How to Reach the Next Level (In Real Life) - The Nerdist Way

This book is an interesting take on an old theme. Chris made self help relatable to a group who is mostly overlooked by other authors in the genre. His unique approach activates the "nerdist" tendencies of most geeks and makes them motivators for positive change. It jumpstarted me to make a new budget and work to get healthier. I recommend this to any geek/nerd looking for a new direction.

Sincerely, this book made my life better. Hardwick's visualization tricks to overcome the times when your brain can't stop thinking about something reclaimed a few hours of my life every week. Also, the personal character sheet is one of the most fun art projects I've ever done.

Although this is full of delightfully funny stories of Hardwick's bumpy path to web celebrity, the real gold is the simple and charming advice for dealing with the dilemmas of daily online life, from defusing haters to getting stuff done. The section on temper management is worth the price alone. Don't count to ten--buy it now ;-)

This book is absolutely hilarious. I bought this as a birthday present for my boyfriend and he loved it too :) Chris Hardwick is awesome. He's funny and nerdy but absolutely real at the same time. If you like his podcasts (or even if you've never heard them) I would recommend this book! It's pretty great.

Alot of the information in this book is restated information in many self help books, however its said in a way that nerds and common folk alike can understand. Chris is a damn decent writer and manages to turn the most mundane information on getting your sloppy drunken life together fun.

The book is not only funny, but also offers great and simple ways to improve productivity.
Helped me out during a pretty average time of my life and through the ideas in the book, I'm as happy as I've ever been!

Great book, a must read for anyone interested in self-improvement and getting things done with a nerdly twist. Thoroughly enjoyed Hardwick's take on how you track your progress using a tabletop RPG approach, including grid paper and stats. Overall, fully recommend this book.

I found that my own recent self-help explorations covered the majority of what's in the book but I think that it was still worth reading for the humor and relative brevity (for a self-help book). The diet information in particular closely matches what I have arrived at after much reading and experimentation. I also think that the finacial section is pragmatic and nicely condensed.

The only part of the book that really bugs me is the fact that nerdistway.com is still an empty splash page. Really guys? Hardwick references specific material that is supposed to be on the page, so it's not as if it was an afterthought. It just hasn't been done....

Let's be clear, this is essentially a comical, self-help book.

To be fair, I had no expectations for this book outside of the principle I hold for any use of my time: that it is a good use of my time. I know that sounds a touch majestic, but time is one of my limited resources so it's up there on my importance scale.

From the beginning, Chris shares stories of personal struggle and failure that one might not expect. They convey honesty, transparency, and make him more relatable. Additionally, Chris manipulates syntax in ways that most can't.

However, after 204 pages this book felt lost. The tips weren't all that powerful, the stream-of-consciousness writing grew old and, when it comes to managing finances, I would look to a person such as Ramit Sethi for concise, expert advice. I believe this book failed for me because it simply tried to do too many things at once, resulting in mediocrity (at best).

No question that the book was written with good intentions, but I would not recommend this book to anyone.

Comic Chris Hardwick is probably the last person I would've thought of to write a self help book for nerds, but believe it or not it works. Across nearly 300 pages he dumbs down the idea of what it takes to succeed & puts it into a guide that is designed for those of us who may or may not be all that people smart. Each section focuses on a different area of the person from mind to body to time. What makes this even more unique is that he takes asks the reader to treat life as if it's a gigantic RPG & you are a character with special abilities & the ability to change. The video game/RPG references throughout the book keep things a bit light & make it a bit more relevant to this generation. My only issue really is the language in this book which is R rated & then some & really hurts the quality of the book & also caused me to drop the rating. For a college student or someone in their 20s struggling to figure themselves out this is a given read. For teens, however, due to the language, I say skip it although for parents of teens won't leave video games behind or their connected world I'd say read it & you might gain an insight into your son or daughter.

I went into reading this book with absolutely NO idea what it was about. When I realized it was a self-help-ish book, I had a, "oh, duh..." moment where suddenly the title of the book made sense. Chris Hardwick offers up a LOT of really helpful life lessons in three main categories- Mind, Body, and Time. Personally, I skimmed a bit of the "body" section and really focused during the "Time" section. My main issue with it was that (my reading pet peeve) it seemed to repeat itself quite a bit- I had that, "Wait, did I already read this paragraph?" moment happen a few times.

