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Stress Less, Accomplish More: Meditation for Extraordinary Performance

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A National Bestseller Foreword by Mark Hyman, MD
Preface by Andrew Huberman, PhD You know you should be meditating, so what’s stopping you? This entertaining and enlightening book by the founder of Ziva Meditation—the favorite training for high achievers—will finally take meditation mainstream.
In our high-stress, overworked lives, we think the answer to accomplishing more is to do more. But the best advantage we can give ourselves is to take a mental break—to spend a few minutes of the day giving the body and brain rest. Did you know that a brief meditation can offer rest that’s five times deeper than sleep? When you make time to practice the Z Technique this book teaches, you’ll actually be more productive than if you took an hour-and-a-half nap or had a cup of coffee. A leading expert in meditation for high performance, Emily Fletcher has taught meditation at numerous global corporations, including Google, Barclays Bank, and Viacom, to help their employees improve their focus and increase their productivity levels. With  Stress Less, Accomplish More , anyone can get the benefits of her 15-minute twice-daily plan. Emily specifically developed the Z Technique for working people with busy lives. Now, you can learn to recharge anywhere, anytime—at home or at your desk. All you need is a few minutes and a chair (no apps, incense, or finger cymbals required). This is not just another meditation book. In  Stress Less, Accomplish More , Emily teaches a powerful trifecta of Mindfulness, Meditation, and Manifesting to improve your personal and professional performance, clarity, health, and sleep. You’ll learn how to cultivate Mindfulness through brief but powerful exercises that will help you stop wasting time stressing. Plus, you’ll get Manifesting tools to help you get crystal clear on your personal and professional goals for the future. Filled with fascinating real-life transformations, interactive exercises, and practical knowledge,  Stress Less, Accomplish More  introduces you to a revelatory daily practice and shows you how to make it work for your modern life. “We meditate to get good at life, not to get good at meditation.”—Emily Fletcher

272 pages, Paperback

Published February 18, 2020

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Emily Fletcher

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 381 reviews
Profile Image for C.J. Maughan.
Author 2 books29 followers
August 28, 2019
This one is a tough review for me. On one hand, previously to reading this book I was a complete stress ball. I'd sometimes fall apart if I dropped the pen I was writing with or if my dog happened to bark a little too loud at the FedEx guy and so, quite literally I was the intended audience of this book. On the other hand, there's really nothing new here.

Let me explain.

The author spends about 40% of the first part of the book explaining why stress is bad. This isn't all that interesting. We all know why. We hear it all the time and what are we supposed to do with this information? If you're me, you tend to stress about being stressed. The author also spends a great deal of time explaining how her method will not only help you feel better, but can also actively make you richer! Oh boy! And if you don't believe her, let's read all these inserted testimonials from "actual" clients!

Meh. This is about where I started to put the book down. I wasn't interested in propaganda. But then the book took a turn. The author started explaining stress in terms of daily packets. Say you wake up and go about your day and collect seven "packets" of stress (i.e. a work presentation, kid throwing up in the grocery aisle, ghosts, spilling coffee on your white shirt...whatever). Come night time your body goes to sleep and removes five of these "packets" through sleeping (as that's what your body SHOULD do with stress). But then the next morning you wake up with two of these packets of stress still hanging on your shoulder. Day goes on and you collect ten packets. Now you're up to twelve. Go to bed, your body tries its damnedest to get rid of your stress but only manages to remove four. And the cycle continues, creating massive amounts of stress in your body and leading (if you're me) to break down in tears and have an existential crisis when the toilet paper roll runs out mid-bathroom break.

Everything feeling like it was too much was a feeling I'm more than acquainted with and to hear it broken down like this actually made sense to me. It put a name and a process to the feelings I'd been feeling, rather than how I'd been describing it (a constant sound of silverware grinding in a garbage disposal). So I was hooked. Which, luckily, by that time the book finally got on with it and the author revealed her secrets to meditation that will help solve this.

The entire "secret" is about four pages long. It's just one chapter out of the entire book and it's smack dab in the middle. So we had all this build up for this teeny, tiny actual nugget of information. But I was on board so I went with it. I started meditating her way. Which is to say, you don't really meditate. And this is fantastic, because I don't know about you, but I've tried meditation before and I can't sit still that long. I'm thinking of how my feet hurt or what if someone sees me meditating and what does meditation mean? What does life mean? What is life? Hockey puck, rattlesnake, monkey, monkey, underpants.

