Book Review

"When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing"

Just published in January 2018, "When" is the latest book from author Daniel H. Pink, known for several previous best-sellers including "Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us" and "A Whole New Mind." I listened to the audiobook version of "When," which comes with a 68-page pdf called the "Time Hacker's Handbook" that contains all the charts and images from the book, along with specific tips on organizing tasks based on time of day.

So what is the book about? Part 1 starts by building the scientific evidence for how energy and cognitive abilities change throughout the day in a regular, predictable way. For most people, energy and analytic skills peak in the morning, by mid-afternoon they hit the lowest point ("trough"), and then in the evening there's a small recovery of energy. For maximal productivity, Pink argues, each person should figure out their chronotype — their personal rhythm for sleep and the peak-trough-recovery cycle- and then try to arrange their day so that tasks which require the most analytic skill are done during the mental peak and easier tasks or those requiring more insight than analysis are done during the mental trough. In the handbook there's a form for tracking your mental alertness and energy throughout the day to find out where you fall on the "lark" to "owl" scale. I was particularly interested in the tips on which tasks to focus on during specific parts of your day; I realized one of my bad habits is focusing on answering emails in the morning and putting off other tasks until later in the day. Instead, to maximize effectiveness as a lark, I should focus on my most challenging tasks in the morning and save email for later in the day when I don't have the mental energy for complex tasks.

I can also see that trying to push meetings to the afternoons to leave my mornings cleared for complex work could be very beneficial. I found the suggestions on how to effectively take breaks during the day-when to take them and what — to — do during them-very helpful and I intend to implement some of those (although I don't think I can get away with a nap at work!)

Part 2 focused on details around beginnings, midpoint, and endings. I found this part of the book mostly entertaining, as it was filled with good stories and examples, but fewer practical, day-to-day tips. This part is more about life advice; this is where Pink tries to give advice about big questions like, when should you get married (or divorced)? When should you start looking for a new job? I found the discussion on midpoint to be the most interesting. Pink makes a very convincing argument for the midpoint as a potential energizer, especially if you're working on a project. The midpoint is when you realize that half of your time is gone and you haven't made any progress, and so it provides a kick to make some decisions and get started. This made me think I need to put meaningful time limits on more of my tasks, so I can reach the midpoint and get that mental kick of urgency!

Overall I found this book interesting, informative, and very accessible. It's relatively short (less than 200 pages or six hours of audio) the language is clear and conversational, and there are many entertaining stories — all of which makes the book easy to get through! I found it encouraged me to think more consciously about how I organize tasks during the day and to be more aware of my mental state (ranging from alert to exhausted). "When" is well worth your time to check out, and even those among us who think they've got their schedule all figured out may find a few helpful tips. And as we all attempt to fit more tasks into every 24-hour day, anything that could improve efficiency is a bonus!