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The Art of Living: Self-management — How to Survive and Thrive in the 21st Century
"El Baba debuts with an intriguing blend of meditative mindfulness and productivity hacking" — Publishers Weekly
What’s on your mind?
Chances are there are many things occupying your mind.
That’s not surprising given the 21st century world we live in. A frenzied pace of life and a pandemic lack of time have become typical, defining and systematic features of our modern times. And as you can expect, pressure on your time directly translates into pressure on your mind, on your attention, and finally on your nerves.
Given the fundamental functioning of the human brain and human cognition, there are predictable, alarming issues with how people fare under these circumstances. Rising burnout rates and our current distracted, post-truth society are only some of the symptoms of our struggle to cope with this new reality.
Insights from sociology, neuroscience and cognitive science as well as philosophy imply a real need for people to operate differently in the 21st century, to not just survive but also thrive in the flow of life. In light of this knowledge, the only sustainable, comprehensive approach that can get things off your mind is to effectively handle them outside your mind, in an external self-management system. Such a system needs to be supported by solid habits, with which the system forms an integrated practice for managing your conscious experience.
Tried-and-tested self-management methods like David Allen’s “Getting Things Done™” (GTD™) offer part of the solution, but they need to be extended, generalized, made more comprehensive and yet also made more accessible. These are needed for self-and-life-management, self-direction, attention and commitment management, stress management, improved decision making and judgement and more generally for dealing properly with information. Only with these can we hope to solve the problems in our lives and in our society.
Adopting the generalized “Art of Living” system and practice will allow you individually to take back your mental space, control of your life, your sense of judgement and your ability to make and execute good decisions. As will be clear from reading this book, this will also allow all of us collectively to do so.
What’s on your mind?
Chances are there are many things occupying your mind.
That’s not surprising given the 21st century world we live in. A frenzied pace of life and a pandemic lack of time have become typical, defining and systematic features of our modern times. And as you can expect, pressure on your time directly translates into pressure on your mind, on your attention, and finally on your nerves.
Given the fundamental functioning of the human brain and human cognition, there are predictable, alarming issues with how people fare under these circumstances. Rising burnout rates and our current distracted, post-truth society are only some of the symptoms of our struggle to cope with this new reality.
Insights from sociology, neuroscience and cognitive science as well as philosophy imply a real need for people to operate differently in the 21st century, to not just survive but also thrive in the flow of life. In light of this knowledge, the only sustainable, comprehensive approach that can get things off your mind is to effectively handle them outside your mind, in an external self-management system. Such a system needs to be supported by solid habits, with which the system forms an integrated practice for managing your conscious experience.
Tried-and-tested self-management methods like David Allen’s “Getting Things Done™” (GTD™) offer part of the solution, but they need to be extended, generalized, made more comprehensive and yet also made more accessible. These are needed for self-and-life-management, self-direction, attention and commitment management, stress management, improved decision making and judgement and more generally for dealing properly with information. Only with these can we hope to solve the problems in our lives and in our society.
Adopting the generalized “Art of Living” system and practice will allow you individually to take back your mental space, control of your life, your sense of judgement and your ability to make and execute good decisions. As will be clear from reading this book, this will also allow all of us collectively to do so.
312 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 16, 2020
15 people are currently reading
450 people want to read
About the author
Youssef El Baba
2 books5 followersYoussef El Baba is an author and an artist. He graduated from the renowned Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL) in 2015, obtaining an engineering degree in communication systems, after which he has worked in acoustics research in a scientific setting in Germany. His writing focuses on non-fiction, namely on the topic of his own abstract calligraphy drawing style, and on the topic of self-management in the information age.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
December 10, 2020
The Art of Living is a book which I feel is very much relevant in today's world. We are living in times where there is just too much happening all around us. We are constantly flooded by information, there's just too much to do and it really is difficulty to keep it together. The book basically gives you pointers for getting things done. I really found some of the ideas mentioned by the author quite interesting. While reading the David Allen's GTD system in the book, I found it quite fascinating that so many things that we worry about can't just be helped at the moment. The book describes a 5-step process of getting things organized which just made sense to me. Of, course it has its cons which the author describes as well. Now, I don't know whether I'd actually be using it in all sort of situations, but still, categorizing and organizing the things we need to do seems like a pretty good idea of staying focused on what really matters.
The book is written in way which is easier to understand. But, to be honest, I actually found it pretty intimidating at first. The research paper type writing style, the links which go back and forth, and the strikethrough texts were a little unexpected. But as I read on, I found it easy to go through. I do wish it hadn't contained these links and strikethroughs in the first place.
