For the past ten years or so, one question has surfaced repeatedly in my mind: How much of the day do I actually spend thinking and reflecting? I consciously removed automatisms, habits, rituals, and actions in which I was not truly present, and what remained was three to four hours a day, rarely more.

After listening to Nikolai’s lecture series Levels of Consciousness as a Management Tool, I received both a language and a way of thinking about this. In other words, I acquired an object and an interface for managing it. This allowed me to catch myself and others more often in empty conversation, eliminate unnecessary communication, save time and energy, and build communication with people more effectively in a variety of situations, including unpleasant ones.

I appreciated the visual presentation of the material and, of course, the fact that Nikolai allows one to observe the process of his thinking live. For me, that is especially valuable.

As with books and films, I generally prefer not to recommend anything, because everyone has their own context. But if you ever wonder whether you and the people around you may be living on autopilot, and how to build communication more effectively and productively, including in professional settings, then this material may resonate strongly with you.