Customer Reviews

The Breakout Principle

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is an interesting book but you can tell from the big print and cheezy cover that it is not a keeper. Basically, the authors have put a name to something ("the breakout principle") which artists have been doing for centuries. For instance, Charles Dickens spent 5 hours a day at his writing desk, struggling with whatever novel he was writing. Then, after five hours, he would always stop for the day and spend the next three hours WALKING around London or engaging in some sort of physical exertions. And very often, during those off hours, the creative process would continue working and new ideas would come to him. Similarly, many artists find that after working hard for a long time, they can go to sleep and dream of a solution. Or it comes to them the next day when they aren't thinking about it or when they are taking a shower or jogging or cooking or knitting. Read any interviews with writers, musicians, novelists, you will find this process at work. STEP ONE: Work hard at the problem. STEP TWO: Step away from the problem and do something that switches the mind in another direction. STEP THREE: Allow the unconscious to percolate and present you with a new solution. That's basically what this book tells you in a nutshell. And it is VERY useful to have it presented in such a simple 1,2,3 step manner. So how come I'm not giving the book five stars? Because once you grasp its basic thesis (i.e. once you read it over in the bookstore as I did) you will NOT need to buy the book. And you can get this knowledge from many other sources as well.

NOW I UNDERSTAND why I have bursts of creativity or achieve a "runner's high" (even though I'm just walking briskly) under certain conditions. Benson explains that it's the science--and explains it in a way that I can replicate (he would say "trigger") the Breakout experience at will.

The various applications of the Breakout principle are organized by chapter, allowing the reader to think about each application type and to compare and contrast them. Currently our teenagers are applying the Breakout technique in their respective sports activities with some success. I am curious about applying it in an R&D setting where colleagues need to have a "collective" Breakout to develop new, innovative products.

This book gives you insights (1) to how the brain functions, (2) to better harness its power and (3) to outperform competitors.

The Breakout Principle has completely revolutionized the way I work...I don't stay in the office for 12 hours a day before a big presentation...I prepare carefullly and thoroughly and THEN I GO HOME AND RELAX. Always, and I mean always, my presentations are clearer, have more energy, are more relaxed and creative. All that time away from your work, time I always thought of as play or even goofing off, happen to be incredibly valuable for generating new ideas and having the energy to get things done. A great book that's changed everything for me.

This is a hard book to finish. The good doctor belabors the material with a particularly annoying baby talk style. The book wears thin quickly after the first couple chapters. Most of the "revolutionary" material consists of concepts already espoused in many prior books on creativity. This book should be listed as an example of "literary fluff" in a dictionary. Don't bother.

THE BREAKOUT PRINCIPLE teaches you a simple yet powerful concept (called the "Breakout Principle") to help improve your life on a long-term basis.

The book is clearly written, making it easy for the reader to grasp the principle and learn to put together his or her own personal breakout strategy. I like how anyone - individuals or groups - can apply this concept to his or her life. The authors give great examples of how people from all walks of life with different problems are able to trigger this breakout principle and transform their lives for the better - a family dealing with their fears after the September 11 attack, athletes trying to improve their game, a woman trying to find self-discipline to lose weight, a young man seeking deeper spiritual awareness, and more.

THE BREAKOUT PRINCIPLE is a very enlightening book.

Fafa Demasio

THE BREAKOUT PRINCIPLE breaks through to a new understanding of
creativity and productivity. I never realized that there was a biological basis for the generation of ideas and insights -and that this biology could actually be switched on at will. I would highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to increase the odds of achieving peak performance at work or play.

Why did I buy this book? It was one of those darn impulse purchases. I mean it's not terrible or anything In some ways it explains the well-known phenomena of creativity after intellectual struggle and more interestingly it provides an explanation of why meditation etc. may work. But there's not much substance and it is certainly not worth full price. Also towards the end it pushes religion on the reader. If this type of thing bugs you, be forewarned.

Anyone who has ever tried to gain mastery in any field would notice that after a while of dedicated practice, you tend to plateau. After even more practice you make a burst, but then you'll eventually hit another plataeu. Once you learn the easy principles in this book, you'll learn how to consistently improve your mastery and supercharge your life in any area you choose without having to level off. You feel like you're in the "zone" and a natural high as you break through any limitations you face in life. I've used the Breakout Principle to improve my health, creativity, college school work, solving problems, spirituallity, athletic performance, and my singing (I'm majoring in opera vocal performance and physics). This really is the ultimate self improvement book and I hope you all use it and enjoy the success it can bring in your life.

I thought this book would be more, or read like more, to me.... I ended up scanning some passages because of the telling of individuals' stories that permiate the book. I came away with a couple of things to think about, but on balance, I thought there was just too much "filler" and not enought "there"..there. Good concepts, but not enough for a book..... and not so different than what others have proposed in other books. Just a different take. Would have made a nice pamphlet.

Pretty much anything you enjoy doing can be a source of "The Breakout Principle." There. I've read the book for you.