if you can make yourself do it.

While there are some interesting things in the second section (Body section), and the third section (Time management) isn't bad, it's really the first part of the book (Mind) that shines, especially as it introduces the nerdiest possible way to track life progress and tell your neurotic brain to STFU.

If you like Chris Hardwick, you're nerdy, and/or you're in a rut, I recommend this book. If Chris Hardwick annoys you like he does some people (jerks, d-bags, etc), or you aren't into self-help, I'd give this a pass.

Overall, I enjoyed it. I just would have liked the last 2/3rds of the book to be more like the first 1/3rd, which was really useful.

[Sunny P · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want a mini Chris Hardwick to sit on my shoulder and tell me everything is going to be okay! This book is a self-help book that brisks through all the self-help advice almost anyone could need; health, addiction, living your dreams, etc. (thought he does claim that he is no expert, but someone who has lived through these things.) I definitely related to Hardwick and it was a fun listen (I have it on audio. Thanks, audible.com!) I just started getting into Nerdist podcasts, so I will definitely check out some of Hardwick's other media.

Now the picky bits, which I am only picking at because I liked the book so much. There are sections in the audiobook that he reads and says "for more info, go to www.nerdistway.com/whatever" those links are broken. :( In the audio version, there is about an hour of Chris Hardwick EXPLAINING exercises. Yikes. I don't know if there was another work around for that (other than the links working), but man, that crap is boring. I think this would have read better, and it seems like these exercises have been MORE than covered in other books. If you are a nerd you can find it on your own. (Although, he does explain that these exercises are HIS regime.)

I may buy some copies for my friends this Christmas. It made the act of self-improvement entertaining and smart.

[G. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a fan of Mr. Hardwick and have followed the ups and downs of his career over the last couple of decades, and I am a downloader of his Nerdist podcasts (which I recommend to everybody...subscribe through iTunes or go to Nerdist.com) so I was very happy to get my hands on his book and read it. Basically a self-help/motivational work baked inside a nice autobiography. I'm one of those people who believes that self-help is the best kind of help and that self-help books can change your life in many mysterious ways. If you believe it, it will happen for you. This book gives you the tools to make some changes in the way you may be doing things. Never hurts to try. And, as a bonus, this book is hilarious. Highly recommended.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was torn between 4 and 5 stars (I need half stars, damn it!!!), but I think one or two Back to the Future references tilted the scales in the book's favor.

Chris Hardwick has written a delightfully funny Nerd guide to personal accomplishment. There are some things that didn't sit so well with me, but overall it's a legitimate work that any Nerd would like to consult from time to time.

I also think I drained my Kindle's battery with all the highlighting.

[India · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great chapter for obsessive over-thinkers: Dr. Xaviering Your Mind

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up as an audio book from a library display on humor without realizing it was a self-help book. Of course some of the information wasn’t specifically applicable to me (as always happens with self-help books), but this was fun, upbeat, inspiring with a good dose of humor and nerdy references. Now to seek out some more from this genre.

[Jacqueline · Rating 4 out of 5]

