The Good Enough Job: Reclaiming Life from Work
Simone Stolzoff
"Superb. "—Oliver BurkemanA challenge to the tyranny of work and a call to reclaim our lives from its clutches. From the moment we ask children what they want to “be” when they grow up, we exalt the dream job as if it were life’s ultimate objective. more
272 pages, Hardcover
First published Portfolio
4.2
Rating
4411
Ratings
526
Reviews
Simone Stolzoff
1 books 53 followers
Simone Stolzoff is a writer and designer from San Francisco. A former design lead at the global innovation firm IDEO, his work has been featured in The New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, and many other publications. He is a graduate of Stanford University and the University of Pennsylvania.Community reviews
Read: May 2023Rating: 5/5 stars, best of 2023I read this book at exactly the right time in my life, as I am on maternity leave and considering what to do career and life-wise when it is time for me to go back to work. For some reason, the many notes and highlights I made on my kindle haven't linked to Goodreads, so I'll just list some of the quotes I found the most meaningful/ thought-provoking from the book. "The modern ideology of workism asks two distinct pursuits - money and inner fulfilment - to coalesce. These pursuits are not always aligned, and yet we increasingly look to our jobs to satisfy both. " (p. more
This book is super hard for me to rate. I need this message, yet I can’t see myself in any of the examples which leads me to wonder whether the problem is the book or the problem is me. Maybe both. How do you detach your self worth from your job when your job helps perform a public good AND is open to the public, so you can’t just leave willy nilly. How do you detach from your job when without it, you couldn’t survive because you’d nosedive into poverty. more
D. W. Winnicott's ideology of "good enough parent," which I discovered through The School of Life, is a refreshing take on parenting. My impression of this concept of a "good enough parent" is not to over-index on being perfect, but being present with one's imperfections and vulnerabilities, holding space for the kid, and letting them self soothe. More importantly, a parent doesn’t lose themselves in kids’ emotions/tantrums but still love them. more
I was grateful to receive an advance copy of The Good Enough Job and only have good things to say about it in return. This should be read by all who are either questioning their relationship with work, stressed about climbing a corporate ladder, and/or, like myself, interested in alternative ways to have perceived value to society. Definitely recommend. . more
how do I get one of these jobs that people are apparently so eager to reclaim their lives from. more
The idea is cool and inspiring but this is a blog post, not a book. more
"The Good Enough Job: Reclaiming Life from Work" by Simone Stolzoff is a quick and easy read that explores the concept of work-life balance through the experiences of high-earning individuals who have chosen to work less. While the book's messaging aligns with my beliefs, I found it lacking in its attempt to engage readers with differing perspectives. The selection of interviewees, primarily high earners, offered intriguing insights into their choices and experiences. However, the book's focus on this specific group left me longing for a more comprehensive exploration that included voices from various socioeconomic backgrounds and career stages. As someone from the middle class and at the beginning of my career, I felt disconnected from the narratives presented. more
I learned about overworking the hard way. When I was a fresh graduate, I worked in a unicorn startup which they advertised as fast-paced, high pressure environment. Work was always there, the team definitely should have more people, and it was difficult to catch a breath. When I was working, it was as if the success depended on me and I should make no mistakes. But when I was away, I was ensured that I am replaceable. more
Super fucking priviledged. Easy to "reclaim your life from work," have hobbies, and travel if you're a millionaire or have considerable savings. more
I just feel like I learned SOOOO MUCH from this book. Review to come. more
I am not having a work crisis. I feel pretty good about my work/life integration and have lots of outside interests and support systems. While my work is meaningful and can fall victim to “work awe,” I’m pretty aware of the limitations of passion careers. THAT SAID- I listened to this author on one of my fave podcasts (Work Appropriate) and had a chance encounter with him at an airport flying back from a conference where I was thinking about how better to support faculty leaders. So- I had to read the book. more
I usually avoid nonfiction books because the writing is dense and academic. This book is the opposite. Simone wrote about a subject that touches all of our lives in a way that can be understood by everyone. This book helped me reflect on my own journey as a recovering workist through the personal stories of chefs, engineers, and journalists. It also reminded me that there are so many meaningful parts of our lives, why let a job consume them all. more
4. 5 rounded upI thought this was a really interesting book, and it feels particularly relevant today. A lot of this resonated for me, both personally and in terms of conversations I've had with friends. I appreciated that there were no easy answers, but it's really meant to get you thinking. more
An excellent book for anyone looking to develop a healthier relationship with work. more
Really liked this book :) helped w my mindset of needing to have a perfect job that I’m obsessed w and relieved some pressure. more
2 - 2. 5 starsThe Good Enough Job: Reclaiming Life from Work is a well-written book, however, for me, this was an "ok" read. My suspicions were correct. this book was not written for me, an utter non -workist. I left a "good" and "prestigious" job in NYC and ended up working at a Kinko's in Philadelphia, laying out resumes and fliers. more