But this method of meditation is really just sort of "thinking". You focus on your surroundings. The loudest things you can hear, smell, taste, feel, etc. And then also the smallest things. Once you're established and have stopped thinking about what to have for lunch, you focus on a word. The author suggested the word ONE, but it could be whatever you wanted. You center your thoughts around this word, allowing them to come and go and not force anything. If you happen to drift into thinking about that ex-boyfriend who took your Police CD when you broke up and never returned it (fuck you, Derek!), acknowledge this, don't force it away because these thoughts are your bodies way of releasing stress.

It sounds kumbaya, cosmic crap garbage, but I've noticed...and it sort of pains me to say it...that it actually works. If I give myself a dedicated time to allow the thoughts to come and sort of drift away as I continue to focus on the word ONE, I find myself no longer having sudden terrible flashbacks to stupid shit I did in high school when I'm in the grocery store checkout line. It actually feels like I have let it go by acknowledging it. Which, if you're a master of the self-help section, is nothing new. But, I think, at least for me, the way to go about it finally made sense and is working.

The author suggests doing this exercise for 15 minutes, two times a day. I did it this way for about a week and then sort of took it on my schedule. If I woke up and felt frazzled I made sure to take the time to meditate. If I made it to 3 p.m. and felt like stuffing my face with cheese crackers because of stress, I'd take a break and mediate for a few minutes. And interestingly enough, I really did feel better. And, as an added bonus, I have leftover snacks now! I don't always go the full 15 minutes, I average about 12 before I tap out, but I think the idea is the same. I wouldn't get too caught up in the logistics of the thing.

And this has been great. I'm feeling more like myself again (not that there still aren't freakouts every once in awhile), but its easier to let things go and not get so worked up about them because I really believe I'm not carrying around as many "packets" of stress as I was previously to meditating. But here's why the two stars for the book. While all of this is fantastic, the book isn't really that great. The author spends the rest of the book giving more client reviews, name dropping celebrities she's worked with and pushing her online, two-week beginner course that costs $400. No thanks. It all sort of felt like a setup for this push. Like, here I helped you, now help me by giving me your money.

If any of this is resonating with you, my recommendation is to find this book at your library or beg, borrow or steal it from someone. Skip most of the beginning and go straight to the meat. Don't waste your money buying this book. Spend some time working through giving yourself permission to be in your thoughts and allow them to just be thoughts. It can be scary in there, there's a lot of shit I'm sure is buried in those dark recesses of your mind, and it can be really difficult to work through some of those things. But in the infamous words of our lord and savior, Shrek: "Better out than in, I always say."
Profile Image for Ina.
80 reviews14 followers
May 30, 2019
The book is off-puttingly salesy. The benefits of meditation are also a bit overstated imo.

The whole reading experience leaves a bit of a bad taste in my mouth. It feels as if the author is turning what is essentially a spiritual practice into a productivity hack aimed at self-help junkies and start-up CEO's. There's nothing meditative about this text on meditation. There's nothing wrong with adapting language to fit the audience, of course, but paired with the already mentioned salesy tone, it all comes across as someone trying to exploit the practice for personal gain, instead of using and sharing it with understanding and humility.

With that said, the proposed technique itself does seem useful. It is nothing revolutionary. It's basically a sequence of a short grounding exercise, followed by a mantra meditation and a short visualization. These are well-known and useful things to do, so if you currently don't have a practice, you'd surely benefit from doing them. The technique is described in chapter 8 and you'd be perfectly fine reading that chapter alone and nothing else. The rest would probably be valuable if you have never encountered the benefits of meditation before and are willing to stomach a bit of hype on the subject, but it's still not the best place to get that sort of information. If you have some basic understanding of why and how meditation benefits the brain and body, you don't need to waste your time on Fletcher's self-promo. Just read chapter 8 and you'll be good to go.
Profile Image for Richard.
81 reviews2 followers
April 14, 2019
Had to work hard to get through it all. It was quite repetitive. I don’t doubt the benefit of her technique. But it could have been condensed into 1 chapter.

At times it comes across as a sales pitch, and their is just so much unnecessary filler.

