Wake Up! Lib/E: The Powerful Guide to Changing Your Mind about What It Means to Really Live

by Chris Baréz-Brown

Over 80 percent of our waking time is spent on autopilot.We all know the feeling of driving a long distance and arriving at our destination with little memory of the journey. That's because when we are doing routine activities our subconscious takes over to save energy: we are on autopilot.This doesn't just happen when we drive. It happens every day when we are at work, with our loved ones, or simply living our lives. Wake Up! is a series of experiments designed to help you break free from this trap. From climbing a tree to writing a letter, here are a year's worth of balanced, playful experiences that will engage your imagination and stimulate your senses.By escaping autopilot more often you'll feel tuned in, tap in to who you really are, and make every day count.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Psychology, Audiobook

Audio CD

Published September 19, 2017

About the author

Described by The Guardian as a long-haired, twinkly eyed cross between Richard Branson and a wizard, Chris Baréz-Brown’s natural ability to uncover everyone’s inner genius helps people to get their energy right every day, so they can achieve more through their own talents and be extraordinary, all whilst driving bottom line results.

Fascinated by what makes people tick, he challenges convention to help embed a more human and energetic culture at the heart of any business; so that work and life become a fun and fruitful ride.

Reviews

[Мирослава Юрова · Rating 5 out of 5]

Читала українською, "Видавництво старого лева". Вміють же якісно працювати! Прекрасний папір, чудові ілюстрації, якісний переклад. Все на рівні.
Щодо самої книги: я б її радила читати всім, хто відчуває себе білкою в колесі. Або в кого опустилися руки. Ні, ця книга не вирішить ваших проблем. Але допоможе їх зрозуміти. Зрозуміти себе. Помітки в книзі не робила, взяла блокнот. Якась вона надто гарна і корисна, щоб використовувати її лише для себе. Хочеться нею ділитися.

[Sonia · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a good, entry-level introduction to living a more centered and aware life. If you already meditate, avoid processed foods, aren't a couch potato, spend time outdoors, etc., then it is likely to be too basic for you. It really depends on where you are starting out, but it can be an easy and fun way to add a little more awareness to your life.

[Alan Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Start the year as you intend it continue. With optimism. I increasingly believe the only thing we can ever truly change is ourselves, then things change around us. What are you waiting for?

[Innis ☾ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Дійсно хороша книжка, яка надихає та пробуджує бажання діяти та покращувати своє життя. Мені сподобалося, що кожен читач зможе знайти у ній щось для себе. Загалом, у мене приємні та позитивні враження від читання, які підсилило чудове та якісне оформлення книжки.

[Sungwon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first thought this book is not realistic. Then, I found out that... this book gave me a chance to think about how I can start to wake up and to change/ improve my daily life. I don't have to follow exactly what book talk about, but I can adjust to fit into my life. I started a very small step, which is deep breathing, and move one step to another, which is still in the progress.
I think this book may help anyone who reevaluates his/her life from a small step.

[Zarina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review first published on my blog: http://www.pagetostagereviews.com/201...

Did you know that over 80 per cent of the time you're awake you're spending it on autopilot? This book raises awareness of how the brain works and provides simple, hands-on mental and physical ideas to help you switch your brain into a more conscious state to and be more productive, energised, and aware of the world.

Written in an easy to understand language and filled with ideas and experiments most people can turn their hand to, I read this book from start to finish in just two days and it left me full of inspiration for turning the every-day mundane around and finding more consciousness in my life. There are some things I am aiming to change immediately, but mostly I'll continue to dip and out of this book to do some of the experiments to help me look at things in a different light and approach life differently.

The experiments are broken down into tune in, power up, and plug in, so you can select those that fit you personally or are suitable to a specific time in your life. There is also plenty of space for notes and to do the written experiments within the book itself – so you can create your own record of your journey to a more conscious life. It's an absolutely ace read and a must for people who, like me, can get swept away into the business of every day, and often forget to fully appreciate the world we're living in.

[Colona Public Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another Self-Help Book...... If you are looking for a book that will motivate you, this is it. There are 54 Different ideas on how to change your life for the better. If you are stuck on autopilot and need some ideas to change your way of thinking, this is it. If you pick up this book, you could do something new for each week of the year. My personal favorites are:

1) Don't watch television. Just think of the wasted time we spend in front of the TV, that we could be doing something else in your life for the better. New hobby, better habits, etc.

2) Get Lost. Go somewhere you have never been before and just wonder around. No plans, no destination.

3) Say Yes. Each day of this week say yes to something that you would normally say no to and see the opportunities that you would normally miss.

4) Own It. No Excuses. This life is yours and nobody else's. Stop living for other people.

There are so many other, I don't have time to mention. Each week is a different challenge. Besides being an awesome book, the colors and illustrations in this book are very cool. It reminds me of a bullet journal.

