In When, Pink draws on hundreds of recent empirical studies in psychology, economics, and biology to provide guidance on how to use 'the science of time' to improve performance at work, enhance health, and deepen personal satisfaction. Designed as a new 'when-to' genre, his book examines the rhythms of each day (peaks, troughs, and rebounds); the impact of breaks; midpoints, halftimes, and endings; and group synchronization ...Pink is a splendid writer, with a knack for distilling important takeaways of scholarly research. As he simplifies, however, Pink at times obscures ambiguities and limitations ... That said, When contains a cornucopia of compelling information and insights ... Most important, Pink emphasizes, human beings are hard-wired to prefer endings that elevate ... In the end, Pink writes, we yearn for meaning. With When, he delivers more than a fair share of it.
In When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing, Daniel H. Pink doesn’t reveal every secret about perfect timing — how long should one wait before following up on an unanswered email? — but he does give a cheat sheet on when to work, sleep and play, useful for both freelancers and those beholden to bosses ... Pink doesn’t go especially deep into any area. He skips around between disparate topics, he notes the use of research assistants, and he has a tic of quoting study findings rather than putting these mostly pedestrian passages in his own words, a habit that gives the vague impression of lacking mastery of the material (or, more generously, of carefulness) ... The book is well-structured and goes down easy, with concise summaries often packaged with alliteration (type, task, time) ...the big-picture musings are a nice prompt for the interested reader at the finale of an otherwise practical book.
In other words, regardless of culture or differing daily rituals, our moods follow a rigorous pattern that is 'crucial, unexpected and revealing', according to Pink who believes the quality of the decisions we make are closely linked with their timing ...describes his book as not so much a how-to manual for making the most of our lives but a 'when-to' guide ... It is intriguing stuff written with a light, assured touch by Pink, an expert on motivation and management who is at pains to stress that modern science shows that scheduling and careful timing of our daily routines is crucial to our wellbeing. Much of this advice is common sense. On the other hand, it is reassuring to be told, with confidence, that naps and leisurely daily walks are 'not niceties, but necessities.'
A raft of studies in disciplines ranging from medicine to economics have yielded all sorts of data on the science of timing. Daniel Pink, an author who regularly applies behavioral science to the realm of work, has handily distilled the findings in When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing ... For a slim book, When brims with a surprising amount of insight and practical advice. In amiable, TED-talk-ready prose, Mr. Pink offers scheduling tips for everything from workouts to weddings ... Studies of human communication across a range of outlets, from tweets to earnings calls, show that our daily moods fluctuate in predictable ways ... Mercifully, Mr. Pink delivers the bad news about our time-based weaknesses with some good news about how to compensate for them.
It’s a collection of predictable if not quite obvious truths, clearly presented and researched, about how time affects our lives in virtually every facet ... it lives in a somewhat nebulous shelf space: not quite self-help, not quite pop psychology, not quite behavioral science, but a conversational, TED Talk-y amalgam of all three ... what I found most useful about Pink’s book is his advice in how we structure our days. And getting started on the right foot is perhaps the best single thing you can do to get to the finish line. If these sound like intentionally vague self-help koans, Pink has a lot of information to back them up, and When presents it compactly and efficiently, so that you can get back to making the most of your own time.
Anyone scheduled to have elective surgery might be well advised to read Daniel H. Pink’s fascinating new book on the 'scientific secrets of perfect timing.' It’s titled When and it strikes me at first blush as a helpful guide about when to make or not make 'fateful decisions' ... But avoiding neophyte medics doesn’t really address the nut of what’s truly revelatory about Pink’s book. The essence of his argument is that the behaviour of most species — humans beings included — is regulated by an internal clock over which we have little control ... Pink also offers numerous helpful tips to mitigate against the pitfalls of bad timing: vigilance breaks, restorative breaks, etc. But one finishes his book with the feeling we’re all occasionally victims of time-related events beyond our control.
