When is 258 pages long. Pink arranged it in three major sections and seven chapters. The major sections include:
- Part One: The Day
- Part Two: Beginnings, Endings, and In Between
- Part Three: Synching and Thinking
Pink used stories throughout the book to get his point across. These stories added depth to the concepts he is shared. At the end of each chapter, Pink shared a “Timehacker” chapter. This is where he added exercises related to concepts that you can try on your own.
The Day
There were a lot of things that I instinctively knew in this book, but it was nice to see the research behind it. For example, I “knew” that my day started on a high in the morning, went into a slump in the afternoon, and then recovered in the evening. Apparently, I am not alone. As a result, the best times for me to do focus work is in the morning and evening. I am pretty worthless in the afternoon. Nice to have research backing me up on this.
This finding has real-world ramifications. If you need surgery, get it in the morning. Waiting for a sentence to be handed down by a judge, hope that it is first thing in the morning. Need to take an important test, you guessed it, do it in the morning.
Since I work in the education business, I thought it was interesting that students should not be taking classes before 9 a.m. Their clock is shifted compared to adults.
Pink shared other important time success strategies. He recommended that we take regular breaks; 17 minutes for every 52 minutes we work. Children need recess. Everyone needs a nap. He provided strategies for taking a perfect nap.
Beginnings, Endings, and in Between
I found this section to be quite interesting. From the section title, you can see that Pink talked about beginnings, endings, and the middles. Pink addressed why diets start on New Year’s Day, the beginning of the month, the beginning of the week, on a birthday, etc. He shared 86 days for starting a new beginning. Pink also highlighted times when you should go first—think job interview.
Midlife crisis is a real thing, a least according to research. The good news is that the upswing starts around 52 years of age. Speaking of good news… you should always give bad news before you give good news.
Have you ever worked on a project and blew it off until the point that you say “uh-oh” or “oh-no?” Well, apparently it is so common that researchers have named it the “uh-oh” effect. It is about midway through a project when a sense of urgency or panic sets in. Pink included strategies for combating this effect for better productivity.
If your age ends in a “9”, you are more likely to participate in an event that you would not do at any other age. For example, you are more likely to run a marathon if your age ends in “9” compared to other ages. Unfortunately, there is a higher rate of suicide for those whose age ends in “9.”
Synching and Thinking
The last part of the book focused on the bigger picture of getting a team in sync. Pink shared a fascinating story about dabbawalas, who were able to deliver 200,000 meals without the use of technology. How would your life be different without a clock or calendar? The ability to stay in sync requires a mechanism or boss to keep time.
Once again, Daniel Pink has written a book with a fascinating set of stories wrapped around an interesting concept. I would certainly recommend When as a book for others to read. Pink shared valuable lessons that will make your life better. That is why I enjoy reading his books.
Additional Reading
- Book Review: Scrum: The Art of Doing Twice the Work in Half the Time
- Take Time to Make Time
- 10 Tips and Tools for Harnessing Fleeting Time
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