~April

[Katia Kaita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Непогана мотиваційна книга, в якій багато практичних порад. Дуже легко сприймається, та має прикольні ілюстрації. Мабуть, підійде для тих, хто хоче змінити своє життя, щоб отримувати насолоду від кожного моменту. 

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A soothing and bite-size guide on the road to mindfulness (plus very beautiful illustration et hue)

[Yaroslav Skorokhid · Rating 4 out of 5]

Класна! Книга про дієві поради, як жити не на автопілоті! Перегукується з Імпро театром, зауважувати буденні речі. Бачити нове у звичайний речах.

Перечитаю ще раз. Ця книга на щодень

[Khrystyna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Мила. Підходить для тих, хто вперше зрозумів, що ми вміємо "прокидатися" і жити на автопілоті. Є чіткі та прості завдання.

[Cooper · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beginning of the year, as like most the rest of the world, I was looking for a book that would motivate me to change some habits. Wake Up! seemed to fit the bill. It's not the strongest self-development book I've read, but I did gain a few nuggets from the strategies.

The book's layout is one of it's strengths and the idea behind the 54 playful strategies was clever. My favorite was the idea of "Draw Life and Get The Picture". Although it states to do this with a friend, I found it more freeing to do it by myself -- I didn't have to worry about anyone judging my stick figures. Basically, draw out how the last year has looked in your life. Then, take another blank piece of paper and draw out how you'd like the next year to look. As a visual person, this helped to highlight what I wanted to focus on in 2018.

If you see this book in the library, check it out. It's a quick read and you can skim what doesn't pertain or interest you. Hopefully you come away with a nugget or two that helps you Wake Up!

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wake Up gives you lots of ideas for doing new things - eating, working, driving. Obviously all of the ideas aren't things everyone can do, but this book does give you plenty of ideas to spark creativity and help you break out of your normal day-to-day, autopilot routine. This is definitely something I would re-read to shake up my usual routine.

[Jay French · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author provides a number of examples of how to "wake yourself up". Many of the "strategies" are described with the instructions of trying it for four days. I found nothing earth-shattering here, but I can see that I have the issue of often operating on autopilot, and I can imagine many of these strategies would allow me to become a bit more mindful, at least for a bit. Pleasant.

[Kaloyan Roussev · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a good book. Nothing ground breaking, but lots of simple things that we forget about in our busy lives. Gave me a few ideas how to improve my living and I will act on them.

[Ricky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty quick and easy read. A lot of information that is already well known.

[Duke DeLaet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really fun. You could do one exercise a day for two months and have a great experience.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I loved about this book is the smack in the face of the author calling out how many times we run on auto pilot!!! And not living in the moment.

You think you know this but I thought back to just the last few days and realized I spent most of it in autopilot. What does that mean? Here are a few examples:
Driving to work - listening to music or talk radio, thinking about my upcoming day and all the work I have to do, finally getting to work and realizing "wow, I am already here".
Food Shopping - going down the aisles, getting my normal routine food, thinking about my day, what I need to do next, how exhausted I am, etc.

I can go on, but hopefully, you get the picture. When we are 'participating' in life, are we really HERE, or is our brain somewhere else, thinking of the past or the future? I could win the award for the number of times I am not present.

This book provides ideas on how to be more present. The author explains the rationale, and provides a suggested plan. I found some of them doable and other not so much, but understood the reason he chose these ideas.

Definitely a book to have (I read through Audible). I would have liked to reference some of the ideas when I need to get grounded again.

[Maria Morozova · Rating 4 out of 5]

That was a good book. I started to read it on a train when I was going to the mountains - a perfect moment for it, imho. The author gives clear outlines. He divided the book in many separate parts; each awakening method is given on average 3-4 pages: intro, plan how to do it, and result (what you will get). Basically, such humble things as getting lost in your city, spending time with the city/place you have emotional attachment to, digital cleansing, dairy- and sugar-free week, listening to your biological clock, breathing practices (5-6-7), wearing same clothes, going out with a friend, drawing a picture of how your spent your recent years, what you want your next year to be like, discussing it together, and many others. I would say it's a book your don't read from cover to cover over the night - it's a book your keep on your nearest shelf and go back to every now and then when you feel your auto-pilot is being switched on. This is a book to help you wake up if you are stuck. Not for everyone. Those who are sceptical and don't like trying (sometimes ridiculously) simple things like climbing a tree will not enjoy it. I did :)

[Olga Kutniv · Rating 5 out of 5]

