How to Live on Twenty-Four Hours a Day

2019 Reprint of 1910 Edition. Full facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition software. In the book, first published in 1908, Bennett addressed the large and growing number of white-collar workers that had accumulated since the advent of the Industrial Revolution. In his view, these workers put in eight hours a day, 40 hours a week, at jobs they did not enjoy, and at worst hated. They worked to make a living, but their daily existence consisted of waking up, getting ready for work, working as little as possible during the workday, going home, unwinding, going to sleep, and repeating the process the next day. In short, he didn't believe they were really living. Bennett addressed this problem by urging these employees to seize their extra time and make the most of it to improve themselves. Extra time could be found at the beginning of the day, by waking up early, and on the ride to work, on the way home from work, in the evening hours, and especially during the weekends. During this time, he prescribed improvement measures such as reading great literature, taking an interest in the arts, reflecting on life, and learning self-discipline. Bennett wrote that time is the most precious of commodities. He said that many books have been written on how to live on a certain amount of money each day. And he added that the old adage "time is money" understates the matter, as time can often produce money, but money cannot produce more time. Time is extremely limited, and Bennett urged others to make the best of the time remaining in their lives. This book has seen increased appeal in recent years due to the explosion of the self-improvement phenomenon, and the book has much relevance in today's world.

Arnold Bennett was born on May 27, 1867, in Hanley, Staffordshire, which is now part of Stoke-on-Trent but was previously a separate municipality. He was the eldest of three boys and three daughters born to Enoch Bennett (1843-1902) and Sarah Ann, nee Longson (1840-1914). Enoch Bennett's early career was marked by ups and downs: following an unsuccessful attempt to start a pottery manufacturing and sales firm, he established himself as a draper and pawnbroker in 1866. Four years later, Enoch's father died, leaving him some money with which he apprenticed at a local legal business; in 1876, he became a solicitor. The Bennetts were strong Wesleyans who enjoyed music, culture, and socializing. Bennett attended the Wedgwood Institute in Burslem from 1877 to 1882, and then attended a grammar school in Newcastle-under-Lyme for one year. He was good at Latin and better at French; he had an inspirational headmaster who instilled in him a lifelong love of French literature and the French language. He excelled intellectually and passed Cambridge University exams, which may have led to an Oxbridge degree, but his father had other ideas. Bennett left school in 1883 at the age of 16 and began unpaid work at his father's business. He split his time between unpleasant occupations, such as rent collection, during the day and preparing for exams in the evening.