I bought this book within 15 minutes of reading a summary on LinkedIn. As someone who wants to love what they do while maintaining a boundary between work and life, the stories, advice, and revelations in these pages were received with gratitude. I love how each chapter orbits around an author-interviewed individual and their personal work-life story. It was a refreshing departure from the stereotypical nonfiction format. Of particular note: - On choosing a career that is at once fulfilling and financially secure: “The key is to craft a personal definition of success that takes into account what you value and what the market values…to figure out where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet. more
I know some of my friends appreciate my recommendations, so here goes. I found this book very helpful, even for those of us in nonprofit work who believe our work is our calling (and we’ve done this work for a long time, knowing we gave up higher pay for work that brings us joy or purpose). Most of us have felt some level of burnout over the last four years, and this book is helpful in thinking through other models of how to work. I did some thinking on my sabbatical of what I wanted my life to look like, and this is yet another tool as I continue in that practice. There were some fantastic nuggets here, like “On the other side of deprioritizing work is prioritizing life,” and “What’s one small change you can make to elevate your non-work self. more
From a young age we are asked, "what do you want to be when you grow up. " and then "what do you do. " as adults. American culture is so entrenched in workism that it can be hard to separate one's identity from one's job. When we prioritize work , we deprioritize life and "deprive the other identities that exist within us. more
I’ve been wanting to find some type of sociology-ish book that looks at the world of work as it is today: Increased remote work; post-Great Resignation; etc. These last few years have brought so much change in my own life, and I wanted something to help contextualize that within broader societal trends. This book definitely offered what I was looking for. A great read. more
I liked the main concepts (your job does not define you; it’s what you do, not who you are; work shouldn’t get in the way of life etc etc) but I don’t think he could have picked less relatable or compelling case studies. more
Tell me where you’re at in your career without telling me. more
This year, I've made it an intentional goal to channel my inner creative again. I find that while my job is great and the company I work for takes great care of its people, I don't get to use my brain in super creative ways like I have been able to in the past, which has caused this spark to diminish. I normally don't reach for books like these because, "idk, my life is fine, I don't need help," but I will say that this is worth picking up for anyone who feels too tired after work to take up a hobby or use their brain in a different way than they do at work. It begs the question, "What would you do if you didn't have to work to live. " and provides vignettes on folks in various sectors who have experienced varying levels of burnout. more
My experience with this book was such a great reminder for why you shouldn’t make decisions based on reviews from others (and yes, I’m telling you to do the same with me). I’ve wanted to read this book for a while, and while I usually don’t read reviews, I saw one on Amazon that said this one was disconnected and highlighted privileged people who were able to have flexible jobs. I can tell you that this was 100% false, and Simone did an amazing job with this book. I typically don’t like books with a lot of stories and interviews, but I binged this book in one sitting. Each chapter has a great lesson about managing our relationship with the work place. more
3. 5/5 rounded up"From the moment we ask children what they wanna "be" when they grow up, we exalt the dream job as if it were life's ultimate objective. "Enlightening and inspiring, yet somewhat lacking. This book was obviously written for a specific audience- the high-flyers, privileged, successful workers who have already made a name for themselves. IMO it is a kind of privilege to be able to label yourself as a 'world class chef', 'xxx prize winner journalist', 'insert giant tech company's strategist'. more
Great book, and boils down the essence of why I am pursuing a 'work optional' life as well as taking on responsibilities outside of work. Some of my favourite quotes from it:"The pressure to work all the time runs deep— and it’s reinforced by our government, our institutions, and our own minds. ""I found that those with the healthiest relationships to their work had one thing in common: they all had a strong sense of who they were when they weren’t working. ""Even if you are passionate about what you do, the urge to climb the career ladder’s endless rungs can taint the intrinsic rewards of what drew you to a particular line of work in the first place. "". more
It’s a counterintuitive view on the workplace. Everybody keeps pushing for more. More work, more money, more success. It’s not often discussed about the downsides of overreaching without having goals in mind that are tethered to your foundational values. In personal finance it’s brought up that you should spread your earnings/spending out over time to avoid regret. more
A book that I desperately needed to read this year, after experiencing a layoff while on maternity leave. I have a lot of messy work and identity feelings, which were amplified by a brutal job market and my own changing identity. This book helped me examine my relationship with work (much more accessibly than other books about work I’ve read), the work-related validation I sought, and what it means to have a “good enough” job. It also helped that the book eviscerated the idea of my utopian job (librarian), which was personally very helpful. . more
Highly recommend this book to everyone, especially those grappling with an unfulfilling job. I have come to many of Stolzoff’s conclusions myself over the past several years trying to find a “good” job. I finally realized that finding joy outside of work was really what brought my life value. . more