“We don’t have to live that way.” It’s a plea from Sean Nelson’s Born Without A Heart, but also something I like to remember when I’m feeling overwhelmed or frustrated. And it happens to sum up what Basecamp founders Jason Fried and David Hansson remind us in It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy At Work.

What’s the gist?
Fried and Hansson believe the modern workplace is a sick, vile, chaotic place. But it’s not beyond salvaging. You don’t have to work at a frenetic pace that creates anxiety and burns you out. Instead you can choose calm (and still be damn successful). They spend the book describing what a calm organization looks like and what they’ve learned through trial and error at Basecamp.

Should I read this?
If you’re interested in breaking the status quo of long workweeks, endless communications, unrealistic deadlines, and more — then yes. If the term “hustle” sounds like a basic buzzword to you — absolutely. While you may not be able to implement everything Basecamp does, I’d be shocked if you can’t do something that your organization and employees will benefit from. Also, if you prefer calm like I do, it’ll give you a nice rubric of what to look for in a future job search.

Notable quotes
Holy shit, lots of them. I went overboard, but…

“What’s worse is that long hours, excessive busyness, and lack of sleep have become a badge of honor for many people these days. Sustained exhaustion is not a badge of honor, it’s a mark of stupidity.”

“In almost every situation, the expectation of an immediate response is an unreasonable expectation. Yet with more and more real-time communication tools creeping into daily work—especially instant-messaging tools and group chat—the expectation of an immediate response has become the new normal. This is not progress.”

“Yes, it’s perfectly okay to have nothing to do. Or, better yet. nothing worth doing. If you’ve only got three hours of work to do on a given day, then stop. Don’t fill your day with five more just to stay busy or feel productive. Not doing something that isn’t worth doing is a wonderful way to spend your time.”

“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.”

“We’ve found that nurturing untapped potential is far more exhilarating than finding someone who’s already at their peak. We hired many of our best people not because of who they were but because of who they could become.”

Buy it on:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Indiebound

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I’ve had some wallets I fell in love with, but they just haven’t held up to what I put them through. Now a few months in, I’m thrilled to say that my Pioneer wallet is everything I was hoping for. It’s simple, functional, and can even withstand me accidentally putting it through the wash. This small SF design studio is bringing it.

With Casper, Tuft and Needle, HIBR, Keetsa, Leesa, and probably a dozen other companies out there, competition in the sleep biz is hotter than ever. I’m probably late to this, but I just love that Purple went a different route and hired Tim and Eric for some killer content marketing. The Purple Boys series is hilarious.

To watch the full series, click here.

Nothing like Sir Reggie Watts to pick you up during a challenging day. I just can’t help but smile watching this.

 

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A post shared by Reggie Watts (@reggiewatts) on Oct 3, 2018 at 1:35pm PDT

I just love this vinyl necklace from Hype Machine. It’s perfect for your better half who’s into the soft crackle of the needle on records and as an added bonus, you’re supporting a team of humans dedicated to sharing great new music with you. For an extra $3/month, you can get exclusive playlists and all the feels of supporting a small business.