The Plateau Effect: Getting from Stuck to Success

When things go south in business or our personal lives, our first response is to try harder. But “just trying harder” leads people to chase their own tails without any hope of real improvement. Entrepreneurial analysts Sullivan and Thompson urge readers to shed the shackles of acclimation. They write, “You don’t have problems in your life. You have plateaus.” According to the authors, the “Plateau Effect” is a “law of nature,” making it difficult to escape our “stuckness.” The trick to success is taking chances. The book’s peppy tone and intriguing examples—athletes, miracle berries, the famous marshmallow test—help illustrate the point that people find it all too easy to get used to untenable situations. Perfectionism is the enemy, exacerbating procrastination; Sullivan and Thompson instruct readers to do a good-enough job on nonessential tasks so that they can focus on more important ones. The book’s solid, if overdrawn advice will inspire readers to tackle major changes in some areas of their lives: “Every songwriter who has even finished a song, every entrepreneur who has ever created a profitable business, and every man or woman who has ever formed a happy marriage has faced down this enemy.” Agent: Dan Lazar, Writers House. (May)