I was glad that I kept putting the book down so I could add something to my to do list, or just complete the task if it was a more simple one. Definitely worth a read- especially if you want to "reach the next level" in your life!

This was surprisingly more of a self-help book than anything. It was amusing and relatable and chock-full of tips and advice for easily achieving a healthy lifestyle. Chris Hardwick got a reality check and changed his life around. He was an overweight alcoholic who couldn't stop partying and spending money he didn't have. This book walks you through his rock bottom to where he is now (or in 2011 when this was published). I remember him hosting Singled Out (though I wasn't really allowed to watch it, as I was about 10ish at the time), then he disappeared for years until he exploded with nerdist.com, Talking Dead, and @midnight. I love @midnight, it's a hilarious "game show." This book is great in all its nerdy glory.

Listened For Fun (Audible)
Overall Rating: 4.25
Good to Know Rating: 4.00
Knowledge Manager Rating: 4.50 (aka Chris Hardwick)

Audio Rating: 4.50 (not part of the overall rating)

First Thought When Finished: The Nerdist Way was a humorous self-help book with some really great ideas! Nothing new but the presentation really worked!

Good To Know Thoughts: I will admit that self-help books are kind of my guilty pleasure. I am also a total geek and a big fan of all things nerdom. Here is the deal, if you read any kind of self-improvement books you know they are not really telling you anything new. Presentation is the key to getting some of the messages to stick. The Nerdist Way takes the humorous and direct way of getting the messages across. There is cursing, examples in relation to Dungeons and Dragons, and some very frank "just get it done" speak. Chris didn't use fancy terms (though he made up a few of his own) and really speaks directly to the target audience: the geeks and nerds of the world. There really is some great advice in here and the activities will help reinforce some good behavior. If you are looking something new and earth-shattering this is not the book. If you are looking for something straight-forward, fun, and sometimes self eye-opening then this will work for you.

NOTE: You must understand Geek/Nerd culture to get some of the references. Then again, I doubt you would look at this book if you didn't.

Knowledge Manager Thoughts: Why did I call Chris or any other self-help book author a Knowledge Manager? That is what they are! If you are a going to write a self-help book than you had better be able to manage that knowledge. Chris practices (from what I can tell) what he talks about. He uses some real life experience to reinforce the ideas that he suggests that we incorporate into our lives. His humor, bluntness, and fun attitude do come across in The Nerdist Way. Fans of his won't be disappointed on that scale. I found him to be real and relatable which always helps when taking advice from someone. Overall, he was a great person to send this particular message.

Audio Thoughts:

Narrated by Chris Hardwick/Running Time 6h 10m

Non-Fiction read by the author is always better than using another narrator. The belief and feeling they have their subject matter is always apparent. Chris did a fantastic job with the narration, pacing, and adding emotion into the written word. I highly recommend this on audio.

Final Thoughts: The Nerdist Way exceeded my expectations and dare I say, I had fun listening to a self-help book. Great read for the Nerd/Geeks of the world.

Chris Hardwick's book helped me change my life and started me on the path to reaching my life-goals. As silly as this might sound it's ture! In the first section of the book, labeled "mind", Chris lays out some of the common traits of Nerds and possibilities for why our brains work that way. Suddenly here was someone talking about the very same things that I had never had the guys to tell anyone I thought. I was normal! And better yet I was going to be just fine.

After reading this book I had a strange confidence that had never been there before. It made me feel like I could be what I wanted to be instead of what I thought I had to be to contribute to society.

The Nerdist Way reads much like the Nerdist Podcast. You feel like it's just you and the author having a conversation about life. This keeps the book from dragging and leads nicely into each new section. I never found myself loosing focus or becoming uninterested.

If you are looking for a funny read this might not be the book for you. Chris' brand of humor is all over this book but he also takes time to explain his lowest points to illustrate ways to help the reader improve their lives. However I would recommend this book to everyone as a help book because there is a little bit of something for everyone.

