Book Review by Taylor Berrett
In The Clarity Field Guide, authors Benj Miller & Chris White set out to provide a step-by-step instruction manual for increased clarity in life and business. In the book’s introduction, the authors lay out their goals for readers diving into the guide:
“Our desire is for you to live your life with full freedom, meaning you are doing what you love with people you love, creating something with meaning, purpose, and value (full impact), and enjoying your life and the people outside your work.”
From the beginning, Miller and White highlight their goal of keeping the process of gaining clarity as simple as straightforward as possible. ‘No crazy, complicated processes. No fluffy questions,’ they attest in the introduction.
Overall, they succeed in this mission. For a book that’s all about finding clarity, the process they outline is refreshingly…well, clear. The reader is left with the impression that the book’s authors have the experience, research, and expertise necessary to back up their claims about the importance of finding clarity— and the best ways to get there. Everyone from business leaders to those looking for increased clarity in their personal lives will find something to empower their path forward in The Clarity Field Guide.
Journaling for Clarity
One of the most powerful segments of The Clarity Field Guide centers on the importance of journaling for increased clarity. The best part? It’s all backed by science and research, which shows journaling can reduce stress, increase focus, boost emotional stability, and deepen learning, order, and ability to take action while also increasing memory.
Journaling is one of the more insightful examples in the book of how people with increased clarity replace more of their ‘inputs’ with ‘outputs.’ Inputs are the things we take in— Facebook posts, TV shows, etc. Outputs are the things we create— journal entries, creative breakthroughs, etc. The Clarity Field Guide offers a powerful path towards not only growing our outputs but making them more meaningful, too.
The Bottom Line
While on the surface The Clarity Field Guide may seem like one more in a long line of books promising more creativity, more productivity, and more success, the book’s real power lies in its commitment to less. Because in reality, that’s often where clarity arises— when we leave space for it by removing the things that are little more than drains on our time.
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Taylor Berrett is a Contributing Writer at Soundview. He is also a freelance writer, editor, and host of the podcast Alone in a Room. His other book reviews can be found here.