“The Good Enough Job”

Simone Stolzoff

A whole lot of this book I found myself nodding along with like “yep, yep.” Specifically in the way of, these are things I’ve thought for quite a while, just put together into a single narrative, rather than my usual approach to it of “one idea bubbles up, a few weeks or months later another one does.” I have, as it turns out, done a pretty reasonable job of building up a work/life balance for myself! 🎉

That said, I still found it a useful read; going through things like that, where it’s been put together into a single coherent flow, is useful to help one’s own thoughts coalesce.

Past that, there’s also some new things in there! I actually quite liked, from the very end, this call to action:

What we often lack—both as individuals and as a society—is the ability to imagine a less work-centric existence. So my question for you, dear reader, is: What’s one small change you can make to elevate your nonwork self? Perhaps you schedule a weekly walk with your best friend. Maybe you get involved in a neighborhood group where no one has any idea how you make a living. Maybe you pick up a new hobby without the expectation of mastering it. What can you do to remind yourself that you exist on this earth to do more than produce economic value?

Because, yes, I read through this whole thing and thought to myself “yeah, I should think about that a bit more,” but that’s an Ivory Tower sort of thought. It’s a thing I think while I’m already thinking about the shape of my life. It’s harder to put that sort of thing into action. This idea, though, of making one small change? That’s a great way to approach it.

An excellent read overall, well worth it; check it out.1

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