But saying that - I suspect I will probably get more from this book (with a rating of 2) then I would with a 5 star Fiction novel. Value and enjoyment are not necessarily correlated - you have to work for some things. This book is one of those.
Profile Image for Dan Levi.
6 reviews
June 1, 2019
In my opinion: the book is a complete waste of your time
.
I write this review is a medical student in the end of his 6th year, my thesis is about mindfulness meditation so I am close to the field and to the vocabulary and articles related to it.

Emily literally wrote an ENTIRE BOOK which could be summed up in about 4 sentences, and no, I don't think its one of those books that you need to be "prepared" for it.

Maybe it's just me, but while reading this book, as a science person and a meditator (been to the mountains of Austria in buddhist centers), I felt that I read many beautiful words that means nothing.
A lot of pseudo-science language, but no proof to back it up, I was very very disappointed, any proper book that holds himself to high standards use a direct citation-reference system, so the readers can judge for themselves for the quality of the study, or investigate it further on, what Emily wrote here, I have no idea if it's correct or not, and even if yes, in what context...in what way.

I am sorry for this harsh reaction, however, I am kind of offended by this book, and I think it's not fair for the reader to waste his money and time on it.

please feel free to negate me and challenge my claims, if this reaction offends you, I will of course erase it.
Profile Image for Arturo Rodríguez .
117 reviews
March 11, 2019
A bit of an infomercial!

The book is definitely entertaining, and it should be very helpful for someone who has never meditated or had any spiritual discipline/practice. However, if you are already practicing meditation for some time, this book will read like a long infomercial on the clear and proved benefits of meditation.

Some of the exercises are very good, but all along you get the feeling that you are being led where something more can be sold to you, and I find that distracting and it diminishes the positives you find in the book.
Profile Image for Jen.
3,443 reviews27 followers
July 25, 2020
Thank you GoodReads/FirstReads for a copy of this book to read and review. My opinions on this are strictly my own.

This book stressed me out for the first 120 pages or so, as the first seven chapters are all about WHY meditation is so amazing and why you need it. Dude, I'm reading the book, obviously I already bought in, I need to reduce stress or I wouldn't be reading this book in the first place, JUST TELL ME HOW TO DO IT ALREADY!!!

So yeah, super annoying. There were a few interesting tidbits in the book before chapter eight, but not enough to warrant reading all of that before the how-to.

If you don't want to get ragey, I recommend reading chapter eight first, then go back and read the first seven chapters and the chapters after the how-to. Honestly, it was like she had to stretch what could have been an article into a full book. After the how-to, you get the up-sell to the Z method online and courses, etc etc.

I forced myself to read to chapter eight, stayed there a while, then decided to force myself to finish the book and pass it onto a friend with the warning that only chapter eight is really worth his time.

I'm glad that I won this book and I DO think that the information in chapter eight is useful, but the rest? Not so much. Worth getting from your library, but I wouldn't recommend it unless you skip and read out of order.

My comments on this book are my thoughts as I was reading it, which will show the positive bits in amongst the ragey parts.

1, ragey, star. With the hope that the meditation part can be useful to me and not be tainted by the rest of the book. If it is helpful, the star rating will increase. I could use some calm right now. I think we all could.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
384 reviews
September 15, 2020
Ungh. The book is about 80% infomercial, 10% testimonial (which is really a subset of infomercial, right?) and 10% content. I guess no one gets to sign a book deal for a pamphlet. That being said, Fletcher's method for meditation is very approachable and I'll give it a try.
Profile Image for Lioli Kas.
64 reviews1 follower
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January 8, 2024
Sunku vienareikšmiškai įvertinti šioje knygoje pateiktas mintis, kai kurias jų norisi įvertinti vienetu, kai kurias penkiais balais penkiabalėje sistemoje. Šiais metais noriu labiau pagilinti į meditacijos praktikas ir savo nuostabai žvalgydamasi po knygų lentyną pamačiau šią knygą.
Visų pirma ji per ilga. Juk gero dalyko nereikia stenktis reklamuoti, bet šioje knygoje būtent tai ir juntama, bent jau man pasirodė per daug brukama meditacija ir autorės sukurta (?) metodika ir jos įkurta mokykla. Už šias ir kai kurias kitas niekuo nepagrįstas mintis vienetas. Tačiau taip pat knygoje pateikta tikrai daug įdomių ir naudingų įžvalgų apie meditaciją, jos naudą, kaip ji veikia organizmą (norintiems labiau pasigilinti pabaigoje pateikiamas šaltinių, kuriais remiamasi, sąrašas), ir tai išplėtė mano žinias bei sustiprino suvokimą apie šios praktikos asmeninį poreikį.

