How to Calm Your Mind

October 10, 2022
Productivity consultant Bailey (Hyperfocus) delivers a pragmatic guide to reducing stress. He recounts how experiencing a panic attack during a business presentation led him to search for strategies to fight burnout, contending that “investing in calm is the way to maintain and even grow our capacity for productivity.” Downtime, he posits, can lessen anxiety and helps to percolate new ideas and break the addiction to stress, which occurs when one becomes reliant on the stimulation provided by such sources of anxiety as negative news stories. He recommends setting aside time each day to not worry about productivity and suggests taking up meditation, which lowers the level of dopamine that the body craves. Bailey is frank about the difficulty of seeking calmness and notes that self-care will likely cause guilt in readers who have an “accomplishment mindset,” but he adds that such busywork as refreshing one’s email can become mentally equated with accomplishment even though it’s more stress-inducing than productive. Instead, he urges readers to take breaks, exercise, and eat more complex carbohydrates, which all increase calmness and productivity. Bailey’s discussion of how dopamine and serotonin influence feelings of productivity brings scientific rigor to his observations, which are sensible and occasionally counterintuitive. This practical manual is worth slowing down for.

December 16, 2022

Bailey, a productivity expert and author who also hosts a podcast, shows how balancing efficient productivity practices with calm makes for better results in everyday life. This is his personal journey to calm, and he relates how anxiety from his career led to his need for a change, and how natural that burnout can be for most of us. He guides readers through reasonable expectations for productivity and brings in the benefits of his "non-productive" calm time and how that helps achieve one's goals more effectively. He goes into the science of how different mindsets function and what triggers them, to better help readers understand and strategize using his ideas as a basis. He demonstrates how smartphones are a big reason for a dopamine rush, with their push notifications and YouTube videos and 24-hour news cycle, which make one want to consume more, and he offers ideas for how to balance out or eliminate dopamine-driven habits we've developed. VERDICT While occasionally repetitive, and while it could benefit from additional voices, this book makes for a good start on the journey to calm.

Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 16, 2022
Almost any book with ""calm"" in the title will attract readers in these chaotic times. When that book is authored by a productivity expert, the curiosity generated may prove irresistible. At least that is the case with How to Calm Your Mind by renowned productivity expert Bailey (Hyperfocus, 2018). On the heels of an on-stage panic attack, Bailey was shocked to realize that increases in productivity also mean better life balance and more free time. Readers learn that expectation is thwarted by the pervasive "accomplishment mindset" and the ties between digital engagement and dopamine demands from our brain. Packed with in-depth exploration of the causes of anxiety and the strategies that may provide relief and a calming of the mind, readers will find much to contemplate and apply within these pages. Strategies range from straightforward (prioritize sleep, reduce caffeine) to philosophical (redefine success, define positive boundaries), all of which are challenging and for Bailey were part of a years-long process. Recommended for public library collections.

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