Chris Hardwick is quite the charmer, which explains a part of why he does so well with hosting Talking Dead, and will perhaps have his own talk show in the near future (besides the already entertaining podcasts on nerdist.com).I had a joy reading this book, but in terms of self-help books go, it doesn't go into too much detail, and is written in a language we common folk can understand, or "nerds" like myself (although I think myself as a Nork - Half nerd half dork) will enjoy the swears and jokes.
Basically the reason why Chris Hardwick wrote this book is because he was really unsuccessful at a point 10 years ago and is probably amazed on how he turned it all around and is truly excited to share some tips that worked for him. Now keep that in mind, all that he writes in this book worked for him so it may or may not work with you. For me, the book walked the line of Memoir and advice book. It was cool for him relate his life to the problems he had and eventually fixed them, but this also limits the book for he only goes into detail to things that he has experienced. so common things like student debt or networking isn't really covered for his research is based on his life. That's not a bad thing, but if you need help with Mind, Body, and Time, I defiantly recommend it, but also it will not give you all the answers/tips you think you'll need but it will defiantly inspire you to change.
The one major flaw I found with this book is that he uses a lot of examples that are internet related. It's not a problem if your always reading at home by a computer or at a place with wifi, but if you're reading somewhere without internet connection it's very hard to just go off his link suggestions and get what he's saying. But also Chris doesn't really give advice on how to keep up with the internet tools he suggests, and he really should have listed more alternative ways to keep organized or motivated without the internet. Also the [...] site is very weak sauce, and only helpful with the body part of his book.It would have really been cool if he made a corresponding app that would really help with the concepts that he suggests, like the one in the next paragraph.
Another main theme of the book is that you should basically RPG yourself, and he calls is the character Tome, and it's to help track your progress of your skills, and traits. To people who really connect with this I think it would be a major cool system, but however for me I did not connect with it and maybe would have done it if it was in a convenient app so it feels more like a video game. But it is now inspiring me to make a system that's similar to it, but one I know I can keep up with. This idea Chris Hardwick shares was probably the greatest thing I got from reading this book. Thank you Chris Hardwick for A Super NOT Lame Self-help book!

A surprisingly charming and practical self-help book from the Nerdist himself. While describing ways to more effective in your life, particularly your career and finances, this book includes some of Hardwick's personal struggles with alcoholism and his early success. It's a fun, engaging read that many will likely useful or inspiring.

Yes Chris, you offer great content wrapped in a wonderfully expressed format, but I will be putting your advice to the test. I will be reporting back in one year, and after applying your outlined methods religiously, I expect to be
*Healthier
*Wealthier
*Personally More Happy
then I am today. So we'll see if you're the Nerdist Sage you never claimed to be.

I highly suggest anyone who is considering to buy this (audio)book to do so, and put Chris under the same challenge.

I listened to this audio book and it helped inspire me to take my life to the next level. If you have goals, but you're lacking motivation--Chris Hardwick can help you. Get your life organized and start to make a difference! The included lessons really help you get on track.

-Kris Noel
Lionhead (Volume 1)
The Serenity Compound

Chris Hardwick is quite the charmer, which explains a part of why he does so well with hosting Talking Dead, and will perhaps have his own talk show in the near future (besides the already entertaining podcasts on nerdist.com).I had a joy reading this book, but in terms of self-help books go, it doesn't go into too much detail, and is written in a language we common folk can understand, or "nerds" like myself (although I think myself as a Nork - Half nerd half dork) will enjoy the swears and jokes.
Basically the reason why Chris Hardwick wrote this book is because he was really unsuccessful at a point 10 years ago and is probably amazed on how he turned it all around and is truly excited to share some tips that worked for him. Now keep that in mind, all that he writes in this book worked for him so it may or may not work with you. For me, the book walked the line of Memoir and advice book. It was cool for him relate his life to the problems he had and eventually fixed them, but this also limits the book for he only goes into detail to things that he has experienced. so common things like student debt or networking isn't really covered for his research is based on his life. That's not a bad thing, but if you need help with Mind, Body, and Time, I defiantly recommend it, but also it will not give you all the answers/tips you think you'll need but it will defiantly inspire you to change.
The one major flaw I found with this book is that he uses a lot of examples that are internet related. It's not a problem if your always reading at home by a computer or at a place with wifi, but if you're reading somewhere without internet connection it's very hard to just go off his link suggestions and get what he's saying. But also Chris doesn't really give advice on how to keep up with the internet tools he suggests, and he really should have listed more alternative ways to keep organized or motivated without the internet. Also the [...] site is very weak sauce, and only helpful with the body part of his book.It would have really been cool if he made a corresponding app that would really help with the concepts that he suggests, like the one in the next paragraph.
Another main theme of the book is that you should basically RPG yourself, and he calls is the character Tome, and it's to help track your progress of your skills, and traits. To people who really connect with this I think it would be a major cool system, but however for me I did not connect with it and maybe would have done it if it was in a convenient app so it feels more like a video game. But it is now inspiring me to make a system that's similar to it, but one I know I can keep up with. This idea Chris Hardwick shares was probably the greatest thing I got from reading this book. Thank you Chris Hardwick for A Super NOT Lame Self-help book!

