The full title of this book is "Peak Performance: Elevate your game, avoid burnout, and thrive with the new science of success." It's definitely a worthwhile read for anyone trying to become their best. Rather than being a "how to" book, it's focused on principles of peak performance. It's a quick and easy read that focuses on three key principles. The hard part, of course, is actually putting them into practice. But knowing them is the first step, and I wish I had known them 10 years ago.
Key Takeaways
Memorable Quotes
Rating: 9/10
As with Waitzkin's "The Art of Learning," I plan to revisit this every few months. I'm sure I'll discover something new each time based on what I need at the time. These are timeless principles of performance that aren't going anywhere. The harder part, of course, is putting these principles into practice. I try to optimize my recovery using WHOOP, but it's hard to get as much rest as it tells me I need. Being aware of my stress and recovery though, has allowed me to adjust more towards the rest. In any case, reading this book has reinforced the importance of rest for me.
Key Takeaways
- Stress + Rest = Growth
- Most people work too much and don't rest enough
- Experiment and develop a clear routine that's optimized for your performance
- Give yourself a purpose to power through any periods of low energy or motivation
Memorable Quotes
- The good news is that just like the body, by stressing and allowing the mind to recover it also becomes stronger. Scientists have discovered that the more we resist temptation, think deeply, or focus intensely, the better we become at doing so.
- This is to say that the stress of hard physical training breaks us down, and it is only when we follow stress with rest that adaptation and growth occurs. This is especially true with sleeping, which is a catalyst for physical growth. Just as the brain is actively processing the work we’ve done throughout the day, when we sleep the body is doing the same.
- Stress + rest = growth. This equation holds true regardless of what it is that you are trying to grow.
- Victor Frankl: By declaring that man is responsible and must actualize the potential meaning of his life, I wish to stress that the true meaning of life is to be discovered in the world rather than within man or his own psyche, as though it were a closed system. I have termed this constitutive characteristic “the self-transcendence of human existence.” It denotes the fact that being human always points, and is directed, to something or someone, other than oneself—be it a meaning to fulfill or another human being to encounter. The more one forgets himself—by giving himself to a cause to serve or another person to love—the more human he is and the more he actualizes himself. What is called self-actualization is not an attainable aim at all, for the simple reason that the more one would strive for it, the more he would miss it. In other words, self-actualization is possible only as a side-effect of self-transcendence.
- The process of setting a goal on the outer boundaries of what we think is possible, and then systematically pursuing it, is one of the most fulfilling parts about being human. It’s also a good thing that we want to take our game to the next level because, more than ever, we have no other choice.
- The take-home message wasn’t that the majority of these great performers did their best work at a certain time of day, or that there is an optimal hour for productivity. Rather, each individual figured out when they were most alert and focused, and designed their day accordingly. These individuals were optimizing around their respective chronotypes, which is the scientific term for the unique ebb and flow of energy that everyone experiences over the course of 24 hours.
- “the real secret of world-class performers is not the daily routines that they develop, but that they stick to them. That they show up, even when they don’t feel like it. Call it drive, call it passion, or call it grit; whatever you call it, it must come from deep within.
Rating: 9/10
As with Waitzkin's "The Art of Learning," I plan to revisit this every few months. I'm sure I'll discover something new each time based on what I need at the time. These are timeless principles of performance that aren't going anywhere. The harder part, of course, is putting these principles into practice. I try to optimize my recovery using WHOOP, but it's hard to get as much rest as it tells me I need. Being aware of my stress and recovery though, has allowed me to adjust more towards the rest. In any case, reading this book has reinforced the importance of rest for me.