Klausimą kelia ar galima dar šioje srityje kažką sukurti? Pati autorė pripažįsta, kad remiasi vedų išmintimi, kad baigė mokymus Indijoje ir ... sukūrė naują sistemą? Kitokią meditaciją? To kitoniškumo nelabai matau lyginant su tuo ką teigia Sam Harris ar Thich Nhat Hanh? Meditacijos metu "išvalyti" minčių niekas ir nesiūlo kaip teigia autorė, siūlo jas stebėti ir paleisti, ką ji ir pati pateikia labai aiškiai trijuose efektyvios meditacijos patirčių aprašymuose. Mantros kartojimas irgi nieko naujo. Ar naujo sukūrimu galima laikyti tai, kad prieš meditaciją siūloma sutelkti dėmesį į visus 5-is savo pojūčius? Ar tai, kad meditaciją užbaigti siūloma įsivaizduojant savo trokštamo tikslo pasiekimą ir išjausti su tuo susijusias emocijas tarsi tai jau būtų įvykę? Ir tikrai šių trijų dalių apjungimas į vieną praktiką ją daro pilna, išbaigta patirtimi. Tačiau šią sistemą autorė teigia sukūrusi 2017 metais, o visos šios mintys tikrai ne naujos. Džiugu, kad autorė dalijasi savo patirtimi ir sukauptomis žiniomis, bet truputis kuklumo teigiant sukūrus kažką naujo nepakenktų.

Taigi kas pasakyta apie meditaciją šioje knygoje? Pabandysiu perteikti esmines mintis savais žodžiais kaip supratau.


Na tai patikrinam? :)
9 reviews
February 21, 2019
Meditation has been a game changer for me over the last 15 months. I had a preconception about meditation and it was the following basic ideas:

-It is really difficult to do
-I guess I am not one of those who can meditate. There are only a select few who can do this
-Learning to stop my thoughts is hard. I can't do this
-I need to find the perfect environment to meditate, a really quiet room, special meditation chair,
-Not sure it can really make a huge difference in my life. I know CEO's of large organisations are doing it but not sure it can benefit me. Can Meditation really reduce
Stress and make me healthier?

This is where Emily Fletcher's teachings have TRANSFORMED my life. I learnt about Meditation from her online Meditation course and what struck me was how she explained the NeuroScience of Meditation. She completely demystified it and that was really important for me to challenge the above misconceptions I had about meditation.

While there are hundreds of different meditation styles and techniques, what really makes a difference is anything that will allow you to have a daily practice. Meditation has to be done on a daily basis to realise all the amazing benefits it comes with and this is where the issue is. How do you create a meditation practice that will stick every single day? I am not a monk and therefore it becomes really difficult to incorporate such a practice. What I need is a meditation practice for the modern way of living. How can you become a self-sufficient meditator so that you do not need to rely on a visualisation audio/video, app, biofeedback device or a special meditation room. How can you leverage just having a place to sit with your back supported and be able to access one of the most powerful self-development tool available to us.

This is what Emily teaches in the book. This book aims to give you two main things:

- Show you how powerful meditation explaining the NeuroScience of Meditation
- Help you learn a super powerful, easy to learn meditation technique that you can use in the modern world and become a self-sufficient meditator

Emily provides some really thought-provoking Case Studies in the book. These show a variation of how people have benefited from Meditation. From people who went from
extreme debt to millions, someone who stopped becoming a meditation failure (like myself), someone who cured insomnia, someone who had powerful medical breakthroughs
suffering from cancer, people who reversed the physical effects of years of stress, people who have accomplished so much more through incorporating this practice in their
life, improving brain cognition, physical performance, productivity, happiness levels, transformed sex life and to being the best version of themselves.

The book shows all sorts of scientific research from graphs of REM Sleep to how peoples blood markers have changed after meditating. It really helps illustrate the POWER
of meditation and this is what I really love about the book. It makes you realise that Meditation should be a non-negotiable element of your life.

So lots of people appreciate the benefits of meditation but as mentioned above, can't really understand how they can make it a habit. This is where the book then teaches you how to do this with a great technique that incorporates Mindfulness, Meditation and Manifesting. There are so many books out there on Mindfulness with organizations now also having ways to incorporate ways of enabling employees to go through mindfulness activities because they realise how powerful this is. Emily teaches in the book that Mindfulness is different from Meditation and how Meditation is an even more powerful practice. She teaches how these three concepts are different and how her
meditation technique combines them all together.