A friend of mine recommended this book to me, and I eventually bought a copy and read it. I did get stuck in the book a few places, putting it down for weeks at a time, but I also finally finished reading it. As self-help books go, it's probably better than most, though it still boils down to, "My life was a mess, I fixed it, and you can too." Though the reality is, for most people, often much more complicated.
The style of the book is conversational, chatty, and non-formal. There's plenty of capital letters, swearing, insults, - in short, it's very much the way you might expect a conversation with comedian and pop-culture guru Chris Hardwick to be. On the other hand, though, the book is painfully, painfully honest.
Some of the most honest parts of the book were in areas that I don't have experience with and to which, I personally, found it very hard to relate. Namely, Mr. Hardwick's struggle with alcoholism and paralyzing fears and anxiety. I'm not an alcoholic - though I was raised by two adult children of alcoholics (who constantly warned me of the dangers of becoming an alcoholic - though they smartly didn't out and out forbid drinking once I was of age). Anyway, I'm a person who can have one cocktail or beer when out to dinner with friends - and that's it. I see absolutely no point in getting blind drunk. Still, reading about someone else's struggle did stir empathy in me - not the "oh, I feel so sorry for you," type - but just simple human understanding. I'm not one of those people who doubt alcoholism is a disease, or who blame alcoholics for their condition, either. It's just not been part of my experience. Still, reading about Mr. Hardwick's experience gave me better understanding of what it's like.
The second major struggle, Chris Hardwick, talks about is anxiety. His descriptions of the physical and psychological symptoms of his anxiety issues were frank, honest, and most importantly - understandable. I found myself reading about his anxiety and thinking both, "doesn't apply to me I'm not afraid to fly", and "OH, so that's what it's like for people who are afraid to fly." And, I must, shamefully, admit, I've never given much credence to people I know personally who have overwhelming fears that rule their life so much that the fear prevents them from living. I tend to see most "fears" as a challenge or a new experience - and, as such, something to look forward to. It was humbling and instructive to read something from the other point of view that was actually understandable to me. And, again, I was able to gain empathy.
The Nerdist Way uses gamification as it's rubric for positive, personal change. Gamfication is exactly what it sounds like - turning something into a game, so it doesn't seem like work and isn't overwhelming. Hardwick's gamification strategy comes from Character-Based Role-Playing Games, such as D&D, and video games in general - and the video games were something Hardwick had actually given up on as an addiction. This may work extremely well for fans of RPG's and video games. It's definitely an attempt to speak "Nerd" language. And I could understand his system, as well as the psychology behind it. Also, Chris Hardwick is genuinely interested in RPG's, gaming, and similar "Nerd" topics.
The book is also split in to three parts: the first introduces Chris Hardwick (from his own point-of-view in first person) and his past, problems, how he met challenges, and how he overcame them; the second talks about physical health - good eating, exercise; the third talks time and money management. The section on health and exercise was probably the best and most helpful for me personally - but others who read the book might find other areas more helpful. The section on time and money management I found interesting. I was baffled by some of Mr. Hardwick's admissions on his problems with money management. (My reaction was "of course you should be using Quicken - I used it for years, but isn't Intuit now out of business?") There were some great hints for dealing with issues on your credit report though.
Overall, I'd recommend this book as a good starting point. However, if it doesn't work for you - remember the "best system" is often one you design yourself.

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chris Hardwick is like the geeky big brother I never had, showing me where I'm headed in ten years if I keep thinking like I do. Not that I expect to be famous like him, but I hope to get to the point where I am consistently creating and publishing rather than just consuming geeky media. His advice was great reassurance that I'm on the right track, and his anecdotes made me feel better knowing that what I see as a personal burnout phase could have been so much worse.

The book is broken into three sections on taming your busy mind, taking care of your body, and time management. That technically makes it a self help book, but it is written by a standup comic/TV host so it doesn't sound like a self help book while you're reading it. Have you ever read a self help book that speculated as to whether the Doctor is of Chaotic Good or Neutral Good alignment? This is probably the first one to use the language of my generation's popular geek culture, and I'm glad I downloaded the Kindle version so I could digitally highlight and bookmark all the good bits into a browsable list.

The Mind section of the book explains how Hardwick thinks of his life like one long D&D game, complete with character tome to track his progress. Accountability and success tracking was something I've had trouble with, so his idea of making a table top roleplaying character sheet and hand drawn progress bars for your own real life To Do "quests" was a welcome piece of advice. I now keep a digital character tome on my iPad in an app called SketchpadHD that lets me both type and doodle notes.

I can't comment much on the Body section of the book as I have some personal health issues that make working out a more complicated issue than it is for most people. Hardwick presents some advice from his personal trainer plus descriptions of exercises from which Your Milage May Vary. I thought it was the weakest section of the book, but it DID inspire me to return to my yoga routine. And he makes a good point that consistency with a fitness habit is more important than how hard your workout is. Just stretching is better than no physical activity at all.

The Time [and money] Management section is not terribly new if you already read self help books, but it's all good advice and I thought Hardwick's story of how he got out of credit card debt was inspiring. And actually, the section about super villainy WAS new. I won't spoil it for you, but super villains are actually good role models in the right context.

I highly recommend this book to anyone geeky, anyone who likes to laugh, anyone burnt out on self help books, or anyone who has ever hated themselves even a little for just a moment. You need this book like you need a hug from the geeky big brother you never had.

