How to Calm Your Mind: Finding Productivity in Anxious Times by Chris Bailey - Non Fiction - Paperback

Condition / Format / ISBN / Publisher
Condition: New
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781035001996
Publisher: Pan Macmillan (Macmillan Business)

Overview
How to Calm Your Mind: Finding Productivity in Anxious Times is a research-driven paperback from productivity expert Chris Bailey, written after his own experience with burnout. Rather than offering another list of hacks, Bailey argues that genuine productivity is impossible without a calm mind to power it. Blending psychology, neuroscience, and candid personal story, this book helps stressed professionals, students, and parents reclaim focus, creativity, and energy by treating calm as the foundation of getting things done well.

About the Book
Chris Bailey spent years studying productivity, testing techniques on himself and reporting the results publicly. After pushing himself to the point of burnout, he turned his research toward a different question: not how to do more, but how to create the mental space needed to do anything well. How to Calm Your Mind is the result — a clear, practical exploration of why anxiety and constant stimulation erode our ability to concentrate. Bailey examines how digital distraction, overstimulation, and an "always-on" culture keep our minds agitated, and lays out concrete strategies for lowering that noise: managing dopamine and attention, and building routines that protect focus rather than drain it. The book covers practical territory — sleep, caffeine, movement, and digital habits — while staying grounded in accessible science rather than jargon. Readers come away with a toolkit for recognising when stress is undermining their work, along with realistic steps to restore calm without giving up ambition. It's a book for anyone whose productivity systems leave them more frazzled than fulfilled, offering a route to sustainable, humane effectiveness. Written in Bailey's warm, conversational style, it sits alongside his earlier bestseller Hyperfocus as essential reading for a distracted age.

• Evidence-based calm techniques: Practical, research-backed methods to quieten an anxious mind.
• Sustainable productivity: Learn to replace burnout-driven hustle with lasting focus and energy.
• Written from lived experience: Chris Bailey's own burnout recovery grounds the advice in reality.
• Accessible paperback format: Easy to carry and read on a commute, at a desk, or before bed.
• Ideal for high-pressure lives: Perfect for professionals, students, parents, and educators alike.

About the Author
Chris Bailey is a productivity expert and bestselling author best known for Hyperfocus and The Productivity Project. Born in Red Deer, Alberta, and raised in Belleville, Ontario, he studied at Carleton University and graduated from the Sprott School of Business. After experiencing burnout from his own relentless pursuit of productivity, Bailey shifted his research toward mental calm as the missing ingredient for sustainable effectiveness. He lives in Kingston, Ontario, and continues to write and speak on focus, attention, and wellbeing.

Why You'll Love This Book
A refreshingly honest antidote to hustle culture, this paperback swaps quick-fix hacks for real, research-backed calm. Practical, warm, and genuinely useful for anyone whose to-do list is bigger than their energy reserves.

Please Note: Cover shown is the UK edition; ISBN and format are as listed above.