So the book will demystify and help you understand meditation. It will teach a technique that is very easy to incorporate in your daily life. I live and work in London and I am able to practice this meditation while travelling in a noisy underground tube. I no longer have excuses for not meditating and this is the power of the book. It can give you a tool that has the power to transform your life over the next few months, years and decades.

I went from not having a clue about how meditation works to being a self-sufficient meditator. This has been possible with Emily's teachings. The book is so very easy to read and gives you a great step by step process to motivate you, excite you about meditation and crucially enable you to become a self-sufficient meditator. I encourage you to buy the book and share this with your family. Happy Meditating
Profile Image for Laurie Thurston.
418 reviews5 followers
July 30, 2019
If you want an infomercial that will put you to sleep, you found it. I gave it a chance, I really did, but once I was halfway through and still learned nothing except how “great” her method supposedly was, I was done. It did put me to sleep repeatedly, though, so there’s that...
Profile Image for Allison.
164 reviews
March 14, 2019
Meditation based in reality, I love it! As someone who has dabbled with different forms of meditation, some intensely, some partially, I can say Emily's approach is the best fit for me. Also helps that she has a sense of humor.
Profile Image for Tom M..
Author 1 book7 followers
August 13, 2020
I feel cheated.

To save the rest of you the time you could use in finding better mediation resources, here's a summary of the book:

Chapter 1-7: Meditation is good for you.
Chapter 8: 10 pages on the Z Technique, an introduction to the full course she teaches online and in person; 20 pages of various "meditation experiences" showing how to pull your mind back to the mediation.
Chapters 9-13: Meditation is good for you.

What makes this book so frustrating -- no infuriating -- is that it comes across as one long ad for why you should buy into her online course. Even the "book bonus" URL comes with only three videos that are simply Fletcher saying "meditation is good" and walking you through the "2x Breath" (breath in for a count; exhale at twice that count) and her "Coming to Your Senses" centering exercise.

Fletcher states that "The Z Technique" she's teaching in the book is not the full Ziva Meditation. Her argument that face-to-face interactions are necessary fell flat with me -- what she really wants you to do is to pay her hundreds of dollars to gain access to her online course.

It's little more than one big lead up to a few pages that do little more than hint at how to meditate.

Want anything on the actual MEDITATION parts mentioned in the book? Pay for her course.
The mantra she provides in the book ("One") isn't specific for you. Want to choose your own specific mantra (from a list)? Pay for her course.
Want to experience the mental and physical benefits, the bliss she describes in her book? Pay for her course.

After reading through Chapter 8 I started into Chapter 9 thinking there was some sort of mistake. One short chapter about the "Z Technique" and she was back to repeating "Meditation is good"? I went back and re-read Chapter 8, certain I must have missed something.

For those who can afford Fletcher and her teachings, I'm sure she's a fine teacher. (The guided meditations in the book bonus sections were well done) Unfortunately, this book ends up as nothing more than a huckster touting snake oil from the back of the tastefully lit, well-appointed NYC studio wagon. She makes wild promises of changing every aspect of your life, provides testimonials and gives out a tiny sample. Then, when you're ready to believe the science and her, she tells you that'll be another $400.

I do not begrudge Fletcher's ability and desire to capitalize on the meditation technique she devised from her years in India learning meditation from gurus there. I do begrudge her for putting out a book that promises far, far more than it ever delivers and is little more than an a 230 page ad for her company's bottom line.
Profile Image for Matt Cannon.
308 reviews9 followers
December 23, 2019
I randomly stumbled across Emily as she was being interviewed on Jim Kwik’s Podcast. Here is that interview. https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/k.... Her approach to meditation resonated with me. One of her statements was we are not supposed to do meditation just to get better at meditation, but rather we do meditation to help us get better at life. She also said some interesting stuff about the right and left brain and the corpus callosum that I hadn’t heard before and I’ve read quite a bit about all of these in the past. After listening to one of her sample meditations I was interested to check out this book and purchased it shortly after. The book was a quick read and had lots of good information. She does a good job of “selling” the benefits of meditation and goes on to make it simple and practical for everyday people. This is a good book worth checking out, especially if you want to find a practical approach to meditation.
Profile Image for Annie C. Leavitt.
119 reviews3 followers
March 8, 2019
want to learn how to meditate and in an easy, almost fail proof way? READ THIS

