The Future of Happiness: 5 Modern Strategies for Balancing Productivity and Well-Being in the Digital Era

by Amy Blankson, Shawn Achor (Foreword)

 Technology, at least in theory, is improving our productivity, efficiency, and communication. The one thing it's not doing is making us happier. We are experiencing historically high levels of depression and dissatisfaction. 

But we can change that. 

Knowing that technology is here to stay and will continue to evolve in form and function, we need to know how to navigate the future to achieve a better balance between technology, productivity, and well-being. Technology can drive—not diminish—human happiness. 

In The Future of Happiness , author Amy Blankson, cofounder of  the global positive psychology consulting firm GoodThink, unveils five strategies successful individuals can use, not just to survive—but actually thrive—in the Digital  

   •  Stay Grounded to focus your energy and increase productivity
   •  Know Thyself through app-driven data to strive toward your potential
   •  Train Your Brain to develop and sustain an optimistic mindset
   •  Create a Habitat for Happiness to maximize the spaces where you live, work, and learn
   •  Be a Conscious Innovator to help make the world a better place 


By rethinking when, where, why, and how you use technology, you will not only influence your own well-being but also help shape the future of your community. Discover how technologies can transform the idea of "I'll be happy when . . ." to being happy now .

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Psychology, Health, Audiobook, Personal Development, Unfinished

240 pages, Hardcover

First published April 11, 2017

About the author

Amy Blankson is the only person to be named a Point of Light by two Presidents (President Bush and President Clinton). She received a Presidential appointment to serve a five-year term on the Board of Directors of the Corporation for National Service, and was one of the youngest delegates to the Presidents’ Summit for America’s Future. Amy received her BA from Harvard and MBA from Yale School of Management. In 2007, Amy co-founded GoodThink to bring the science of happiness to life for organizations and individuals. Amy brings both passion and practicality to GoodThink. She is currently doing research in partnership with Google to determine how to make positive psychology strategies stick and create sustainable positive change. She serves as a Visioneer for the Xprize Foundation for Personal Health, and was a featured professor in Oprah’s Happiness course. Amy is the author of two books: Ripple’s Effect and The Future of Happiness: 5 Modern Strategies to Balance Productivity and Well-being in the Digital Era (Spring, 2017).

Reviews

[مُهنا · Rating 4 out of 5]

طرح المعلومات عن اثر التكنولوجيا في حياتنا اليومية وشرح كيف في كثير من الاحيان هذه الاجهزة الصغيرة اللي في يديننا تتحكم فينا لما نحن نعتقد انه نحن نتحكم فيها كان ممتع. نصايح مفيدة كيف ممكن نقلل من استخدامنا لهذه الاجهزة او حتى نتحكم فيها بدل ما هي تتحكم فينا.

[Andreea Chiuaru · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mi-a plăcut abordarea, deși recunosc că e puțin cam lunga pentru ce are de transmis. Revin cu un articol pe www.blogdeidei.ro

[KK · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have been reading many books lately on productivity, habit formation and happiness. It's a very interesting topic. I enjoyed this book somewhat, but it wasn't really one of my favorites. I did like some of the tips specifically about decreasing technology use, personally and with families- the end 1/3 of the book had some sections with some good advice regarding that. I am personally not really that interested in using apps and other technology to essentially manage my technology use, and I also listened to the audiobook version of this. So, I sort of tuned out when she was giving all of the run downs of different available apps, etc. that are out there for different purposes. Those parts may have been more meaningful in the print version. I don't mean that it was a bad book or anything, and I'm glad I finished listening to it, but for me it just didn't contain enough of what I was really looking for.

[Ancy Walsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Are you addicted to your smart phone? Is your work life encroaching on your personal life because you are always plugged in? This book is an excellent and necessary read in this day and age. It provides insights and strategies on how to manage the technology in your life rather than letting it manage you.

[Michael Neal · Rating 1 out of 5]

It’s just a literature review of other, better and more deeply thought out self-help books. I felt like I learned about everything in this book already, and—while I did learn things—I learned about them already and more deeply other places. Not to mention I feel like I would learn about the topics and areas mentioned in this book on a deeper level by investing my time in other books and authors.

