Nowadays, I “read” books mostly by listening to them. When you have to read textbooks and research papers all day, it’s easier on the eyes and the brain to just have someone do all the reading for you. One of the first books I listened to after realizing this is When, the pop science/self-help book by Daniel H. Pink.
Now, hear me out. I’m usually a hater when it comes to self-help books: I don’t like their overconfident, salesman-like tone, and I don’t like the insinuation that you can change your life with a “few, simple tricks”. I despise buzzwords about “hacking your brain” or “maximizing productivity”. I’m not trying to make my body a more efficient machine–I’m just trying to get by and be happy.
This book doesn’t overpromise on how it will “change your life”. Its tagline, “the scientific secrets of perfect timing”, is a little clickbait-y, but it really does cite scientific literature. Rather than telling you what you should or shouldn’t be doing, Pink tells different stories: anecdotes of folks who run marathons at the end of a decade (19 years old, 29, 39, 49, and so on), research about night owls versus early birds, scheduling customs around the world, etc. And it definitely makes the message sink in more than if he delivered it like a TED talk.
This tone really stuck with me as a highlight of this book. For as long as I’ve been aware of time, I’ve been anxious about it. I’ve worried about running out of it, I’m terrified of wasting it, and I am constantly checking to see if I am using it right. I procrastinate and waffle around and scroll Twitter for too long and suddenly it’s bedtime. If I might be allowed to generalize my neuroses to everyone, I would say that humans just can’t really conceptualize time (see my article on Existential Physics if you want more about time). So, it scares us.
This book sat me down and said, “don’t worry so much”. Like this TikTok comment I saw floating around the internet says, “the time will pass anyways”. Apparently that’s a Earl Nightingale quote?
Take the example of the post lunch slump. I have always noticed that I really get things done from 11-12pm, 3-6 pm, or 9pm-12am (I’m currently writing this article at 10pm!). For the longest time, that stressed me out. If I couldn’t get work done during the typical 9-5, how would I ever be able to keep a job? What would I do? From this book, I learned that my biological clock is just tuned a little bit differently. Instead of trying to fight it, I should make the most of it. During the dead zone around 1-2pm, I don’t even try to do computer work. I’ll walk around, chat with a coworker, or deal with a task that makes me move. Then, when my energy hits a peak again, I tackle those mentally draining activities.
This book didn’t change my life, but funnily enough, it came into my world at just the right time. When you’re a college student juggling work, research, classes, chores, a social life, and your own physical and mental health, it’s really easy to feel overwhelmed. Up to this point, our time has been highly budgeted by parents, teachers, and other authority figures. And then, suddenly you’re just expected to be able to do it all yourself. This book was a small step in learning how to be at peace with time, and be a little more kind to myself in the process. If that sounds like something you’d like, do check out this book. It’s well worth your–nevermind.
