“Almost anybody can accomplish almost anything if they work at it long enough, hard enough, and smart enough.”
In Win the Day, Batterson tells us that we can be more focussed and productive if we think about our life in what he calls daytight segments. Essentially, as with many productivity authors, he advocates for the value of daily habits that produce long-term effects. In Batterson’s opinion, focusing on what you can do in the next twenty-four hours (what is important now), developing specific, intentional habits that you practice daily (being fully present) and allowing the results of those habits to accumulate over time, will enable you to unleash the power of twenty-four hours and win each day.
To help the reader get a handle on the idea, Batterson provides seven daily habits that anyone can adopt; however, the habits might be better understood as guidelines or starters for developing your own habits.
As with most of Batterson’s books though, this one is filled with great ideas and short takeaways as he logically unpackages his larger message. You will find thoughts like “we don’t see the world as it is. We see the world as we are“ and “we spend more time planning a one-week vacation than the rest of our lives.” Simple, pithy and helpful.
One theme that Batterson comes back to on a couple of occasions is that of reverse engineering. He talks about reading three thousand books before he ever wrote one and reverse engineering the books to try and figure out the tricks their authors had used. He even suggests that the reader “reverse engineer the people you respect.” Certainly an interesting but useful idea.
Chapter Eleven, entitled “Counterclockwise,” comes across almost like psychotherapy but he’s not wrong. Our memories can keep us locked into a specific way of thinking. The problem is that we do not always remember correctly. So Batterson says, “we’ve got to remember right, and that requires historical revisionism.”
Honestly, there is nothing really new in this book, but that doesn’t mean it is not useful. Batterson has repackaged a lot of great content in a unique way that is certainly helpful. One big point that I’m sure everyone needs to hear again is Batterson’s insistence that the first task of every day is to get a good night’s sleep. In that case, I think all of us know where to start.