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How to Live on 24 Hours a Day Review

This book was recommended as a 'must read' in Dale Carnegie's 'How to develop self-confidence and influence people be public speaking' which I had picked up for a group presentation.

I immediately downloaded it onto my kindle. It is a short book. I read it about an hour and a half, and I am a slow reader.

The author is British and the book was written in 1905. So by modern standards the advice it contains may seem a little harsh and paternalistic and the language somewhat stilted. But I really enjoyed the presentation compared to many modern politically correct but stylisticaly banal works. The humor is subtle but effective. The arguments are witty and thought-provoking and ultimately persuasive.

He begins with urging us to review our day and set aside time from outside our work hours, that we often waste by doing nothing, to do something truly worthwile. He recommends literature and the arts for building self and character but acknowledges that if one truly has no inclination towards these areas then they could do whatever else they enjoy that is interesting and mentally stimulating.

Besides the activity itself, though, he urges mental discipline and reflection. He stresses that the path to self-development is difficult and requires hard work and persistence. He warns against taking on too much to start with since that could result in failure and lowered self-esteem. He also cautions against going down the path only to become an insufferable prig looking down on everyone else.

While these are some of the bare-bones points he talks about, it is his language and style that makes the book such an enjoyable and inspiring read.

Recommended.

How to Live on 24 Hours a Day Overview

This preface, though placed at the beginning, as a preface must be, should be read at the end of the book. I have received a large amount of correspondence concerning this small work, and many reviews of it--some of them nearly as long as the book itself--have been printed. But scarcely any of the comment has been adverse. Some people have objected to a frivolity of tone; but as the tone is not, in my opinion, at all frivolous, this objection did not impress me; and had no weightier reproach been put forward I might almost have been persuaded that the volume was flawless! A more serious stricture has, however, been offered--not in the press, but by sundry obviously sincere correspondents- -and I must deal with it. A reference to page 43 will show that I anticipated and feared this disapprobation. The sentence against which protests have been made is as follows:-- "In the majority of instances he [the typical man] does not precisely feel a passion for his business; at best he does not dislike it. He begins his business functions with some reluctance, as late as he can, and he ends them with joy, as early as he can. And his engines, while he is engaged in his business, are seldom at their full 'h.p.'"

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Customer Reviews

Time management was the same struggle 90 years ago - Sunny -
The author has a authoritative style that preempts your rationalizing why it won't work. This style is very pleasant and you can feel that the author truely desires that the reader finds improvement and a better life.

It is fun to read that people 90 years ago had the same thoughts and struggles as we do today.

Every hour is brand new - Caballero - Virginia
I was attracted to this book because it is short. I'm one of those "No time for anything!" kind of guys. But this book changed my opinion on time mangement. I used to be constantly disappointed in my failure to keep to a strict schedule. Read the book and find out why I'm now much more relaxed and efficient.

Feeling taken...a waste of money. - Sam G. - Cleveland, OH
You are basically told to view your allotted 24 hours a day as the number of hours that exist outside of your job, and to spend them doing something that will engage you. Many references to literature. And the author is English, so be prepared to read words like "programme" versus "job". Following his use of words and trying to determine the American equivalent was interesting...especially if you've not encountered this before.

There are no tips or hints as to how to "save time" doing this instead of that - or doing it differently - for example: clean a room in your house each day and by the end of the week, you won't need to spend a day of your weekend cleaning. I was hoping for these types of time-savers - but unfortunately did not see that this was not that type of book. At best, he tells you to use your commute time on the train to work each day, and back, to reflect on who you are, where you are headed and what makes you happy. He recommends not wasting that particular lot of time reading the paper - althought he recommends you still fit that in during the day - just not during your commute?? He focuses on starting with 7+ hours of the week and using them for something that will - again - engage you.

Some valid points. A very short read. However, save your money and locate this book at your local library if you truly wish to read it.

*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Oct 19, 2010 14:45:06

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Tuesday, October 19, 2010