I work too much. I suspect I may be a workaholic. I keep trying to cram more into the same finite time that I had when I had less to do.
But it doesn’t do me good. And it doesn’t help my family.
I also don’t believe it helps my business.
My business serves a mission I care deeply about, as well as being my livelihood. Like many founders and CEOs, I want my business to succeed and have impact. So I put more and more time into it.
“Do Nothing”, Celeste Headlee’s eminently readable book, is full to the brim with hidden-in-plain-sight insights that stop you in your tracks. It shows how the work ethic which I see especially in founders and CEOs is neither humane nor healthy. It show how we’re complicit in building a capitalism that thrives on all kinds of “more”.
We’ve spent countless billions on automation and efficiency. Yet everyone seems busier???
It is a timely reminder to stop and think. What am I doing in my business that is busyness? That is filling up time? That’s not creating genuine value?
Running a business is hard, and I don’t buy “work smart, not hard”. For me, the aspiration is to work smart and hard, but not long. Allowing more time for things that aren’t work.
Allowing more time to simply Do Nothing.
I’d heartily recommend the book to anyone who is running a business. Or climbing the career ladder. Business is important for sure – but it is just one part of life. Celeste shines a light full of insight, of history and stories, and of suggestions to redress the balance. Find it here to support local independent bookshops and women business owners in developing countries.