Help!: How to Become Slightly Happier and Get a Bit More Done [Paperback]

I hate self-help books. Well, that's not quite true. I'm drawn to the idea of reading a book that will make me a better person, more compassionate and patient, more productive. Invariably, however, when I open the pages of one I'm put off by the zealotry, the patronising and trite aphorisms and the uncomfortable moral underpinnings of most self-help philosophies.

This book escapes those charges. It is fantastic for its critical but insightful survey of the self-help genre. It is sceptical, rather than cynical, and I mean that in the best possible way. The central message is not that self-improvement is impossible, rather that self-improvement is incremental. Reading it was like experiencing a series of miniature-epiphanies, rather than a road to Damascus conversion that has erased my messy, procrastinating, irritable former self.

This book might change your life, but - like the column - only a tiny bit at a time.

I started reading this book with a combination of interest and enthusiasm. Burkeman starts by (rightly) criticising many of the self-proclaimed, often self-taught gurus and life coaches who provide advice. Much of the advice by these authors is often wrong - at best well-intentioned but misguided advice through to downright manipulative advice in the interests of making those authors rich.

Burkeman begins by discussing useful tidbits of advice that he has gathered from RESEARCH done by psychologists and other behavioural scientists at reputable universities. So I applaud Burkeman for the first 92 pages of his book.

BUT then the book gets weaker from a third of the way in. In the second two-thirds of his book, the tone of the book seems to shift. Rather than giving advice based on published research, he often ends up giving advice based on his own life or that he has come across. Burkeman often talks about books or even blogs that he's read - and these are often books written by self-taught experts - and then picking the bits of the advice that Burkeman likes best. Sorry, but how is he qualified to give advice? Oh, he's not. He's no more qualified than many of the people he criticises in the first place.

For example, he advocates getting rid of electronic organising devices and instead relying on index cards for notes and organisation. But is that based on research? No, it's based on a few pithy quotes and the fact that he personally prefers index cards over electronic devices.

There are some helpful bits of advice within the book, but what really annoyed me was the fact that I almost felt tricked by Burkeman. I felt that he started off the book dispensing advice based on rigorous research, and then shifted to giving advice based on his own life.

Another thing is that Burkeman writes in a knowing, slightly superior tone. Some may find it witty and amusing, but I found it slightly annoying. Just a personal opinion of course.

If the title (or the cover) makes you smile, then you will enjoy the book. For not only is this a sober review of self-help (personal and professional) literature which also sits well in the genre it is mocking, but it is also a funny book.

HELP! addresses most of the areas covered by self-help, pop psychology and pop business books such as Productivity, Wellbeing etc. My favourite chapter title has to be "Follow Me: Gurus, God-Men and other questionable characters." This chapter starts with the author's visit to the Church of Scientology and continues with his observations on concepts and books such as Emotional Freedom Technqiues, "The Secret" and numerous ones built around the number seven.

Oliver Burkeman might well be preaching to the converted, but he manages to extract the most achievable methods and those concepts based around common sense. Here are my favourite.

FORGET ABOUT PASSION

Is looking for your "passion" more hassle than it's worth?

I'm very lucky that I have built my professional career around things that I care about and enjoy. Many people say I'm passionate - perhaps what they mean is that I am over-excited too often. I know many people who just really like their work; or some who are just happy there; and some for whom work is a means to an end. They are all happy, yet none of them are following their "passions".

Burkeman goes even further and warns of the dangers of always searching for passions that are out there, rather than exploring different ways of doing what you're already doing that will bring you satisfaction. In any case, he much prefers Csikszentmihalyi's concept of "flow", the complete immersion in an activity that makes time whizz by. I agree. I can't say that I am passionate about spreadsheets but time never seems to go as fast as when I'm tackling my accounts. And you know what? I do enjoy it.

"We don't need new information on how to be happy anywhere near as much as we need a dose of perspective."

NOT BEING A SPECIALIST IS O.K.

This one is very close to my heart. I have so many professional interests... I am quite good at some, o.k. at most and I have acknowledged that I'll never be any good at the others so have adopted them as hobbies.

So why shouldn't I celebrate that I have a broad range of interests and skills? Well, for one, it makes it really difficult to talk to people about what I do. It's makes it difficult to market my services. Sometimes I get too wrapped up in what I'm talking about (some would say "passionate") and I run the danger of coming across as unfocused.

So I was glad to be reminded, that, actually, it's o.k. not to be a specialist. Having a conversation about this the other day, someone said: "But surely having a broad range of careers is the way forward, Charles Handy talked about a portfolio career." Yes, he did and I welcomed it ten years ago. What he didn't mention is that sometimes you have to hide some portfolios and choose which to show to whom. Only sometimes though.

THE SECRET IS OUT:

"Psychological studies support [...] that the people we follow as leaders are the ones who decide they've got what it takes to lead."

Enough said.

INDIVIDUALS: TAKE CONTROL.

Lastly, I also welcomed the reminder that, even though the world seems to have gone a bit mad and information is constantly demanding our attention, we are still in control (or at least, can still be in control) of whether we process it or not.

"Information overload" is a questionable complaint: if we couldn't handle vast amounts of information, we'd have a breakdown each time we stepped into nature or a busy street. The real trouble is that we have defined too many things as worthy of having the power to distract us. The best time-management strategies are about reclaiming this power.

Recommendation

This book might not change your life, but then, that's not what it promises. However, it will remind you of the need to question those who promise to turn your life around in 200 pages. Furthermore, it can also serve as a pointer to plenty of other interesting stuff and, after consideration, you might even find that some of the ideas can indeed help you to "become slightly happier and get a little bit more done."

Above all, I hope it will make you think and I hope it will make you smile.

P.S. Thanks Amazon, for your Kindle Daily Deal - otherwise I wouldn't have come across or purchased this great title.