Title: Pick Three
Author: Randi Zuckerberg
Publication Date: May 15th 2018
Synopsis: 'Work. Sleep. Family. Fitness. Friends. Pick Three.
In an increasingly demanding world, we've been told that we can do it all - maintain close friendships, devote ourselves to work, spend time with family, stay fit, and get enough sleep. But who can everything - and do it well - every day? Imagine eliminating the pressure to be perfect. Now you can achieve balance over weeks and years. Randi Zuckerberg has the solution: Pick Three.
In this motivational handbook - both a business how-to and self-help guide - the New York Times bestselling author of the "well-balanced" life, arguing that the key to success is learning to be well-lopsided.'
My thoughts: I was intrigued by this idea of only 'picking three' out of the five possible options that Zuckerberg presents us with. I went in with curiosity, but also with a bit of trepidation, as I wasn't sure that the five things Zuckerberg had chosen as her 'main focuses' actually fit my life. As I read, though, I found that Zuckerberg is actually pretty comfortable with people choosing their own five, and she also addresses many different lifestyles that perhaps only allow people to choose two, or combine two together, or the thought that goes into what is perhaps available to people and how they may only have four out of her five to choose from. I really appreciated that Zuckerberg was open and honest, and that she interviewed so many people for her book to give a vast array of choices that people make in their lives.
Having said that, I did feel like parts of this book were definitely not addressing me - someone with a chronic illness. To be fair, I didn't really expect it to. But when you're presented with a 'pick three' formula and find that you have to acknowledge that most days are getting chosen for you rather than by you, it can be difficult to adapt to such a formula. But, overall, Zuckerberg's thoughts, and the thoughts of those she interviewed, were extremely well presented, and actually got me really interested in a few things - like the science of sleep, for example.
She also somehow managed to make me feel motivated about fitness during the relevant chapter - which is a decent feat, if I'm honest. Using the style of open-minded writing and addressing the fact that some people want fitness in completely different ways to others, Zuckerberg really managed to make me feel interested in different styles of fitness, and even to consider different goals. The way she has organised her own fitness goals was so helpful in reminding me that everyone is different, and sometimes fitness is a going concern for someone, and sometimes it's not.
Ultimately, I think I got a decent amount out of this book, and I think I will be pushing it into the hands of a few other people I know who struggle with the idea of being 'well-balanced'. I definitely recommend it as something to try out if you're interested.
[I received a review copy of this book from HarperCollins in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!!]
A favourite line from the book: 'In many of the books I've read that tout the perfect work-life balance, the author often seems to set their reader up for failure by assuming everyone enjoys the same level of privilege as they do. I'm not going to assume that. I know some people are born lucky; they get to pick their passion with the wind at their back.'
You would like this book if: you wish to know how to be 'well-lopsided'; you're interested in the formula of Pick Three.
Tea to drink while reading this book:
Rating: 6.5/10
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