Якщо цю книжку просто читати, не виконавши жодного практичного завдання, то можна навіть і не починати🙂Вона для тих, хто хоче щось міняти або зробити своє життя цікавішим, ніж воно є, позбутися рутини і автопілоту🙈Одним з розділів книги є - «робимо щось нове», але я б сказала, що повністю вся книга про те і написана🙂Для декого будуть зовсім очевидні речі в деяких розділах, але важливими є не наші знання, а те чи ми використовуємо їх на практиці😏
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Завдяки цій книзі я намалювала картину свого життя на декілька років вперед і вже почала займатися деякими з намальованих речей🤓Також я склала список речей, які мені подобається робити (щоб надалі не забувати) і те, чого я хочу навчитися в майбутньому💪Написала свій перший в житті вірш☺️Одним з найважчих завдань було написати чим би я хотіла займатися, якщо б у мене була б кругленька сума грошей 🤑і не потрібно було б працювати. А чим би Ви займалися, якби Вам не потрібно було б думати про заробіток грошей🧐

[Khánh Nguyễn Hoàng Việt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everyday, we wake up, brush our teeth and rush to work. Almost everything we do are on autopilot-mode.
These information of the story about Mark Zuckerberg has only 6 T-Shirts with the same color, so that he doesn't have to make a decision about what to wear everyday (thus can make him more productive ? - maybe, more time then more productive ). But some guys that I talked to, they mimic Mark's behavior by wearing the same shirts everyday, so he thinks he escaped the autopilot mode... I just have a thought that they couldn't exit the autopilot of copycat the same behavior when he read some new books.... So do I.
This book gave me a lot of useful advices with easy to follow instructions ( of-course we have to think under the hood, why we need these advices, which one is useful which one is not applicable)
But this is definitely a good read for a new year.

[Oksana Cooper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Таке враження, що під обкладинкою цієї книжки зібрана вся західна мотиваційна література. І розказана вона через методику експерименту. Контролюйте свій час, харчуйтеся здоровою їжею, правильно дихайте, спілкуйтеся з людьми, висловлюйте вдячність та виражайте свої емоції — це якщо коротко те, про що пише британський автор. Багато ідей справді слушні та користі й здатні допомогти "прокинутися" та "включитися" в життя. Але найголовніше, про що одразу ж йдеться у вступі, такий формат підходить саме автору цієї книжку. І в кожного він може бути дещо інакшим. Головне — знайти та робити те, що реально допомагає тобі

[Natansh Goyal · Rating 1 out of 5]

I started reading word by word, till page 20. Till page 30, I was reading paragraphs and by 80 I was jumping over pages, just looking for something that I could remotely find intresting. This book is just filled with obvious advices that may or may not work. And when dealing with a subject such as our second brain or the auto pilot brain as the author calls it, I was expecting something more substantial to combat my Neuro Plasticity. To sum it up, there's really nothing much to sum up. Just don't buy.

[Khrystja Kovtsun · Rating 4 out of 5]

Одна з хороших мотиваційних книг.
Незвична структура, просто та коротко написано в форматі порад і практичних вправ. Є багато місця для нотаток.

Відчувається, що книга дійсно є власним продуктом автора, а не переписуванням загальновідомого з інших книг. Звичайно, багато порад є такими, що використовуються і в інших мотиваційних книгах (дихання, харчування, планування, щоденник, музика і т.д.). Все ж підхід інший, легший, цікавіший:)

Сподобалось)

[Alina Nishkur · Rating 4 out of 5]

Гарна книжечка з рекомендаціями про те, як зробити своє життя більш усвідомленним: правильно дихати, не вживати цукру й алкоголю, правильно харчуватися, бути фізично активними, а ще - позбутися телевізору, співати, танцювати, гуляти, запускати літачки, писати листи, вести щоденник і т.д. Приємне відпускне чтиво.

[Carol H.]

Autopilot and busyness can be time stealers. I listened to this audiobook while walking or driving. And though it was not a ticker tape parade enlightening book, it did have some great ideas/activities to make you aware of your mind and world. How are you spending your precious time on this earth?

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author’s whole premise is to stop living on auto-pilot and making almost all interactions transactional. We need to be more aware of everything, notice everything, be immersed in everything. There’s a lot here that’s great, especially when we’re stuck in life, but some of my greatest answers when I’m doing mundane tasks, so I think there’s an argument to be made for instead of against it.

[thomas stubbs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thought it would be a bit more scientific

More of a self help book than a scientific approach to being on autopilot.

Chapters are far too short at times although the writing style is very easy going. A little more effort from the Author is needed for the next book.

[Ivanka Voytsekhovych · Rating 3 out of 5]

Яка красива, але невчасна книжка) Цього року я б залюбки жила на автопілоті, але у 2020 не вийшло. Думаю, відкрию ці вправи через рік, може, в них буде більше сенсу. Єдине, що я почала робити завдяки Крісу, - вести щоденник. По-моєму, це кльова звичка.

[Walaa Zahhar · Rating 4 out of 5]

٣ نجوم للمحتوى (جيد و مفيد)، ونجمة للألوان والتصميم الرائع