Think Like a Rocket Scientist

Simple Strategies You Can Use to Make Giant Leaps in Work and Life

By: Ozan Varol

Narrated by: Ozan Varol

* Adam Grant's # 1 pick of his top 20 books of the year

This is not just an engrossing read--it's bursting with practical insights. Ozan Varol's dazzling debut might change how you approach problems. Houston, this book has solutions."―Adam Grant

Rocket science is often celebrated as the ultimate triumph of technology. But it's not. Rather, it's the apex of a certain thought process -- a way to imagine the unimaginable and solve the unsolvable. It's the same thought process that enabled Neil Armstrong to take his giant leap for mankind, that allows spacecraft to travel millions of miles through outer space and land on a precise spot, and that brings us closer to colonizing other planets.

Fortunately, you don't have to be a rocket scientist to think like one.

In this accessible and practical book, Ozan Varol reveals nine simple strategies from rocket science that you can use to make your own giant leaps in work and life -- whether it's landing your dream job, accelerating your business, learning a new skill, or creating the next breakthrough product. Today, thinking like a rocket scientist is a necessity. We all encounter complex and unfamiliar problems in our lives. Those who can tackle these problems -- without clear guidelines and with the clock ticking -- enjoy an extraordinary advantage.

Think Like a Rocket Scientist will inspire you to take your own moonshot and enable you to achieve liftoff.

Critic reviews

"Smart and witty, Varol's masterful analysis explains complicated scientific principles and connects them to ordinary life for a mainstream audience."—Publishers Weekly

"Varol's polymathic background--rocket scientist, law professor, public speaker--makes him an engaging guide for this book, which cannily blends memoir, pop science, and self-help manual...A charming and insightful airplane read on innovation."—Kirkus Reviews

"The scientific method of observing, developing a hypothesis, testing it and revising as needed has survived centuries for a reason: It works. And, as bona fide rocket scientist Ozan Varol shows, that approach--plus boundless curiosity--is handy whether you're designing a Mars lander or figuring out what to have for dinner."—Discover Magazine

"But reading this encouraging book is one small way to help counter a downward trend and enrich America's psyche. Today, America longs for people with this very can-do attitude. Varol's optimistic look at the past can become America's present and future."—The Epoch Times

"Thinking like a rocket scientist is not rocket science! Packed with witty writing, insightful advice, and invigorating stories, this must-read book will change the way you see the world--and empower you to change the world itself."—Susan Cain, New York Times-bestselling author of Quiet

"When the stakes are high, the unknowns are threatening, and the problems seem insurmountable, you need a superhero -- which means you need Ozan Varol. He'll show you how to master the cognitive skills of a rocket scientist. And by the time you finish reading his endlessly fascinating book, your thinking will be bigger, better, and bolder."—Daniel H. Pink, New York Times-bestselling author of When, Drive, and A Whole New Mind

"This is not just an engrossing read--it's bursting with practical insights. Ozan Varol's dazzling debut might change how you approach problems. Houston, this book has solutions."—Adam Grant, New York Times-bestselling author of Originals and Give and Take, and host of the TED podcast WorkLife

"You're smarter than you think. Ozan Varol makes a compelling case for each of us to level up and to contribute at a level we've talked ourselves out of."—Seth Godin, New York Times-bestselling author of This Is Marketing

"I love Ozan Varol. He's a brilliant mind, a warm and kind heart, and the exact type of spirit we need putting resilient vibes into the world right now."—Neil Pasricha, New York Times-bestselling author of Book of Awesome

"Ozan Varol is like Nassim Taleb meets Daniel Kahneman."—Clara Shih, Board Member of Starbucks; CEO of Hearsay Social

Good material but needs a pdf attached

Really great material and concepts. I continued to the end even though the author cadence was super tough to listen to. He drops the volume of the end of the sentence so I can’t hear it unless I turn the volume up loud. If you republish this book please get someone else to read it. I would love to dwell more on the concepts but there is no accompanying reference unfortunately. Mr. Varol says it’s on his website but I can’t find it.

I wish this book was written earlier!

I loved the book. You can say that I devoured it. The only problem in the audio format is that it's a bit harder to get back to a specific point. Hence why I bought a physical copy. It's one of those books that you'll come back to more often than you think.

clever ways to approach problems

this book is great at illustrating how the way you frame a situation in your mind can dramatically change the results that you achieve. I will need to review the accompanying material to help me practice this in my daily life, but I know these are ideas I would like to have available in my mental toolkit.

Best book this year

I have listened to about 70 audiobooks this year covering all sorts of genres. This one was by far the best.

Excellent Book! Horrible audio post processing!

The book is wonderful, and I think one can enjoy it a lot more in printed format. The concepts are interesting and the overall premise is intriguing. The narration is pretty flat but what kills it is the significant drop off in volume at the end of almost every sentence! This is something that could have been easily fixed in post processing, but, once again, audible delivers a great book with extremely poor and frustrating audio. A shame.