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chris Hardwick is like the geeky big brother I never had, showing me where I'm headed in ten years if I keep thinking like I do. Not that I expect to be famous like him, but I hope to get to the point where I am consistently creating and publishing rather than just consuming geeky media. His advice was great reassurance that I'm on the right track, and his anecdotes made me feel better knowing that what I see as a personal burnout phase could have been so much worse.

The book is broken into three sections on taming your busy mind, taking care of your body, and time management. That technically makes it a self help book, but it is written by a standup comic/TV host so it doesn't sound like a self help book while you're reading it. Have you ever read a self help book that speculated as to whether the Doctor is of Chaotic Good or Neutral Good alignment? This is probably the first one to use the language of my generation's popular geek culture, and I'm glad I downloaded the Kindle version so I could digitally highlight and bookmark all the good bits into a browsable list.

The Mind section of the book explains how Hardwick thinks of his life like one long D&D game, complete with character tome to track his progress. Accountability and success tracking was something I've had trouble with, so his idea of making a table top roleplaying character sheet and hand drawn progress bars for your own real life To Do "quests" was a welcome piece of advice. I now keep a digital character tome on my iPad in an app called SketchpadHD that lets me both type and doodle notes.

I can't comment much on the Body section of the book as I have some personal health issues that make working out a more complicated issue than it is for most people. Hardwick presents some advice from his personal trainer plus descriptions of exercises from which Your Milage May Vary. I thought it was the weakest section of the book, but it DID inspire me to return to my yoga routine. And he makes a good point that consistency with a fitness habit is more important than how hard your workout is. Just stretching is better than no physical activity at all.

The Time [and money] Management section is not terribly new if you already read self help books, but it's all good advice and I thought Hardwick's story of how he got out of credit card debt was inspiring. And actually, the section about super villainy WAS new. I won't spoil it for you, but super villains are actually good role models in the right context.

I highly recommend this book to anyone geeky, anyone who likes to laugh, anyone burnt out on self help books, or anyone who has ever hated themselves even a little for just a moment. You need this book like you need a hug from the geeky big brother you never had.

[Ellie Patten · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a book that I really wanted to love. I wanted to love it like I loved Felicia Day's 'You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost)' and like I love Nerdist.com. But I couldn't.
The good points are that it was easy to read and sometimes funny or smart. After reading the first 10 pages, I thought it was going to be great. But maybe about 50-100 pages in, I stopped feeling that.

A lot of the humour came from what felt like pretty cheap immature shots, lots of dick jokes, and references to how this book is going to help you "score" women, see some boobs, and get laid. As a woman, all this did was made me feel uncomfortable, and I started to think that this book simply wasn't written with a female audience in mind.

Since Hardwick admits that he's no psychologist or self-help expert, I expected something more personal from Hardwick, something a little more open to interpretation, rather than constant instructions. Inspirational anecdotes were few and far between, and at times, Hardwick's advice felt patronising. The fitness section was also completely lost on me, mainly because I did not buy a book about nerd-dom to learn exercise tips. And while I understand that physical health is a big part of Hardwick's personal journey, it just didn't tie in particularly well with the rest of the book.

That said, some of Hardwick's non-sexist jokes throughout the book were funny, there were some good pop culture refereces and I can see how this book could help people to feel proud of their nerdiness.
My overwhelming memory of this book is that it was immature, and not the fun, inspiring book I’d hoped for.

If you want a great read about nerddom, read Felicia Day's You're Never Weird instead. It's 100 times the book this is.

Edit: in my initial review, I cut Hardwick a lot of slack, saying that maybe this book worked for other people. Given the events that have come out fairly recently, I no longer feel like this was simply a book that "wasn't for me". It was sexist and patronising, and I'm not going to sugarcoat that.

[Meg Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually listened to the unabridged audio version of this book The Nerdist Way read by the author and was impressed by both the knowledge and humor it contained. In fact, after listening to the audio book, I am certain that if I had read The Nerdist Way, I would not have enjoyed it nearly as much. Hardwick's writing style is conversational with lots of side notes, rabbit trails, and sarcasm, which translates much better via audio than the page in my opinion. Because of the wealth of information and how often it made me laugh, I listened to Hardwick's book a total of three times back to back to back.

