Introduction
“Smarter Faster Better” by Charles Duhigg focuses on understanding the principles behind significant improvements in productivity. Rather than advocating for working harder, the book illustrates how to work smarter by changing mental models and adopting practices that foster effective and efficient work. Drawing on a range of fields, including psychology, neuroscience, and business, Duhigg offers actionable strategies through illustrative stories and extensive research.

1. The Power of Motivation
Example: Duhigg opens with the story of the U.S. Marine Corps and its rigorous training programs. He illustrates how recruits are taught to reframe their thinking to motivate themselves intrinsically.
Actionable Step: Create a sense of autonomy – Break tasks into smaller steps, make choices when possible, and align activities with your goals to boost intrinsic motivation.

2. Teams and Psychological Safety
Example: The chapter on team dynamics highlights a pivotal study at Google dubbed “Project Aristotle,” which revealed that psychological safety is the key factor in high-performing teams.
Actionable Step: Promote open communication – Encourage team members to speak up without fear of retribution. Regularly solicit feedback and actively listen to foster a safe and collaborative environment.

3. Focus and Goal Setting
Example: Duhigg tells the story of how airplane pilots, faced with emergencies, manage their attention amidst chaos by maintaining focus on critical tasks.
Actionable Step: Utilize SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) – Prioritize tasks by breaking down larger objectives into manageable goals, ensuring clarity and direction in efforts.

4. Decision Making Process
Example: The Cincinnati Children’s Hospital reduced fatalities by creating protocols for decision-making during surgeries, employing the idea of making decisions as if you have a safety net.
Actionable Step: Use mental models – Adapt mental models like the OODA loop (Observe, Orient, Decide, Act) to improve the decision-making process under pressure.

5. Innovation and Creativity
Example: The development of Disney’s “Frozen” is highlighted to showcase how creative flexibility and maintaining a certain level of disorder can spur innovation.
Actionable Step: Embrace productive failure – Create an environment where experimentation is encouraged, and failure is seen as a learning opportunity. Regularly reframe problems to see them from new perspectives.

6. Absorbing Data and Managing Time
Example: Duhigg describes how Qantas Airlines pilots prepare for flights by visualizing the entire trip, using “mental simulation” to predict and preemptively address potential issues.
Actionable Step: Practice mental simulation – Before engaging in a significant task, mentally visualize everything from start to finish. Foresee potential obstacles and consider possible solutions to enhance preparedness.

7. Combining Different Skills
Example: The story of how the FBI overhauled its procedures to thwart terror threats illustrates the effectiveness of cross-disciplinary collaboration.
Actionable Step: Integrate diverse expertise – Structure teams with members from different backgrounds and disciplines to foster innovative problem-solving. Encourage regular cross-functional meetings to share insights.

8. Successful Leadership
Example: The book discusses how leaders at General Electric managed to pivot the company from making lightbulbs to becoming a software powerhouse by redefining company goals and values.
Actionable Step: Set a clear vision** – Articulate a clear, compelling vision for the future. Align team goals with this vision and consistently communicate it to keep everyone focused and motivated.

Motivation

Autonomy Encouragement:
– Example: During Marine training, instead of giving direct orders, trainers often pose questions (“What do you think we should do next?”) to empower recruits to decide their course of action.
– Action: Each day, write down three choices you have made, however small, and reflect on how these align with your overall goals. This enhances a sense of control and motivation.

Teams and Psychological Safety

Encouraging Open Communication:
– Example: At Google, team leaders opened each meeting by admitting mistakes and asking for honest feedback.
– Action: Start team meetings by openly discussing a personal mistake or challenge, encouraging others to feel safe sharing their concerns or innovative ideas.

Focus and Goal Setting

SMART Goals Utilization:
– Example: Airline pilots manage focus during crises by breaking down complex problems into smaller, mission-specific tasks and goals.
– Action: Use a project management tool to set and track SMART goals for each significant project. Regularly assess progress and adjust goals as necessary to stay on course.

Decision Making

Application of Mental Models:
– Example: Cincinnati Children’s Hospital improved surgical outcomes by establishing protocols, leveraging checklists inspired by the aviation industry.
– Action: Develop personalized checklists for daily and significant decision-making processes, using models like the OODA loop to streamline and de-stress decision phases.

Innovation and Creativity

Embracing Productive Failure:
– Example: Disney’s revamping of “Frozen” involved embracing numerous story iterations and character tweaks, ultimately leading to a successful film.
– Action: Incorporate regular brainstorming sessions where team members are encouraged to propose “wild” ideas, promoting a culture where iterative failure leads to success.

Absorbing Data and Managing Time

Practicing Mental Simulation:
– Example: Qantas pilots engage in mental simulations, predicting challenges to ensure responses are quick and effective during actual flights.
– Action: Before starting a workday, spend 10 minutes in a quiet place visualizing your schedule. Foresee challenges and plan responses to maximize efficiency.

Combining Different Skills

Integrating Diverse Expertise:
– Example: FBI’s structural overhaul to prevent terror attacks involved integrating different analytic methods and knowledge bases to cover a broader range of threats.
– Action: Establish a practice within your team to invite guest speakers from different departments to share insights, facilitating a culture of learning and diverse problem-solving approaches.

Successful Leadership

Setting Clear Vision:
– Example: GE’s leadership in pivoting towards a tech-focused future underscores the need for a cohesive, well-communicated vision.
– Action: Create and distribute a succinct vision statement for your team or organization. Regularly evaluate team activities and progress against this vision, ensuring alignment and consistency.

“Smarter Faster Better” by Charles Duhigg is a profound exploration of productivity emphasizing smarter work over harder work. The principles illustrated—ranging from motivation, teamwork, focus, decision-making, innovation, to leadership—are empirically backed and filled with real-world examples. By incorporating these principles through actionable steps, individuals and organizations can transform their approaches to productivity, achieving more significant results efficiently.

Ultimately, the lessons from “Smarter Faster Better” advocate for a shift in perspective to improve productivity. The stories and examples provided in the book serve not only as motivation but as a guide to implementing lasting positive change in both personal and professional realms.