bibilly's reviews
317 reviews

I read this book exactly one year ago but never reviewed it. It was my first self-help book and I was surprised by its practical advice that can be easily applied to daily life. After finishing it, I realized I was already following some of the tips in my reading system. There's nothing groundbreaking or original here, especially if you're familiar with the productivity side of YouTube. However, those channels talking about how to get things done take a lot from Atomic Habits (and the author, in turn, took a lot from others). Among the creators I know in the field, Elizabeth Phillips seems the only one offering refreshing or more realistic content (and content more suited for people with ADHD, I dare say). Although her thumbnails lately give me "AI-generated" vibes, she and James Clear have helped me too see how I approach things more clearly and where to go from there.

contrary to what the words "time management" on the cover suggest, Four Thousand Weeks reads more like a philosophy text than a self-help book (there are whole paragraphs dedicated to Heidegger's masterwork, Being and Time). its most disappointing aspect, however, is not this genre ambiguity, but the joyful George Orwell quotation at the very end. the author could address Heidegger's nazi past and antisemitic views, but couldn't refrain from doing that. and this came out after the pandemic. the world is ending and we're still proudly quoting George Orwell. it's like opening a fiction book in 2024 and finding a Harry Potter reference in it. let us fucking move on. 4 stars bc the audiobook still felt like therapy. not very useful, yet quite helpful.

more like a complementary reading to Atomic Habits, as it explains how habits work neurologically, than an actual guide, even though it was published first (or perhaps because of it). paused it many times to read and do other things, but three ideas stuck with me. first, the concept of keystone habits (like that one action you repeat every morning and defines your whole day), which create a positive domino effect when controlled. thus, instead of obsessing over every behavior you want to change, you might find it easier to focus on those basic habits that directly influence the course of your day and night. secondly, the fact habits aren't directly related to or do not depend on memory, so that even amnesiacs can build complex ones. finally, the golden rule of habit change: bad habits can't be extinguished, only transformed. using the same cue and providing the same reward, you can change the routine or sequence of behaviors that links them, but this link will always be ingrained in your brain. these three factors explain why I hardly go about my day as planned the night before, and why, on the other hand, I need chains of habits and borderline obsessive rituals to properly function. as a pathological anxious and sleep deprived person, with an undiagnosed executive dysfunction, I could never rely on my memory or attention span, much less outside help, thorough my life. for that reason, I'm always taking notes, setting reminders and trying new routines, while fighting the cues to my many bad habits and getting depressed over my depressive cravings. so the good news is that memory isn't everything. the bad is that I'm a little too compulsive.

turns out my deep fear of developing Alzheimer may be actually a premonition.

um conto de terror particularmente aterrorizante pra mim por envolver homem, isolamento e sujeira. fiquei pensando que, se o protagonista fosse eu, a história nem aconteceria, pq qualquer mulher daria meia volta na porta da casa do velho ou assim que topasse com ele. o final desvia drasticamente da veia jornalística que percorre a narrativa, e eu estava com mt sono pra analisá-lo com afinco.

autora cansou de escrever e pensou vai sem final mesmo. e ninguém precisa de desenvolvimento ou caracterização. muito menos explicações. construção de mundo é superestimada tb.

"o diferente tem vocação para partir."

uma pérola no kindle unlimited que levei um mês para terminar —o que não é necessariamente culpa dela, e sim uma possível explicação para as três (quatro?) estrelas. este não é um livro para ser lido de forma espassada. não por uma questão de ritmo ou tamanho. também. mas principalmente porque a narrativa se desenrola como um sonho, e o sonho é um dos muitos símbolos utilizados ao longo dela, numa autorreferenciação que pode ser bem exigente neste eterno pós pandemia. o engraçado é que a pandemia tb se faz presente aqui, como um pesadelo que corremos para esquecer ao acordar. não ajuda o fato de eu achar que a grande amizade prometida na sinopse deveria ser um romance gay, ou de a dita amizade tb parecer um sonho nebuloso e incompleto. um enredo único, quase mágico. talvez mágico demais. prematuro. sinto que acordei duas horas antes do final do ciclo do sono prestes a compreender algo muito importante do qual já não me lembro mais.

"e cuidado para não esquecer. o problema é que, depois de um tempo, todo mundo esquece, daí o passado se aproveita e nunca acaba."

um conto da aia com a dimensão de uma ilha. ergue-se numa pedrada e despenca no excesso factual e autoexplicativo, mas não deixa de surpreender como um debut (?) no kindle unlimited. ficarei de olho nos futuros lançamentos da autora.

sabia que eu e a Aline eventualmente nos daríamos mt bem !