How to Calm Your Mind
A productivity book by Chris Bailey that demonstrates how the key to less anxiety and greater productivity is a calm state of mind, offering practical science-backed strategies for finding presence and productivity in anxious times.
Last updated: 2026-03-19 01:01
Overview
"How to Calm Your Mind: Finding Presence and Productivity in Anxious Times" is a book by Chris Bailey that presents practical, science-backed strategies showing how the key to a less anxious life and greater productivity is a calm state of mind. In fact, investing in calm might be the best productivity strategy around.
The Book's Origin
After experiencing an on-stage panic attack, productivity expert Chris Bailey recognized how critical it is to invest in calm at the same time that we invest in becoming more productive. A few years ago, Bailey found himself searching for calm after falling deep into a period of anxiety and burnout, and in the book he shares practical lessons learned from experts, experiments, and research.
Key Topics Covered
- How our digital world drains us and what we can do to abate hidden sources of stress
- Embracing the analog world and "stimulation fasts"
- Using the science of "savoring" to become more focused and present
- Learning to relax without guilt
- How the analog and digital worlds affect calm and anxiety differently
- How our desire for dopamine can lead to anxiety
- How busyness is as much a state of mind as it is a state of life
Core Message
The pursuit of calm leads us to become more engaged, focused, and deliberate while making us more satisfied with our lives. Because calm saves us time by making us more productive, we don't need to feel guilty about the time spent investing in it.
Author Background
Chris Bailey is a productivity expert and bestselling author of four books: Intentional, Hyperfocus, The Productivity Project, and How to Calm Your Mind—which have been published in more than 40 languages.
Format
Published book available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats.
Related Items
1984 Apple Super Bowl Ad Time Metaphor
Iconic Super Bowl commercial that used time and conformity as central metaphors, showing drones marching in lockstep to represent wasted human potential, influencing how we think about time, productivity, and breaking free from ineffective systems.
8-8-8 Rule
A life balance framework that divides the 24-hour day into three equal parts: 8 hours of work, 8 hours of sleep, and 8 hours for personal time including meals, commuting, hobbies, and relationships.
Anti-Time Tracking Philosophy
Perspective that excessive time tracking and productivity optimization can be counterproductive, advocating for outcome-based evaluation and trusting professionals to manage their own time effectively.
Asynchronous-First Work Culture
An organizational approach that prioritizes asynchronous communication over synchronous meetings and real-time messages, allowing team members to work during their peak productivity hours without constant interruptions.