don't believe meditation can help? READ THIS

want to know the science behind meditation? READ THIS
Profile Image for Cyndi.
89 reviews1 follower
December 15, 2020
Interesting instruction on the reasoning and benefits of meditation and mindfulness. Repetitive in many areas but the education of psychology and physical benefits make me want to give it a try.
Profile Image for Kylee Jo.
86 reviews
September 10, 2024
Fantastic book on the benefits of meditation and how it can impact all areas of our lives!
Profile Image for Danae.
323 reviews18 followers
February 1, 2023
I really enjoyed this simple take on meditation, how to do it and how it can affect every aspect of your life. Less stress? Yes please!
Profile Image for Kari Yergin.
862 reviews23 followers
February 24, 2019
GREAT book on meditation that has really inspired me.

First heard the author on Doctor’s Farmacy podcast. Took some notes:

Mindfulness helps you deal with your stress in the now. Mindfulness is directing your attention And focusing. A directed focused mental practice.

Meditation allows a lifetime of accumulation of stress from your past to come up and out. We’re inducing rest that is deeper than sleep do you cumulation of stress is what makes us stupid, sick, and slow. Meditation is about surrender. You no longer have to be a seeker because you realize it’s all inside of you. We stop looking externally for fulfillment

Manifesting is consciously creating the life you live. Getting intentional. Give thanks for what you have, clarify your goals, take time to imagine one goal as if it’s happening now, detach from any outcome. It’s the egg knowledge meant that thoughts become things

Meditation isn’t about getting good at meditation, it’s about getting good at life. It allows you to fast track to the savasona of yoga. It’s the single most important piece of mental hygiene that we need to practice every day. It’s like mental floss, you shouldn’t leave home without having done it! It’s gross. It’s a pillar of health. Even if it becomes napitating.

When you’re stressed, instead of responding, you react. It will be involuntary to react. We don’t act in accordance with what we know but with the baseline level of stress in our nervous system. If you’re stressed you’re not using the executive function part of your brain, you’re in your amygdala.

Meditation is not in conflict with any religion. Religion in self-help books are like software. Meditation is upgrading your hardware. Defragmenting your actual brain the computer. It will make you a better Christian or whatever because it will help you act in accordance with what you know.

When we get stressed adrenaline and cortisol flood your bodies which makes us become acidic. Acidic bodies become inflamed which is the basis of a lot of chronic diseases. Dopamine and serotonin, for instance from meditation, Are alkaline so it changes the pH.

Ziva technique is intended for those of us who are considered householders, people with jobs and lives who aren’t doing long retreats and things but live normal lives.

Profile Image for Bekah.
33 reviews11 followers
August 15, 2019
This book was excellent. I have tried listening to meditation books before and have never gotten very far.
This type of meditation appeals more to me as it is more flexible and forgiving. There is no trying to stop thoughts with this technique.
I also loved hearing the testimonies. They were encouraging and inspiring.
I’m implementing it in my daily schedule and I look forward to the results!
14 reviews2 followers
July 5, 2022
There is some pseudo-science mumbo-jumbo that I hate in books. Where from people get ideas like "you’re basically giving your body and brain deep rest—rest that is up to five times deeper than sleep!—so it can release a lifetime of accumulated stress". How did she measure that? She doesn't provide any science-based sources, no credible references. It's just insulting to a person of average intelligence.

I read a summary and looked into the book to check whether dubious claims like that are also in the original. They are. Just avoid this book, guys.
Profile Image for Kate Martin.
Author 5 books9 followers
November 1, 2019
I couldn't finish this book and had to stop halfway through. Repetitive, systematic, and read like a marketing blog post - but wait, there's more - and if you keep reading I'll tell you the "secret sauce" soon, I swear. I wasn't interested enough to find out. Disappointing.
Profile Image for Kristen M. .
441 reviews31 followers
October 5, 2020
You're doing it wrong. No, just kidding.

This is the Meditation 101 manual that I was looking for and didn't know I needed. I have tried to do meditation in the past and had all the guided meditation apps on my phone, etc - but I always felt I was doing it wrong.

I thought I needed to have candles and burning sage and a singing bowl and some prayer beads and incense and maybe flannel pajamas and some essential oils and the perfect mantra and a binaural beats soundtrack or absolute silence or even a special meditation cushion for my crossed legged comfort.

