Try free for 2 months

  • Smarter Faster Better

  • The Secrets of Being Productive
  • By: Charles Duhigg
  • Narrated by: Mike Chamberlain
  • Length: 10 hrs and 22 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (421 ratings)

1 credit a month to use on any title, yours to keep (you’ll use your first credit on this title).
Stream or download thousands of included titles.
Access to exclusive deals and discounts.
AUD $16.45/mo after 2 months. Renews automatically. Cancel anytime.
Smarter Faster Better cover art

Smarter Faster Better

By: Charles Duhigg
Narrated by: Mike Chamberlain
Try for $0.00

AUD $16.45/mo after 2 months. Renews automatically. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $26.99

Buy Now for $26.99

Pay using voucher balance (if applicable) then card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions Of Use and Privacy Notice and authorise Audible to charge your designated credit card or another available credit card on file.

Publisher's Summary

In the international best seller The Power of Habit, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Charles Duhigg explained why we do what we do. In Smarter Faster Better, he applies the same relentless curiosity, rigorous reporting and rich storytelling to explain how we can get better at the things we do. The result is a groundbreaking exploration of the science of productivity.

A group of data scientists at Google embark on a four-year study of how the best teams function and find that how a group interacts is much more important than who is in the group.

A marine corps general, faced with low morale among recruits, reimagines boot camp - and discovers that instilling a 'bias toward action' can turn even the most directionless teenagers into self-motivating achievers.

The filmmakers behind Disney's Frozen are on the brink of catastrophe - until they shake up their team in just the right way, spurring a creative breakthrough that leads to one of the highest-grossing movies of all time.

What do these people have in common? They know that productivity relies on making certain choices. The way we frame our daily decisions; the big ambitions we embrace and the easy goals we ignore; the cultures we establish as leaders to drive innovation: these are the things that separate the merely busy from the genuinely productive.

At the core of Smarter Faster Better are eight key concepts - from motivation and goal setting to focus and decision making - that explain why some people and companies get so much done. Drawing on the latest findings in neuroscience, psychology and behavioural eco­nomics - as well as the experiences of CEOs, educational reformers, four-star generals, airplane pilots and Broadway songwriters - this painstakingly researched book explains that the most productive people, companies and organizations don't merely act differently.

They view the world, and their choices, in profoundly different ways.

©2016 Charles Duhigg ; 2016 Random House AudioBooks

What listeners say about Smarter Faster Better

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    231
  • 4 Stars
    131
  • 3 Stars
    37
  • 2 Stars
    14
  • 1 Stars
    8
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    211
  • 4 Stars
    102
  • 3 Stars
    26
  • 2 Stars
    8
  • 1 Stars
    8
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    187
  • 4 Stars
    110
  • 3 Stars
    37
  • 2 Stars
    9
  • 1 Stars
    10

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Great concept with some terrific ideas

I think too much time was spent on stories, not enough on how to apply

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Rob
  • 13-01-2017

making better decisions

Duhig's second book is a little less compelling than the first (Power of Habits) . He sets out eight ideas for making better decisions and supports each idea with two or three stories illustrating the point (e.g. on building mental models he uses the fate of an Air France pilot team which failed to address a fatal series of warning signals as opposed to a Qantas team who did apply mental models and saved the day).

I enjoyed the stories and there are some elements I can apply to my work environment but I will need to listen again and take more notes in order to distil the lessons.

This doesn't have the flow and engagement of Gladwell's books nor did I find it as easily digested as Power of Habit, but it does have merit and I will recommend it to team leaders and junior managers (perhaps in a hardcover form rather than audible... there are lessons that need to be annoted.)

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Easy to listen to

Easy to listen great stories but not that great to put into practice if your looking for a step by step approach Mabey try something else

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars
  • LJC
  • 23-01-2017

good snippets here and there

I liked this book but it was not as useful as I had hoped. a lot of stories about others which perhaps went into too much detail.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

value information just a bit boring

Found the writer touched on important performance issues but spent too much time and effort explaining cases studies but not always getting the point across.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Vague and meandering.

If you don’t mind a wandering story then probably not a bad read, but very diluted learnings. Most of the value was gained in the appendix.
Probably ok for an educator of some description looking for new ideas and methods, and who wouldn’t mind doing their own research following.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Awesome book

after listening to the book I decided to buy a hard copy so I could read and learn more from its ideas. that was one the lessons from the book
great book

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Awesome reference for any industry

loved it. totally relevant to my industry and has consolidated a lot of what I already practice with research and case study

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Narrator speaks like an AI

Skip to Chapter 10 for actual tips. Some usual advice but the Narrator gives off an AI sounding quality that gets annoying.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Rob
  • 06-09-2022

Good audiobook

You need to like listen to detailed stories about other’s people/ organisations to enjoy this audiobook. I liked it.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.