Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman
This book was life changing. It was the best book I read in 2022, without question.
Four Thousand Weeks refers to the average human life span. That’s it, that’s all we get. Considering the long term impact most of us will make on the world (not much) and how much pressure we put on ourselves to complete our to-do lists (too much), we have gotten most of life wrong.
Life is short. Be kind. Have fun. It doesn’t have to be more complicated than that.
White Women: Everything You Already Know About Your Own Racism and How to do Better by Regina Jackson and Saira Rao
We have a problem with racism in our country and Regina Jackson and Saira Rao are trying to help fix that.
Full of relatable stories, engaging narrative and ah-ha moments, this is a book that can you help you start (or continue) your journey to be more aware of your own racism which is key because you can’t fix something you can’t see. This book is a call to action for white women to take the next steps in dismantling white supremacy.
p.s. While the book is especially relatable for white women, it’s helpful for everyone
Remote Work Revolution: Succeeding from Anywhere by Tsedal Neeley
One of our favorite insights from the book was identifying that there are 2 types of trust: Cognitive Trust and Emotional Trust.
Cognitive Trust is pretty easy to earn at work when you’re remote. Someone says they are going to do something, they do it, BAM! Trust built!
Emotional Trust, not so much. This is the thing you need to most watch out for in a remote work situation and the author provides some tools to help you be successful. Thank you, Professor Neeley!
Big Feelings: How to be Okay When Things are Not Okay by Liz Fosslien and Mollie West Duffy:
We are BIG fans of Liz and Mollie at pod, so when they launched their most recent book, we pre-ordered and counted the days until it arrived!
This book is different from their first book, No Hard Feelings, in that it doesn’t limit itself to talking about work. The topic is really about Big Feelings and how to navigate them with really great practical tips.
As always, the illustrations are on point, so this one won’t work as well as an audiobook.
Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker:
We know that our physical, mental and emotional selves are connected, but this book was an eye opener! Sleep is probably the key to pretty much everything in life: productivity, creativity, happiness, health, longevity, the list doesn’t stop! If you think you “only need 5 hours of sleep a night”, you probably need this book.
Why Fish Don’t Exist by Lulu Miller:
This book is hard to describe. It is the author’s personal story mixed with a biography of a biologist with a dash of taxonomy. It’s funny, engaging and WELL worth the read.
Two lessons from the author that we loved:
1. If your ego gets bigger than your curiosity, nothing good will follow
2. Often what we think is true just isn’t and while that can be kind of distressing, it can also be really liberating because there is so much undiscovered wonder in the world
Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know by Adam Grant
Did you know there is evidence that impostor syndrome might make you BETTER at your job? Or that the first rule of the Dunning-Kruger club is that you don’t know you’re a member? Adam Grant’s latest book is filled with too many insights to list here, but it’s definitely a favorite of ours!
Unleashed: The Unapologetic Leader’s Guide to Empowering Everyone Around You
Frances Frei & Anne Morriss
Best book we've read so far in 2021. "Leadership, at its core, isn't about you. It's about how effective you are at unleashing other people. Full stop. That's it. That's the secret." If you lead people or want to lead people or even are just aware that other people exist, read this book immediately.
A book that will probably change the way you think about all of your relationships and the power of listening. This is full of the science of why it is so hard to fully listen AND how to get better at it. What we all want most in life is to understand and be understood and that only happens when we take time to listen.
Vivek Murthy: Together: The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World
A fantastic read on the power and need for connection by the 19th surgeon general of the United States Dr. Vivek Murthy. He outlines why loneliness is a public health crisis and highlights some excellent examples of how people are adding connection to their lives.
Shawn Achor: Big Potential
Need some science to prove out why being nice to people and working together creates success? Here’s your book. Achor provides evidence that teamwork really is everything, so we should all be paying a LOT of attention to our relationships.
Shawn Achor: The Happiness Advantage: How a Positive Brain Fuels Success in Work and Life
Shawn Achor summarizes the volumes of scientific studies on Positive Psychology in a way that is not only fascinating, but fun to read. He debunks the idea that success is a precursor to happiness, and that exactly the opposite is true - happiness breeds success. He outlines 7 ways to find happiness every damn day.
Jason Fried and David Heinemeir Hansson: It Doesn’t Have To Be Crazy At Work
This should be required reading for everyone who works in a corporate environment. The founders of Basecamp challenge nearly every corporate belief from staff meetings, corporate benefits and financial goal setting. Their way of working might not suit everyone, but it might challenge you to rethink things in your office.
Paul Jarvis: Company of One
Have you ever read a book where you’re constantly pounding your fist on the table and screaming: “YES!”?! Well, this one did it for us. Paul Jarvis explains why were are being ridiculous when we chase after success at any cost and how staying small (and finding balance in your life) is the key to happiness. P.S. You don’t have to own your own company to find value in this book.
Shawn Achor: Before Happiness
Shawn Achor builds on his previous books and uses this one to talk about how to achieve happiness. Spoiler alert - it’s all about authentic connections. He cites some research that proves perceived social support is more strongly correlated to happiness than smoking is to cancer, a fact that blew our minds.
Liz Fosselien and Mollie West Duffy: No Hard Feelings: The Secret Power of Embracing Emotions at Work
This book addresses all the feels and gives you tools to understand them. From dealing with your own emotions (and navigating which are helpful at work and which are not) to dealing with a team’s emotions, this book a great resource for all of us as we try to create a sense of belonging to pave the way for collaboration and innovation!
Adam Grant: Give and Take: Why helping others drives our success
Want to know the secret to success in business? It’s helping other people. Seriously. Grant dives into why that is and highlights the importance of building community as you grow your career.
Manoush Zomorodi: Bored and Brilliant
Your phone is stealing all of your creative energy from you. We all know this, there are countless articles and podcasts proving how Facebook and Instagram make us sad and how our phone obsessions alienate us. Manoush Zomorodi outlines a program to help you get a healthier relationship with your phone with step by step instructions that aren’t too painful to follow. Also, her podcast, Zigzag is SOOOOOOO good!
Sean Young: Stick With It, A Scientifically Proven Process for Changing Your Life - for Good
Ever wonder why some people achieve their goals and other don’t? Sean Young explains 7 practical methods to hep you nail all of your goals. Our favorite chapter is on community and how surrounding yourself with people who lift you up works like magic.
Stuart Brown’s Play: How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination and Invigorates the Soul
Stuart Brown takes play VERY seriously and has plenty of science behind we should do the same (it can help us live longer, recover faster from illnesses and make us more resilient during stressful times). If you need any scientific evidence to back up that business case for a team water balloon fight, this is a great book to have on your shelf.