Hardwick is incredibly candid about his own life experiences, what he's learned, and how he's been able to make tangible progress in his own life using his appropriately termed Nerdist Way. His system motivates and inspires by working off the basic principles and attributes that most so-called nerds either posses or have (supposedly) learned through years of nerdy pursuits (ex. gaming). However, the book goes beyond simple nerd associations (although it is brimming with random movie and video game quotes and funny accolades from Hardwick's past), encouraging a balanced life style.

After gleaning all that I felt I could from The Nerdist Way, my only complaint was that I was unable to shake Hardwick's hand. By the end of the book, you really feel as though you've made a friend who genuinely wants you to succeed. His system enabled me to take an inventory of my dreams and begin taking realistic steps to make my dreams my reality.

Thank you Chris Hardwick!
PS - I think you're nice, too. :)

[Rory · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nerdist was a lot of fun to go through. I'd been listening to Hardwick's Nerdist podcast for quite a while, so his announcement of a productivity book felt like something I could make use of. One of the central points of the book is taking the laser-focus of the nerd brain and refocusing it on productive tasks.

Yes, we dedicate ourselves to learning all the races mentioned in Lord of the Rings, Star Trek, Star Wars or Hitchhiker's Guide, but what if we could take that same energy and redirect it into finding a job? Yes, we spend 10 hours a day leveling up our RPG character, but what if we could focus that same energy on honing our physical condition or finding new friends?

It's a self-help book for the video game & table top generation, BUT! Don't stop reading if you didn't grow up with D&D.

I will admit that I was sucked in, so I read it in its entirety first, and then went back through to do the "worksheet" portions, but those who are less nerdy would probably benefit from having a notebook close at hand. This is a great productivity book, but you need to find your level of enjoyment in it. I was entertained enough on my first read to do it again and do the exercises on my first pass. My wife got bored, and really needed to be doing the exercises along with the book.

Much like the thesis of the book, getting through this text is all about finding your own path, and your own pace.

[Labyrinth Rossiter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was genuinely surprised to find out that Chris Hardwick is another survivor of anxiety, agoraphobia, and panic attacks. I should really stop being surprised. People, particularly us Nerdy "Evil Villain" types, as he points out, are prone to anxiety, and "Dudes"/Jocks/Superheroes may develop it from a different direction if not careful. If you want an explanation for that fun labeling system, you'll have to read the book. It's all part of his sense of humor. He IS a comedian. Anyway, I was totally able to relate. I had read a lot of the same books he had, and on the non-famous level, some similar experiences. He feels like my bud talking to me about exercise, finances, time management, and my life in this book, which is actually by design. Hardwick, excellent job at modeling behavior! It's interesting that I am reading this at a time in my life when I am finding my own path, so I found myself checking the boxes as I read and patting myself on the back. It did a lot for my self-esteem, and if I hadn't started at all, I'm willing to bet, this book would have gotten me moving in the right direction. I'm a big fan of The Nerdist website. I can't recommend this book enough. Chris Hardwick, I love you in the best non-stalkery kind of way possible and wish you even more wellness on your journey. As a matter of fact, for anyone reading this review, you're awesome, and best of luck!

Live long and prosper. May the force be with you.

[H. Givens · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was... actually... really good. O.o

A generalized "how to get your shit together" book, particularly tailored for nerds. Not in weird fake "nerdspeak" or anything, just from one of us to the rest of us. I do feel like his audience is assumed to be male, and there are some default-sexist jokes. He often makes reference to lady-nerds and uses both pronouns in sentences, though. I felt welcome, but not an assumed presence, if that makes sense. I actually appreciate the idea that lady-nerds don't need separate advice, that he's talking to NERDS, not guy nerds.

He has a whole system for RPG-ing your life, assigning yourself points for tasks accomplished, etc. It looks pretty fun, but I convinced myself not to drop the time on it since I'm already using Habitica.com and am very happy with it. If you already have a system in place or just aren't into the RPG thing, you can just ignore those segments. (They seem super important at the beginning and it helps hold the book together, but it's not like a workbook where skipping something will make the rest undoable.)

It's mainly geared toward from-the-ground-up help, which I don't need, but there are good tips and encouraging bits for staying on the general wagon of having your shit together. I also liked the bits and pieces about his career and how all that works, so it's worth a look from a memoir standpoint if you're interested in nerdy showbiz.