Think Smarter on… Your Mind: The Reading List.
Whether you’re looking to boost your brainpower, be more mindful, or process the information overload, our Think Smarter reading list has a title to inspire you to challenge your mind this January. Sign up to the Think Smarter newsletter to get a wealth of brain boosting content from some of our top non-fiction authors sent straight to your inbox, every week this January.
Boost your brainpower
Smarter, by Dan Hurley, provides scientific ways to stretch your cerebellum, arguing that intelligence can be flexible and trainable, making it a perfect read to help you achieve your New Year’s resolutions. For a preview, check out this infographic on his seven key ways to improve intelligence.
In The First 20 Hours, Josh Kauffman introduces the idea that, with a small amount of practise each day, you can master new skills in just twenty hours – perfect for our hectic schedules and busy lives. Kauffman argues that this principle can be applied to anything, and is perfect for whatever you’re looking to learn and improve on in 2015.
The Marshmallow Test follows up on Walter Mischel’s original experiment – a child is presented with a marshmallow and given a choice to eat it straight away, or wait and enjoy two later – and whether the trajectories of those children in the subsequent decades can be predicted based on their original choice. Mischel explores the nature of willpower in all aspects of life, and whether it is prewired or can be taught.
Be Mindful
Thrive, by Ariana Huffington follows The Huffington Post co-founder’s strategies for managing time and prioritising the demands of a career and a family, using mindfulness, meditation and unplugging. Read an extract from Thrive on the art of meditation, and its effect on wellbeing and the brain.
French Psychologist Christophe André shows how we can practise Mindfulness through art, allowing us to “radically alter our relationship to the world, ease our suffering and enhance our joys”. Take the first lesson, using Edward Hopper’s Gas, in this exclusive extract.
Manage your mind
Are we experiencing a clutter crisis? In Stuffocation, tech journalist James Wallman presents us with his manifesto for living with less, and and how to move away from the feeling that we are stuffocated. Read James’ piece for Think Smarter on how technology is affecting our minds.
In The Organised Mind, author Daniel J. Levitin introduces the concept of the information overload, along with his strategies for how to declutter our headspace and use our time better.
Tidy desk, tidy mind? Marie Kondo’s The Life-changing Magic of Tidying will show you her step-by-step method for organising your physical world, leading to greater harmony in other areas of your life.
To help you make the most of 2015, we’re devoting this January to sharing exclusive writing from some of our biggest smart thinking authors. Sign up to the Think Smarter mailing list and you’ll get a weekly digest straight to your inbox every Saturday this month, as well as monthly newsletters throughout the rest of the year.
Penguin Blog 