It is with some humility that I’m writing this, my very first book review.
Even more so because the book I’m reviewing was written by Chris Edgar, one of my virtual friends, a regular contributor here and author of Purpose, Power, Coaching.
Yes, Chris has written a book and he was kind and trusting enough to send me a review copy.
INNER PRODUCTIVITY: A Mindful Path to Efficiency and Enjoyment in Your Work
It’s a real book, mind, with paper pages bound together and not one of those modern eBook thingys! At nearly 200 pages it’s neither a quick read nor a door stop and about the right length, in fact!
Overview
This book is about cultivating what I call inner productivity—the mental and emotional state that allows you to get the most done and find the most enjoyment in your work
I think Chris is underselling because this book is not only relevant to our working life, but to everything we do.
My first impression when I scanned it was, ‘Wow. I could have written this book.’
I don’t mean I could actually have written it – but that Chris sees the world in a way that’s very close to how I approach life. For me the book is a peek inside myself and full of practical exercises and mini case studies drawn from his work as a coach. He cleverly bridges hard business ideas about productivity to spiritual and other ways of working with our inner world.
If you’ve read any comments by Chris then you may, like me, have been impressed by his depth and the practical advice he offers. His book is a little like reading a thousand of his great comments all rolled together.
Inside the Cover
There are four main sections to the book. I don’t want to give too much away so will just give a small taste of what each is about.
1 Your Inner Experience of Working
How we see the world is not the same as how the world actually is. When we realise this we take power back into our hands and find liberation – we’re no longer victims of the world, but creators.
2 Attention
Where we place our attention is crucial in accessing the state of flow – that beautiful feeling of pure motivation for what we are doing, here and now. Some really great exercises, for example about getting curious.
3 Intention
Many of us, whether consciously or not, have come to believe we need to be disconnected from our hearts to succeed in business, and perhaps elsewhere.
Discovering what we want to achieve, not just intellectually, but with the full weight of our emotional passion behind it. More than that, it’s not enough to know what we want to achieve, but we also need to know how we want to achieve it and to reconnect with our whole being – including our bodies and our emotions.
4 Foundation
This is about developing the grounding or inner stability that allows us to deal with whatever comes up in our lives. It’s about developing a deep and gentle self love and a greater sense of who we are. This may involve peering into our inner fears and darkness – but to do so for the healing it brings and to take us back to authenticity.
Don’t read this book
… If you’re looking for tips and techniques
… want a light read or
… hope to get to know Chris better.
It’s an holistic look at what makes us tick – physical, emotional, intellectual dimensions. If you’re looking for a ‘How To’ book with tips and techniques , then this is not the book for you.
It’s about noticing how you approach the world – without fighting it or running away from it – just being with it. That doesn’t always make for an easy, light read as for many of us it involves facing some things we’d rather keep hidden. Chris always gives the reader the choice to look or not – there’s not a hint of preaching and he has a gentle touch.
I had the idea I was listening in on Chris rather than that he was talking to me. Like many good coaches he keeps some distance – I didn’t get the idea I knew Chris any better after reading the book. Some people might not enjoy that style, and miss a more intimate connection with the author. I personally enjoyed it as it gave me freedom to decide what to listen to and what not.
In conclusion. I enjoyed it, got a lot out of it and many things stay with me days after reading it.
Finally
I’ve noticed that when it comes to money, some people get a bit sensitive. As transparency is important to me I want to be clear that I have no financial relationship with Chris. I would have no hesitation in developing one, but I don’t have plans in that direction.
If you buy the book then Chris, as the author, obviously will get some money. If you choose to buy the book from Amazon through one of my links on this site then I get a small commission via my affiliate account.
In fact, this is no different from any book you might buy after following a link I provide here. I only ever link to books (like this one) I’ve read, enjoyed and would recommend to my closest and most intimate friends.
Not all my friends like my suggestions, but I think that’s normal and I’ve not yet lost a friend as a result of a bad suggestion.