It’s essentially a walking advertisement. Like a cheap Tim Ferris without the design and synthesis. Also the author has an annoying habit of emphasizing her family relations to professionals she brings up as references. It also doesn’t work because I have never heard of this women and have no investment in getting to know her as a person like I would Breńe Brown because, again, I have no idea who this author is. I got this as an included title on Audible and I am guessing it’s because the book has so many advertisements in it Amazon has to market it as much as possible.

I feel like I wasted my time getting through this book because it reminded me I could have been reading something deeper and more thoughtful by other authors/professional gurus.

[Arianna Suduc · Rating 4 out of 5]

cumva-cumva am uitat să o marchez pe 2 octombrie, când am terminat-o. e o carte absolut fenomenală pentru cei care de-abia încep să își cunoască comportamentul în online și vor să își formeze habituri sănătoase, care să-i facă poate mai fericiți. super prietenos scrisă, un început foarte bun pentru alte cărți mai dolofane despre social media și digital.

[Rhiannon Sibley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I truly enjoyed this book. It was more tech focused than I anticipated but I looked more at the author than the description upon getting it. Very pleased with the content, approach and recommendations in the book. Very great points made and important discussions had in the book. I really enjoyed the read and it is a much more "me" approach to technology use management than the typical "use it less" advice most books offer. Meaningful use and being mindful with your usage and consumption of technology and media is far more practical in most peoples daily life. Scientific data to back up the claims, helps to understand that reality of the information presented in the book, and I appreciate that aspect of research being done and understanding how they came to the conclusions they did.

[Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked up this book hoping for more strategies on how to be more present and productive without the distraction of tech, but the book's focus is more on how to use tech to improve your life. The result of the book is the suggestion of many, many apps you can use, and none of which really appealed to me. There were some platitudes about how to balance better and lessen distractions, but nothing innovative from my perspective, and not as motivational as I would have liked in that regard. A fine book for what it is, just not what I was looking for.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite assurances that the author was going to focus on positive strategies, the first 1.5 hours of the audio book cited study after study of the negative effects of tech on people. Eventually became more balanced. Would not recommend as an audiobook as there were a lot of repetitive sections I would have skimmed with a physical book.

[Clairette · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an easy book chocked full of relevant "happy hacks" and lots of hopeful and positive ideas about modern life. I wish Amy Blankson was in my circle of friends, I could use a lady like this in my life. (And she's a milspouse!) In this book she has blended social science, psychology, positivity, and modernity, and some personal stories. I marveled at her skill in choosing metaphors. But one metaphor disheartened me.

Amy Blankson likens living happily with tech to walking a tightrope. How many of us can do such a thing? Had it been a balance beam, I might feel more hopeful, but I really think she has hit the nail on the head: living happily with tech is a balancing act of self-control and self-awareness akin to walking a freakin' tightrope. But since tech is here to stay, we have no choice but to try to be mindful enough to walk the rope without falling off. Sigh. Guess I better re-read the positive thinking parts of the book.....

That said, I do think that there are lots of concrete recommendations that must be implemented if we are to have a chance at happiness with tech. Taking tech vacations. Setting an away message talking about what you are doing offline and when you'll be back to tech. Using new technologies to your advantage. Being a minimalist about tech (ruthlessly purge alla KonMari). Monitoring when you're falling off the "happiness cliff". I will likely re-listen or read it again to capture more, maybe with pen and paper in hand. :) Maybe that will transform my thinking from negative Nancy to positive Polly.

Note: I listened to the audiobook. Mostly in snippets instead of whole chapters at a time.

[Chava · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is actually a quick read, but I had a lot of books in my TBR pile, so I was picking up intermittently. The main issue with this book is that the people who most need to read it, those who are addicted to technology or who have kids who are addicted to technology, will probably not pick up a book. It should be modified to be tweets or an app that those people will look at.