According to Fletcher, I actually don't need any of those things, unless of course I feel like it. But what this volume really does is break meditation down to its fundamental parts. The author poses that we don't do meditation to get better at meditation - we meditate in order to to get better at life.

I think the title is totally off and should be Meditation 101 or Meditation for Dummies - because the 'Stress Less, Accomplish More' title somehow implies that I need to be more productive and efficient with my time, which feels impossible and overwhelming with the busyness sickness I have already suffered from in my adult working life.

So, ignore the title and find the book, it is worth it!

#books #libraries #reading #nonfiction #nonfictionbooks ⠀
#bookstagram #instareads #bookreviews
#meditate #meditation #zivameditation
#stresslessaccomplishmore
Profile Image for Fit4Life218.
416 reviews1 follower
March 18, 2019
Want a better orgasm??? Read this book!

Yep, you read it correctly! For better orgasms ~ for women AND men ~ read this book, meditate 15 minutes twice a day to learn how to be your BEST self....both IN & OUT of the bedroom! 💃🏻🕺🏼

Tips & Tricks:
1. Read this book cover to cover.
2. SCHEDULE ‘meditate’ on your daily calendar.
3. Meditate 15 minutes, 2x per day ~ NO EXCUSES!

*** Got a partner, kids, spouse, etc to ‘worry about’ ~ No problem! Do what I do.....give them the option ~ “You can join me for my 15 minutes of meditation & we can meditate together OR you give me 15 minutes solo & I’ll come to you when I’m done.”

Works. Every. Time. 😏👊

If you’re a meditation guru, tried meditation before but didn’t follow through, or never meditated a second in your life....THIS is the ONLY book you will EVER need in today’s fast-paced world. If you think you are TOO BUSY to meditate....then you NEED this book more than anyone. Trust me.

This book is a game changer ~ nix that ~ it’s a LIFE changer!

Happy reading friends! Cheers! 😎
Profile Image for Shantey.
96 reviews2 followers
January 2, 2025
3.75
I listened to this book on audio, which made for a quick and enjoyable experience. It was informative and served as a powerful reminder of the importance of meditation in our lives. While some parts felt a bit salesy—understandable, given the author's program offerings—the book still shares valuable insights. The information, though occasionally repetitive, reinforces key principles effectively.

If you're looking to add meditation into your routine or are on a journey of self-growth (which we all should be), this book is a great pick.
Profile Image for Rose.
66 reviews
December 17, 2025
This was a re-read for me. Big fan of the meditation technique, not a HUGE fan of the actual book. Overall, I found that more than half of you is just convincing you why meditation is important and this approach is supposedly the best. There’s an also a lot of focus here on success, which like…as a perfectionist I relate to…but also, I’m trying to be less stressed and not feel like I have to be the best at everything, so a book about how to use meditation to be more successful in my career is kinda a lot.
Profile Image for Wendy.
40 reviews7 followers
January 12, 2020
I should have known better. Any book about meditation focused on “performance” was not going to be for me. But after hearing her on a podcast I was curious. As others have noted, this book is one long sales pitch for Fletcher’s Ziva program. Just skip to Chapter 8 if you’re interested in how to do her method. Don’t bother with the rest of it. FYI: If you go to the online content offered in the book she’ll require your email address to access it.
Profile Image for Ric.
1,454 reviews135 followers
February 18, 2020
I don’t doubt that some of the techniques in this book are helpful, and I may very well find them helpful if/when I try. But this came off as a sales pitch for her company and specific technique. There were a ton of interludes about success stories for their method and it just seemed out of place. I feel like this book could’ve been like half the length that it was, and it was only like 230 pages. It may very well work, but it didn’t seem like anything in this was super revolutionary.
Profile Image for Stephanie Affinito.
Author 2 books118 followers
April 13, 2024
This book did it. It convinced me about the power of mindfulness, meditation and manifestation and the differences between the three. It felt like a friendly conversation with a friend who was not holding back and not listening to my excuses either. It's an invitation to explore, to learn, to grow and to become full of wellness. Plus, the bonuses that come with the book help guide you every step of the way.
Profile Image for Adrian Luben.
49 reviews4 followers
May 9, 2019
I consider this one of the most impactful books, which helps you improve your entire life, of course, if you also do the meditation ;)

..I’m stating this after reading and practicing many meditation forms..
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