How to Live on Twenty-Four Hours a Day


Read by Mark F. Smith

(4.4 stars; 763 reviews)

"Which of us lives on twenty-four hours a day? And when I say 'lives,' I do not mean exists, nor 'muddles through.'" -- Arnold Bennett knew a "rat race" when he saw one. Every day, his fellow white-collar Londoners followed the same old routine. And they routinely decried the sameness in their lives.-- So Bennett set out to explain how to inject new enthusiasm into living. In this delightful little work, he taught his fellow sufferers how to set time apart for improving their lives. Yes, he assured them, it could be done. Yes, if you want to feel connected with the world, instead of endlessly pacing the treadmill (or, "exceeding your programme", as he called it), you must do so.-- For time, as he gleefully notes, is the ultimate democracy. Each of us starts our day with 24 hours to spend. Even a saint gets not a minute more; even the most inveterate time-waster is docked not a second for his wastrel ways. And he can choose today to turn over a new leaf! -- Bennett believed that learning to discern cause and effect in the world would give his readers an endless source of enjoyment and satisfaction. Instead of only being able to discuss what they had heard, they could graduate to what they thought... and lift themselves completely from the deadening influence of a day at the office. (Summary by Mark F Smith) (1 hr 36 min)

Chapters

00 - Preface 11:15 Read by Mark F. Smith
01 - The Daily Miracle 7:25 Read by Mark F. Smith
02- The Desire to Exceed One's Programme 7:04 Read by Mark F. Smith
03 - Precautions Before Beginning 7:03 Read by Mark F. Smith
04 - The Cause of the Troubles 7:13 Read by Mark F. Smith
05 - Tennis and the Immortal Soul 7:44 Read by Mark F. Smith
06 - Remember Human Nature 6:43 Read by Mark F. Smith
07 - Controlling the Mind 6:57 Read by Mark F. Smith
08 - The Reflective Mood 7:17 Read by Mark F. Smith
09 - Interest in the Arts 6:44 Read by Mark F. Smith
10 - Nothing in Life is Humdrum 6:37 Read by Mark F. Smith
11 - Serious Reading 7:22 Read by Mark F. Smith
12 - Dangers to Avoid 7:16 Read by Mark F. Smith

Reviews

Mark Smith really is an excellent reader.


(4 stars)

The book is OK, funny in places, but its really Mark who makes it shine. Is the ending really sudden for anyone else?

like it... now i have an idea to manage my time properly...


(5 stars)

Amazing basic ideas on mindfulness and productivity


(4 stars)

I've been reading blogs, books and a lot of stuff in order to improve my mindfulness and productivity and after a while you end up tired of reading the same over and over. This simple approach is so basic and down to earth that feels really refreshing. The only bad things is the somewhat pedantic air of the author and the shortness of the book. But a must read if you are looking to be more disciplined. Regarding the reading is at a great pace and quite good in the pronunciation. For a non-native English speaker that hears audio books in the street while walking his dog... just perfect.

Fantastic content!


(5 stars)

I began this audiobook quite skeptical about the content as some of these tend to get somewhat philosophical and complex. I was pleasantly surprised to find that this is a very clear and concise piece. It personally helped me find a method of conquering what for many years has been an overwhelming task, and that is to take advantage of every moment of my day so as to really live to the fullest. Adding this to my collection!

decent book


(3 stars)

it was an okay read the author is very conversational and entertaining however I don't feel like he was very dedicated to his topic nor do I feel adequately prepared to live on 24 hours a day

Colloquially written bite-sized wisdom. Well-read


(4 stars)

An easy listen. Nothing ground breaking here for anyone who is able to find time for their pursuits outside of working life. A great call to balance work and life better and an excellent motivator to getting started on side projects. Mark Smith has an interesting intonation that suits the book’s tone

more than I expected


(5 stars)

Sure, this is outdated, and most of us do not take a train into work, but this short book has lots of tidbits of information that are still important in today’s world.

Kudos for Mark Smith


(4 stars)

Mark is an excellent reader. The book was a bit thought provoking - if for no other reason than to emphasize that there is nothing new under the sun. Time management issues are not new to our modern world. I agree with Tim, the ending was a bit sudden. The reference to poetry reminded me of a longer chapter that Bennett had written in <a href="http://librivox.org/literary-taste-how-to-form-it-by-arnold-bennett/" rel="nofollow">Literary Taste and How to Form It</a> (which Timothy Ferguson did a very fine job of reading!). I got a lot more out of Literary Taste than I did out of How to Live.