slackline reviewed 31 Days by Allie Bailey
Sound and practical advice that is useful beyond running
5 stars
As you might expect from a book where the subtitle includes "zero-bullshit" this book does what it says on the cover. Allie packs no punches, if you want to benefit from reading this book you'll have to put some work in, but the way the book is structured into relatively short manageable chapters and the resources and tools that are available to help with undertaking the tasks you have to work through helps lower the barrier to achieving them. With that in mind I'm writing this review and I haven't finished the book....yet. But I will do. I don't read many self-help books and have no aspirations to run marathons, ultra or otherwise but the advice here is well structured and applicable to more than just running, its about taking time to think about and reflect on what you want to do with your life then provides a set of …
As you might expect from a book where the subtitle includes "zero-bullshit" this book does what it says on the cover. Allie packs no punches, if you want to benefit from reading this book you'll have to put some work in, but the way the book is structured into relatively short manageable chapters and the resources and tools that are available to help with undertaking the tasks you have to work through helps lower the barrier to achieving them. With that in mind I'm writing this review and I haven't finished the book....yet. But I will do. I don't read many self-help books and have no aspirations to run marathons, ultra or otherwise but the advice here is well structured and applicable to more than just running, its about taking time to think about and reflect on what you want to do with your life then provides a set of tools and methods to help you achieve this. Tasks involve writing these down and regularly recording how you feel about what you have done which is not a bad thing for any aspect of life. That change and "success" takes time and practice is sound advice.
Whilst I've not finished the whole book I've jumped ahead and dipped into a few of the later chapters which cover managing expectations and dealing with failure and impostor syndrome and the advice here seems sound. One aspect I think would perhaps have been useful would be to include a bibliography as in a few places it mentions a lot of research has been done and it would be great to have that effort shared with the reader. That said, Allie's writing and avice stems not just from her research but also from her experience and there are many examples throughout the chapters of her own experience changing her mind or from her coaching and whilst anecdotal in nature they make for a more engaging and rounded book showing how the advice of each section can bear fruit.
It's going to take time for me to work through the advice and methods in this book but I think it will be worth it. The book is well structured into manageable chunks and each chapter has exercises and key take-aways making it not feel like a chore to read. I would recommend picking up a copy and giving it a go if you want to make a change to your life too, whether that is running or something else.