This is another self-book with stories from the author about personal challenges, humorous anecdotes, etc. I got this book because I was comparing it to a book with the same title, and at least this one is about the future of happiness and how to use technology productively. For myself, as a Sabbath observer, I get a 25 hour break every week, and I often extend it until Sunday morning. Because I did not grow up as a digital native, I am often hard-pressed to find the value in things like Twitter and Snapchat. There is also a lot of shameless self-promotion of both Amy and her brother Shawn and their company (and her sister-in law's project). I can say Blankson did a lot of research, which is all referenced, and that the time is ripe for people to stop playing Candy Crush and do something more productive and beneficial to the world with their devices.

[Peebee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very helpful book for me at this point in time, as some changes in my job status have changed my dependence on technology, which is guiding me to think about what my ideal relationship would be. Also, burnout is a huge problem in the nonprofit world, as I've personally experienced and see on a number of nonprofit discussion groups, so being able to hack your life so that your use of technology makes you happier will make your world a better place.

This book was written in a very direct and practical manner: there are five principles that anyone can immediately adapt to their lives, and the steps needed to follow them, plus a very handy summary and list of all the technology in the back. It's hard to imagine how it could be written more helpfully than: here's why there's a problem; here's what you need to do to fix it; and here are some tools for you to try to see what works best for you. I very much appreciated that.

The downside is that because it's so tech-dependent, as a how-to manual it will quickly be outdated, but I hope it catches on enough that the author will have an incentive to keep updating and improving upon it.

[AttackGirl · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you need some guidance and a way to put yourself in a good mood and check your own behaviors well this is a good book for you and perhaps should be a good TEDTALK if she had some supporting data.

Perhaps another movie to get people back on the track of personal relationships and taking their lives and those of their families back.

I didn’t have a phone for over 6 years since the iPhone 6Plus that never came out of the heavy duty cover would not work the minute they did the update. Of course everyone looked at me like I was crazy and lying but now we know Apple was bad bad. Needless to say many people were upset with me for not having a phone and I told the brain doctors it will too grow out of fashion and they looked at me like the crazy person they claim I am, SO I have them my saying:

“I may be crazy but I am not wrong”.

So now you see the desolation of relationships all because of a phone. Just put it down remember the Nicholas Cage movie. “Put the Bunny Down”.

Well “Put the Phone down, and save a life”

[Marcey Rader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hello achievers! As a Productivity Coach, I wholeheartedly endorse The Future of Happiness by Amy Blankson. This book addresses the quintessential challenge of our times: balancing productivity with well-being amidst the digital onslaught.

Blankson’s five modern strategies are practical gems. They guide you to wield technology judiciously, stay grounded, and strategically unplug. What sets this book apart is its emphasis on mindfulness as a tool for navigating the digital world. Blankson teaches mindfulness, integrating awareness of thoughts, emotions, and surroundings.

This book doesn’t aim to turn you into a productivity machine. Instead, it embraces our humanity and illustrates how to mold a life that’s both efficient and fulfilling and happy.

Highly recommended for anyone yearning to gracefully sail the digital waters with their compass set on well-being.

[Bibi · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Tech is not a toxin that we need to flush out of our systems-it's a tool. And it's a tool that we must learn to wield effectively."

I found this book extremely helpful with a ton of interesting information. It explored the physical and mental repercussions that can occur in this digital era. It's an addiction that transcends age, race, and status. I'm a firm believer in balance, and too much of anything can be harmful. I have now downloaded an app the author suggested called Moment that tells you your screen time stats....the numbers were shocking even to me. Those minutes add up. It gave me a bit of a wake up call to be more mindful of screen time, posture, etc. a definite must read.

** I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.**

[Wellington · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amy Blankson cheerfully gives us lots of tips and tricks on how to incorporate technology in our lives.
I kept thinking how bubbly she is like how my two year old dances in blown bubbles. Any book that would finally get me off my butt and throw out my electronic crap has to be meaningful.

