<b>Learn how to achieve more by doing less! Live in that zone you’ve glimpsed but can’t seem to hold on to—the sweet spot where you have the greatest strength, but also the greatest ease.</b><br><b></b><br>Not long ago, Christine Carter, a happiness expert at UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center and a speaker, writer, and mother, found herself exasperated by the busyness of modern life: too many conflicting obligations and not enough time, energy, or patience to get everything done. She tried all the standard techniques—prioritizing, multitasking, delegating, even napping—but none really worked. Determined to create a less stressful life for herself—without giving up her hard-won career success or happiness at home—she road-tested every research-based tactic that promised to bring more ease into her life. Drawing on her vast knowledge of the latest research related to happiness, productivity, and elite performance, she followed every strategy that promised to give her more energy—or that could make her more efficient, creative, or intelligent.<br><br>Her trials and errors are our reward. In <i>The Sweet Spot, </i>Carter shares the combination of practices that transformed her life from overwhelmed and exhausting to joyful, relaxed,<i>and </i>productive. From instituting daily micro-habits that save time to bigger picture shifts that convert stress into productive and creative energy,<i>The Sweet Spot </i>shows us how to<br><br>• say “no” strategically and when to say “yes” with abandon<br>• make decisions about routine things once to free our minds to focus on higher priorities<br>• stop multitasking and <i>gain </i>efficiency<br>• “take recess” in sync with the brain’s need for rest<br>• use technology in ways that bolster, instead of sap, energy<br>• increase your ratio of positive to negative emotions<br><br>Complete with practical “easiest thing” tips for instant relief as well as stories from Carter’s own experience of putting<i>The Sweet Spot </i>into action, this timely and inspiring book will inoculate you against “The Overwhelm,” letting you in on the possibilities for joy and freedom that come when you stop trying to do everything right—and start doing the right things.<br><br><b>Advance praise for <i>The Sweet Spot</i></b><br><b></b><br>“Illuminates the simple and sustainable path toward a precious and happy balance.”<b>—Deepak Chopra</b><br><br>“A gift, like a good friend drawing a personal road map out of the crazy busy swirl of our overloaded lives.”<b>—Brigid Schulte, author of<i>Overwhelmed</i></b><br><br>“This book did something I thought was impossible: It seemed to <i>give me more time.”</i><b>—Martha Beck, author of<i>Finding Your Way in a Wild New World</i></b><br><br>“A page-turning thriller full of proven ways to have the life you want.”<b>—Rick Hanson, Ph.D., author of<i>Hardwiring Happiness</i></b><br><br>“Timely, lively, and vital, <i>The Sweet Spot</i> is an immediately useful must-read.”<b>—Shawn Achor, author of<i>The Happiness Advantage<br></i></b><br>“<i>The Sweet Spot</i> inspired me to make immediate changes that have increased my productivity and lowered my stress.”<b>—Dan Mulhern, president, Granholm Mulhern Associates</b><br><i></i><br>“A must-read for every overworked executive, overwrought parent, or overscheduled human being.”<b>—Jennifer Granholm, governor of Michigan, 2003–11</b>