As a self-help book, it presents some interesting ideas which if we implemented could do wonders in our life. The information age does come with its pros and cons. And this book might just be the guide to lessen the burden of the everyday stresses we face in out life. It's a well-researched book and you can tell the amount of homework on the author's part that went into it. I do advise people not to try reading it quickly. It's something that you must take your time with.
I thank Mr. Youssef El Baba for providing me an advance copy in exchange for my honest opinion. I WILL be re-reading it again.
The book is written in way which is easier to understand. But, to be honest, I actually found it pretty intimidating at first. The research paper type writing style, the links which go back and forth, and the strikethrough texts were a little unexpected. But as I read on, I found it easy to go through. I do wish it hadn't contained these links and strikethroughs in the first place.
As a self-help book, it presents some interesting ideas which if we implemented could do wonders in our life. The information age does come with its pros and cons. And this book might just be the guide to lessen the burden of the everyday stresses we face in out life. It's a well-researched book and you can tell the amount of homework on the author's part that went into it. I do advise people not to try reading it quickly. It's something that you must take your time with.
I thank Mr. Youssef El Baba for providing me an advance copy in exchange for my honest opinion. I WILL be re-reading it again.
October 31, 2020
This is a very thorough and comprehensive book about a nowadays very important topic, namely, how to manage your live. If you struggle to handle all the tasks at work and in your private life and feel that you don't manage to get all the important things done which you have or want to do, this book is definitely helpful. Even if you don't want to follow the "getting-things-done" (GTD) or "the-art-of-living system, the book contains a lot of information about the neuroscientific and philosophical background related to this topic. Moreover, many practical tips are provided and problems of the GTD system are discussed in detail.
The GTD system, as well as the scientific and philosophical background are discussed in Part 1 of this book.
In Part 2, El Baba proposes his own self-management system, which can be seen as an "extended GTD system" but is a more practical and holistic approach. In particular, a sophisticated priority system and tips for implementing the system in your daily life are discussed.
What I liked about the book:
- It is very easy to read due to its style of writing.
- It has a "subtle" amount of sarcasm :-)
- It is very comprehensive and clearly written.
What I did not like:
- Some section and discussions are a bit too extensive.
If you are unsure, watch the linked Youtube-talk.
The GTD system, as well as the scientific and philosophical background are discussed in Part 1 of this book.
In Part 2, El Baba proposes his own self-management system, which can be seen as an "extended GTD system" but is a more practical and holistic approach. In particular, a sophisticated priority system and tips for implementing the system in your daily life are discussed.
What I liked about the book:
- It is very easy to read due to its style of writing.
- It has a "subtle" amount of sarcasm :-)
- It is very comprehensive and clearly written.
What I did not like:
- Some section and discussions are a bit too extensive.
If you are unsure, watch the linked Youtube-talk.
October 14, 2020
If you use 2Do App either in iOS or Mac ( even in Android), this book is a must read. It explains basic philosophy of improved GTD method...the basics, the philosophy, the lacuna...everything. Then it offers a practical Task Processing or Engaging System....It also offers a ready made structured, colour coded (based on traffic lights) system that can be used in 2Do App. I am using 2Do App for the past 4 years without much satisfaction. I periodically jump from 2Do to omnifocus to Things3...Now I settled with 2Do App for the past 8 days...with full peace of mind. I have conducted midterm examinations in new online mode, evaluated and set question papers all before deadline with much ease. If you follow GTD, I recommend you to read this book. Every Rupee spent to purchase this book is worthy.
December 6, 2020
If you are looking for a little light reading, this book is not it. This book is dense, packed with science-based, well-referenced material to understand how the brain works and how to apply it in our lives. Great insights, but I found myself slowing down to re-read sections, take notes, and think about how the material applies. Definitely, one I would go back to again to deepen my understanding and refresh my memory.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
May 29, 2020
Very helpful, though the # portions were a bit distracting at times. It is a lot of information and overwhelming though and at times I found myself having to refer back or just put it down to come back to see if it was any better. I do hope to use this to stress less in my life, in all aspects, but especially at work. Definitely worth the read.
Received as a goodreads giveaway for an honest review.
Received as a goodreads giveaway for an honest review.
May 14, 2020
Great read if you like books on how to better understand the way you work and how to manage your time and life. I really enjoyed the many neuroscience and philosophy referencees! Recommended for everyone!
April 27, 2020
Great advices to cope with the overwhelming stress and don't drown in your everyday life. Short reading + innovative tags system to read back and forth from anywhere in the book.
June 1, 2020
Great book. Well written. Easy to comprehend. I highly recommend this book
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews