Cognitive Productivity: Using Knowledge to Become Profoundly Effective

by Luc P. Beaudoin

This book addresses the opportunities and challenges we face in using knowledge to become profoundly effective.

The author of Cognitive Productivity responds to other authors.

- In the final chapter of the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey briefly discusses reading. Cognitive Productivity expands in detail on this theme, considering all kinds of information processing (e.g., ebooks, podcasts, TED talks).

- Whereas The Shallows by Nicolas Carr presents a pessimistic view about the effect of the Internet on our brains, Cognitive Productivity is a pro-active response to the Knowledge Age.

- Whereas the book Getting Things Done by David Allen focuses on general productivity, Cognitive Productivity focuses on using knowledge to become profoundly effective.

- Whereas Mortimer Adler's How to Read a Book was written before the Internet and the ascension of Cognitive Science, Cognitive Productivity is loaded with up-to-date information about information technology and the human mind.

Genres: Productivity, Nonfiction, Psychology

392 pages, ebook

First published June 10, 2013

Reviews

[James · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a difficult book to both read and now, review. I have been taking time to read a number of books on both efficient learning and self-study, looking how to keep your motivation strong when you have to go it alone. I found Cal Newport's set of books very informative and concise, and while Beaudoin's aims are nearly identical he presents the information in the complete opposite manner. Where Newport uses empirical survey data to find out what works, Beaudoin is more interested , fundamentally, in why it works. Beaudoin, being a theoretical cognitive scientist, is informed by the models of how mind processes information that he helped build during his PhD. But the effectiveness of including a large amount of cognitive science is dubious at best.

First, I need to break up the review into two parts. I want to discuss both Beaudoin's attempt to draft a book, then I will discuss whether I feel the information he includes is effective. But to make my thoughts on Beaudoin's writing clear, it is not impressive. The structure of the book is very rough, it often felt like I was reading an extended wikipedia article. The table of contents shows a tree of themes broken down into the finest minutiae. "14.2.5.2" Title headings become confusing for the reader. Both when you wonder why a certain section even merits its own heading, and also what the purpose is for being so material in the first place. Not only does it feel like a giant outline, and not a coherent essay/book because of it, it actively is distracting. This leads into my other complaint about the structure. Beaudoin constantly is referring, in the first third of the book, to remarks he will make later on. He makes endless references to how he will elaborate on this or that term in Chapter 3, or 5, or 7. The first third of the book is the worst, with the reader simply feeling like those 200 pages are a prolonged introduction, and that the book has yet to start. By the time you get to the last third of the book, you finally feel like you have gotten to the information Beaudoin really wanted to share in the first place. The passion comes across, and the information is presented clearly and more concisely. The first two-thirds are endless, self-referential background information that for the average reader adds very little. I expect that if Beaudoin pens another book, it should improve dramatically. I feel a lack of strict editorial support may have led to this particular end result. Multiple spelling and grammatical errors, on top of this confusing structure, make me feel like I'm reading a manuscript in need of a lot of tweaking and pruning.

Second, I want to talk about the actual material itself. The premise of the book I find to be extremely fascinating and relevant. I have taken the time to read multiple authors on the subject and I expect to read even more. The concern about how to most effectively apply what we learn, and how to improve the ability for self-learners to both master new material and ensure it actually makes it into their repertoire of skills is a challenge of paramount importance. The book then, is in three main parts. Part one discusses the challenges we face, part two is about the cognitive science underpinning Beaudoin's recommendations, and part three are the recommendations itself. Once again though, Beaudoin's reliance on the cognitive science is a blessing and a curse. I understand he wants to use these models of the mind to explain at a deep level why his recommendations will work, but the sheer amount of vocabulary he has assembled is daunting. The number of words he has to explain new definitions for, or the number of words he makes up in order to explain his theory. One of the flaws of including all this material in this volume is the pacing of the work is utterly cripple by the endless parade of vocabulary. Words that admittedly have little meaning outside the niche Beaudoin has carved for himself, you are forced to listen to the author explain yet another new word and how the reason he has created it is because he was forced to in order to truly explain the mind. After the endless references of how he will explain certain concepts you reach, only in yet other parts of the novel, and the endless vocabulary, the book becomes a true slog. So while I think the mission he outlines for himself at the beginning is one I feel very passionate about, and the recommendations he has are useful, they also happen to be the same recommendations I found in Newport's work. So after all the discussion of cognitive science and technical jargon, the end result is the same as other authors. Only this time, you have perhaps a slight more insight into how complicated it can be to map out how the mind tries to motivate itself to pursue certain behaviors.

In conclusion, a supremely frustrating book. A mission I feel passionate about, and some gems are to be found, but a book that was way too long, way too full of jargon, and too self-referential. I managed to finish it because I have a vested interest in the topic, but I find myself unable to recommend this book to another reader, even one with an interest in being more effective with knowledge work.

[Vlad Olariu · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book, because I need it. When I saw the length, I thought "maybe this is just a hard topic". Indeed, the topic of acquiring knowledge is hard, very hard. Unfortunately, the author was not able to help the reader navigate this hardship.

While there are gems (as the author calls them) sprinkled in this book, they are berried so deep and among so much filler and rhetoric, it becomes a game of insanity.

It almost feels like the author described, in excruciating detail, his own mental processes and then expected readers to just "get it". Unfortunately, while this book could have been massively impactful to the lifes of millions of people dependent on acquiring and retaining knowledge, it falls short, VERY short.

Unfortunately i cannot recommend any other book of this nature, because it is a hard topic and nobody has written a comprehensive solution to the problem. I had high hopes this book would be THE book on the topic, but it's not.

[Sylwia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A scientific and intellectual approach to effectiveness. A book full of passion for self-improvement and providing meticulously chosen advice.

[Meero-slaw · Rating 2 out of 5]

Look at the table of contents - it will tell you what you'll get. The book is a rich conceptual map (or rather, a commented list) of the field but most of us are not interested in learning every single concept related to the topic but in being provided a coherent, relevant, useful argument and practical advice based on the author's knowledge of this conceptual map. But this is not happening in the book. No meaningful argument (beyond the simple "you need to reflect on how you work with information") and very little actionable advice.

[Igor · Rating 4 out of 5]

The concepts are deep and well documented. Although the book is hard to read I understand it is só because it covers a lot of ground in terms of cognitive science and explains every Statement with corroborating papers and studies. It could use a update on the apps part which is to expect because apps evolve rapidly and the advent of the PKM Movement has triggered ample experimentation in the area. Not all successful but that is a matter of personal opinion. If you like cognitive science and are willing to invest it is a good book to read.

[Fábio Fortkamp · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very poorly edited book, with unnecessary jargon and complicated words, but with some useful advice and ideas. I really liked the discussion on "meta-effectives as an acceleration", and the practical suggestions of tools for better processing information - I'm actually applying this in my daily work. To get to this, however, you have to go through *a lot* of redundant words.

[V · Rating 1 out of 5]

Terribly written book

[George · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting. Very narrow in scope, in a good way. In-depth treatment of the subject. Basically argues that you have to practice your mind to remember things, similar to the way you have to practice your body to "remember" the ability to do physical things, and tells you what works and why. It makes sense. Doesn't claim to know it all, acknowledging that it is an emerging science.

Be warned. There is a palpable hostility toward faith in God revealing itself here and there in these pages. However, at the same time, the author advocates always considering the alternative. Those of us who pray that others may also come to know the joy that passes all understanding that only Jesus can give that we have received can appreciate Cognitive Productivity as a prompt to consider and a tool to delve God's word in the Bible.

[Thomas Hansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book, and as a non native english reader I was glad to have read it on my Kindle where it is easy to peek in the dictionary..

Also I think I should have read some of the knowledge resources often referred to:

-Keith Stanovich (2009). What Intelligence Tests Miss: The Psychology of Rational Thought
-John Gottman: Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work and The Relationship Cure
-Ries (2011): The Lean Startup
-The work of Aaron Sloman and other cognitive scientists

Even if the book is a couple of years old, I think it still holds up well and I find many of the recommendations to tie in nicely with what I have previously read by Barbara Oakley and Sönke Ahrens.

[Dele Tosh · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would have given this book higher points if it had more pragmatic content (not to be mistaken, it has some). Comparable to the amount of cognitive theory in the book, it would have been better to have a bit more how-tos.

To be fair, the author decries most of the technologies available today -- maybe it'll get here soon enough.

Worth the the read for a lot of the cognitive theories.

[Naupaka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots in here - I read a not-quite-finished-version. Interesting to think about the crossover between learning, 'effectance', and different models of how the mind works.