A review by pivic
Rework Change The Way You Work Forever, It Doesn't Have to Be Crazy at Work 2 Books Collection Set by Jason Fried, Rework Change The Way You Work Forever, David Heinemeier Hansson, David Heinemeier Hansson It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work by Jason Fried

3.0

This book is written by the two founders of Basecamp. I’ve read their previous “Remote”, which I enjoyed. The first two indications that I would like this relatively short book were:

a. these sentences:

If it’s constantly crazy at work, we have two words for you: Fuck that. And two more: Enough already.

b. the fact that they’ve broken up the book into shorter paragraphs, which—considering the format—actually works

There are a lot of zen-y things in here, and it’s good:

The modern workplace is sick. Chaos should not be the natural state at work. Anxiety isn’t a prerequisite for progress. Sitting in meetings all day isn’t required for success. These are all perversions of work —side effects of broken models and follow-the-lemming-off-the-cliff worst practices. Step aside and let the suckers jump.

Well, yes. Do let them jump.

There are a lot of simple things detailed in this book, things that made me think “Yeah, this is sane. That, too. Oh, I’ve felt this many a time.”

However, the one, big gripe that I have with this book, is it’s a hagiography over Basecamp. Naturally, one would write a book about one’s own company, but the levels of self-love should have been hoisted in by a good editor.

Still, the little things in the book are plentiful and really lovely. Such as these:

Most of the day-to-day work inside a company’s walls is mundane. And that’s a beautiful thing. It’s work, it’s not news. We must all stop treating every little fucking thing that happens at work like it’s on a breaking-news ticker.

Take those trite stories about the CEO who only sleeps four hours each night, is the first in the parking lot, has three meetings before breakfast, and turns out the light after midnight. What a hero! Truly someone who lives and breathes the company before themselves! No, not a hero. If the only way you can inspire the troops is by a regimen of exhaustion, it’s time to look for some deeper substance. Because what trickles down is less likely to be admiration but dread and fear instead. A leader who sets an example of self-sacrifice can’t help but ask self-sacrifice of others.

When the boss says “My door is always open,” it’s a cop-out, not an invitation. One that puts the onus of speaking up entirely on the employees.

It’s pretty basic. If you work Monday to Friday, weekends should be off-limits for work. The same thing is true with weekday nights. If work can claim hours after 5:00 p.m., then life should be able to claim hours before 5:00 p.m. Balance, remember. Give and take.

Open-plan offices suck at providing an environment for calm, creative work done by professionals who need peace, quiet, privacy, and space to think and do their best.

While the act of letting someone go is unpleasant for all involved, it’s a moment in time. It passes. What remains after the dismissal are all the great folks who still work at the company. People who will be curious about what happened to their coworker. Why aren’t they here anymore? Who’s next? If I don’t know, could it be me? At many companies, when someone’s let go, all you get are vague euphemisms. “Hey, what happened to Bob?” “Oh, Bob? We don’t talk about Bob anymore. It was simply time for him to move on.” Fuck that. If you don’t clearly communicate to everyone else why someone was let go, the people who remain at the company will come up with their own story to explain it. Those stories will almost certainly be worse than the real reason.

The only way to get more done is to have less to do. Saying no is the only way to claw back time.