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4.1 AVERAGE
4.1 AVERAGE
fast-paced
I had high hopes for this book and while I did find it to be a enjoyable read with some interesting insights, I think the the majority of the people profiled are those who have the financial means to completely switch things up with their careers, and the book does next to nothing to acknowledge/examine that privilege. This left me with a, “What about the rest of us?” kind of feeling by the end. I think the book is necessary and a great start on the topic, I just wish the examples were more varied and less focused on people who have gigantic financial cushions to pad their ways through their career-existential crises.
“For those who have found a job that they enjoy, expecting it to always be a dream is a recipe for disappointment. Artist Adam J. Kurtz neatly summed up this rationale in the piece Work/Life Balance, in which he scratched out the second half of the “Do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life” cliché in favor of a new phrase: “Do what you love and you’ll work super fucking hard all the time with no separation or any boundaries and also take everything extremely personally.”
Listening to an audiobook at work about how little work should matters to your life was a specific kind of euphoria I recommend to all 9-5 folks
this was a good read, rounded up from 3.5 stars because i think the author lost a little bit of the plot in the last few chapters. i really enjoy the reminder that identity does not equal work, and that finding self worth in things besides your job is an act of resistance against capitalism. however, the last few chapters were a little more “this incredibly rich guy who got incredibly rich quit his high paying job and now works 4 hours a week but is still incredibly rich bc of the aforementioned high paying job” which is extremely less relatable. that being said, i liked the quotes stoltzoff shared, the anecdotes, and the reminder that western work-centric culture does not have to be our reality. i’m never gonna ask anybody what they do for work ever again.
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
This book validated many of my thoughts about work. Namely that your job is not your identity and that it’s ok to not want more than just a paycheck. This book is well researched but the personal anecdotes really bring home the author’s points. I’ve been wondering a lot lately about my own career path and if I should want more for myself but this book confirmed that what I have is good enough. And sometimes good enough is good enough. And that’s all it needs to be. Really helpful reframing for me.
Overall, a good reminder to separate self-worth from work. Not everyone has the privilege of letting go of the idea that their job defines them, and because of that, many of these stories and pieces of advice didn’t feel broadly relatable or realistic. Still, it gave me plenty to think about.
It’s always a good idea to pause and reflect on our relationship with work.
informative
reflective
medium-paced