A surprisingly charming and practical self-help book from the Nerdist himself. While describing ways to more effective in your life, particularly your career and finances, this book includes some of Hardwick's personal struggles with alcoholism and his early success. It's a fun, engaging read that many will likely useful or inspiring.

Yes Chris, you offer great content wrapped in a wonderfully expressed format, but I will be putting your advice to the test. I will be reporting back in one year, and after applying your outlined methods religiously, I expect to be
*Healthier
*Wealthier
*Personally More Happy
then I am today. So we'll see if you're the Nerdist Sage you never claimed to be.

I highly suggest anyone who is considering to buy this (audio)book to do so, and put Chris under the same challenge.

I listened to this audio book and it helped inspire me to take my life to the next level. If you have goals, but you're lacking motivation--Chris Hardwick can help you. Get your life organized and start to make a difference! The included lessons really help you get on track.

-Kris Noel
Lionhead (Volume 1)
The Serenity Compound

NERDS!!!! This isn't Revenge of the Nerds, it is the battle cry of the NERD UPRISING....led of course by NERDIST himself, Chris Hardwick.

As fellow nerd and self-help aficionado (author of Zen Dodgeball), I do believe Chris has hit a home-run with this book. I found his work to be honest, insightful, funny and surprisingly helpful when trying to DECODE THE NERD BRAIN.

I fully recommend THE NERDIST WAY to anyone in need of practical advice on taming their nerd brain for reality hacking and optimal efficiency. I suggest you buy the AUDIO VERSION (read by the author) as the nuance and inflection are highlighted in Chris' STAND-UP style.

I bought this book because I like Chris Hardwick and was interested in what he had to say. I got the audible version and like it so much I might get it in paperback as well. A truthful, inspiring and thoughtful read made all the more touching and humorous when read by him in the audio version. Truly grateful he wrote it. Not to mention he is the Ryan Seacrest for the Geek World! #Dudehasmanyjobs #HopeIhavethatmanyjobsIlovesoon

This is now my favorite book ever read.

Chris Hardwick breaks the book into three easy to digest sections (mind, body, time) and has companion resources posted on his website.

If you're a nerd trying to be successful or wanting to assimilate you need to read this book.

If you are a fan of the author's [.....] website then you need no introduction to Mr. Chris Hardwick.
Chris is a man, who found himself in a major life slump with everything pointing towards the drain. He realized he wanted more for himself, and took the steps to make it happen.

Although this book is technically a self help book (yes you are allowed to shudder at the term), I found it more of a super motivational read then anything else.

This is very well written, and a very motivating read.

"Enjoy your burrito."

A good motivational book based on the life, success and failures of Chris Hardwick. Chris talks about how the weaknesses of being a nerd can be channeled to make nerds successful. The advice is practical and applicable to nerds the world over.

Hardwick's advise for fellow "Nerdists" is an excellent kick in the pants to use our powers for good (self improvement) instead of evil (self pity). All of his ideas are simple to implement and can vastly change lives. Even integrating one suggestion into your life should have a profound impact. Highly recommended.

I recently finished Nerdist Way. It was a terrific read that mixed humor with Chris Hardwick's personal experiences and various self help concepts and advice. I greatly enjoyed the concepts behind RPG'ing Your Life and I am working on it myself. Level Up (in Real Life) fellow nerds!