Most memorably, when she explained people's stress levels spiking when looking at the clutter in their lives. Like many American households, we're slowly drowning ourselves in clutter. Back in the day, people were worried about being possessed by the devil, we should be worried about being possessed by possessions.

I plan to go back through the book and check out some of websites / apps.

[Rebecca Mari-Mohl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mie mi-a plăcut teribil. Un must de citit și de luat în seamă, celor care înțeleg că tehnologia e parte din viețile noastre prezente, punct. Un ghid de bune practici pentru dependenții de stat aiurea și făcut scroll pe FB. Tone de lucruri utile mi-am luat din cartea asta și un lucru e cert, e genul de carte pe care o vreau în biblioteca personală pentru că voi mai simți categoric nevoia de a mă întoarce la ea, de a-mi face refresh pe multitudinea de informații prezentate în conținutul său. :) N-am nicio obiecție să îi aduc, zău. Nu doar că mi-a plăcut dar chiar mi-a prins bine, m-a ajutat să îmi pot rezolva o serie de "neplăceri" legate de dependența de online.

[Kristine R. · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I appreciate this book as a grab-bag of info on modern technology and how to survive in the digital age, I didn’t feel like it succeeded in helping me understand happiness. There was no clear, consistently used definition of “happiness.” Realistically, much of the book seemed more focused on achieving simplicity (though it felt like “here are a thousand things you can do to simplify your life!” - exhausting!!). All in all, the author seemed more interested in the reader’s happiness with *her*! The book even ends with her expressing hope that we now see her as a friend. It sort of explained some of the non-sequitur “analogies” sprinkled throughout the book, which seemed more like inside jokes with friends than anything directly related to the “happiness” promise. Interesting pieces, but not really on target.

[Chris Wejr · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. A decent book that provides helpful tips on living in a world that includes technology. I was hoping for more references to research from positive psychology but many readers will likely appreciate her actionable ideas to live a happier life with technology. I appreciate Blankson's message about being purposeful with tech and making sure it's use aligns with our values

[Latasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great review of the current risks and benefits of technology, as well as a more "philosophical" evaluation of the human condition when it comes to using tech. I really enjoyed this and felt that it was motivating in that it made me really develop stronger questions about what I want from my tech.

I will continue to use the tools in this book as I adopt new tech.

[DJohnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

My library didn't have the print copy for this book, so I borrowed the audiobook version. The author, who narrates it herself, has quite a juvenile voice, which took some getting used to. The ideas she presents aren't revolutionary or anything, but they're interesting enough.

[Aimee Herrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well researched with a lot of wearable and app suggestions. The general idea of the book isn’t something I didn’t already know. I like some of the tips on rearranging offices for higher productivity because it is practical.

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read that takes on the issue of tech dependency and the constant distraction of always having a cellphone at hand. I liked that the author balanced the negative effects with the ways in which we can use tech to improve our lives.

[Deepa Krishnan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liked this book. Good one time read had some good points. One thing that sticks to me - None of the technological inventions or interventions would be beneficial if we don't make time for that technology in our lives. That's so true.

[Janene · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is free on audible. I wanted it to be more about the science of happiness, and it was more of a self help book. But like a self help book for the most first world of first world problems. It’s fine. There’s some solid tips I suppose. But meh.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Borrowed audiobook from library -

Interesting and informative, if a little out dated (which is to be expected with a book about technology). I took away some key strategies to implement, like setting boundaries with tech, and turning off non-essential notifications.

[Anna Renee · Rating 2 out of 5]

While there were some points in the book that I found useful for reflection, I don't think the book is quite so revolutionary. Might be useful for people who are just beginning their foray into a digital integrated life though

[Dhisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I honestly wasn't expecting this to be a really relatable book, but Amy's witty comments and meaningful insight into daily life made this really enjoyable. I might be slightly biased bc I know her buuuuut ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[Coatesj · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of this gave me pause and made me think of technology use in a new way, but lots of it I skimmed. Some of the apps and gadgets she mentioned are still in use, which was surprising considering when this was published.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book, and well-written, but I just didn't find much new in it.