It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work Summary & Analysis

Author: Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson 

Synopsis
It Doesn’t Have To Be Crazy At Work (2018) is a book in which authors Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson explore why the current hurry-up and work-yourself-to-death culture is harmful and unproductive. They offer readers a way to relax and see work in a new, more positive light.
it doesn't have to be crazy at work
Source: amazon.com

Detailed Summary of It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work

In the last two decades, our work lives have changed dramatically. We used to spend five days a week in our offices, now it’s closer to seven and we work more hours too.

It’s easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of work and life and forget that there’s more to life than just working. It seems like the world has gone crazy about work. All of a sudden, working 70 hours a week is a badge of honor instead of a sign of insanity.

Not only that, but companies are starting to call themselves your family, whatever that means. In this book, we explore where this new trend comes from, and what it means for the future of work.

In It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work summary, the authors argue that the current culture of work is unsustainable and counterproductive and that it’s time for a change. They make a compelling case for why we should all relax about work and focus on what’s truly important.

This book provides a refreshing and thought-provoking look at why getting rid of these stressful mentalities will make you more focused, calm, and productive.

The concept of ‘work hard, play hard is still alive and well but it shouldn’t be crazy at work. Instead, your life should be calm on both sides of the door separating the two worlds.

It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work Summary Key Points

“Work Hard is good but Work Smarter is great” You must have heard this quote. It is perfectly set on the book title. You know back one or two decades, people work for 5 days and relax, spend time with family and friends for the next two days.

As technology has been introduced the world paced fastly. The timings of the offices change from 9 am-5 pm to 9 am-7 pm. And on top of it, the manager’s orders to do work in the off timings as well. That means you have to work at your home as well. This scenario creates such a hustle in life that we barely take time for ourselves.

Your workplace should be peaceful and relaxed. If you are working in an office where you get pressurized every other day for winding up the project or make the slide fastly then believe me this is not a job. Resign the office as soon as you want peace of mind.

Your physical and mental health is more important than your job. What if you get ill after a hectic routine that does not allow you to sleep peacefully? You are far more important to yourself than to the company. I suggest you think about another company and leave it as soon as possible.

The following key points will describe how a toxic and stressful environment affects your health. And how necessary is this to leave the company to lessen the pressure and tension.

You might also like to read Unlimited Memory Summary.

Think of your Company as a Product that Reduces your Stress

If you want to be successful in your business and life, you shouldn’t be afraid to experiment, take risks and explore your options. For example, suppose you were a product designer. You wouldn’t settle for a product that didn’t provide the optimal experience for your customer, right? You’d think of new ways to improve it and make it better.

In many ways, business is like a product. You work hard to make it better every day so that you can find more people and help more people. This same mindset can be applied to every aspect of your business — from the way you run it to the way you advertise it. As a result, look at your business as if it were a product, and learn how to see it from different perspectives.

Keeping your company efficient is much like keeping an automobile in top shape. You always want to check the oil, make sure nothing’s leaking, and that there are no loud noises. Use the same idea when it comes to your business.

It’s a good idea to check on it more often than you would check your car. You have to do monthly, quarterly, and yearly reviews of your business. And you can do this without being a super-efficient person. It’ll help with self-discipline and will help in your work-life balance as well.

Employers can make their employee’s time Better by Scheduling meetings Efficiently

You’re probably thinking to yourself that it’s not like your manager or coworker is being intentionally bothersome—it just happens. Meetings are probably the biggest source of distractions in most offices. By making one small change, you, as well as your coworkers can be a lot more productive.

No matter what you have on your to-do list for the day, chances are that you waste some time on your way to checking them off. There’s a simple reason for this: when you’re in the office, there are all sorts of distractions that pull you away from focusing on your work.

It’s not uncommon to waste hours during the workday because of check-ins from Slack, social media notifications, and unnecessary meetings that only pull you away from focusing on your work.

This simple but key difference between being on a plane and in the office makes it possible to have productive meetings even if you’re out in the field. We can learn from this and apply the same principle to our work lives. We’ve all been there.

You pack your best to-do list for the day, schedule a meeting with your employee, see that he is in the city, and finally get the chance to meet with him. Yet, instead of discussing your priorities, you find yourself in a long, boring conversation or stuck in a fruitless debate.

Try calculating the Risks to Minimize the Stress and Doubts

Some of the most successful businesses in the world have been created with a certain amount of risk involved–Amazon, for example, is constantly taking risks and making moves. They bought an Android app company. They’re trying to become the next big online retailer.

When it comes to creating opportunities for your business, you always want to take risks that you can afford to take. Deciding with your business partner or manager which risks are best to take can be tricky. Relaxation, confidence, and decisiveness are all results of taking calculated risks.

As a business owner, you need to take calculated risks. While it’s important not to get carried away with your new ideas, there’s never any guarantee for success. If you’re not willing to take any risks, you’re essentially playing it safe.

Still, there comes a time when you need to take that leap of faith and take a risk. In the end, taking the risk could pay off in a big way. That being said, taking calculated risks doesn’t always have to come with a leap of faith.

You can take smaller steps toward moving your business forward without making drastic changes to your company’s direction. Sometimes the little things make the biggest impact when it comes to progress.

It Doesn’t Have To Be Crazy At Work Quotes

“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.” –Jason Fried

“Time-management hacks, life hacks, sleep hacks, work hacks. These all reflect an obsession with trying to squeeze more time out of the day, but rearranging your daily patterns to find more time for work isn’t the problem. Too much shit to do is the problem.” -Jason Fried

It Doesn’t Have To Be Crazy At Work Summary Review

It is a good self-improvement book that you can read. If you have great ambitions It helps you put everything into the achievable work. There are better self-improvement books out there better than this one but recommended for beginners.

To whom would I recommend It Doesn’t Have To Be Crazy At Work summary?

  • Any manager who wants his workers to do 45 hours of work per week.
  • Anyone who wants to have a work-life balance.
  • Those who feel stressed at work. 

Link: https://amzn.to/3d79998