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A review by piabo
The Way We're Working Isn't Working: The Four Forgotten Needs That Energize Great Performance by Tony Schwartz
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
So this book is good! It is very basic: we all know information in here: we all know that productivity and happiness at work will be higher if we take care of ourselves first.
This book just brings it all together with a bit of background information. I think books like this are great, and I think generally everyone who reads this does not lose anything, but rather gains a new perspective on their work and possibly motivation to change.
In short: sleep, move, eat, take breaks, reflect, and have integrity.
What I don't love about this book is how sometimes correlation is mistaken with causation. For example, it will say that people who sleep more are better leaders. I think the casual connection is logical, we all think that more sleep is beneficial. But this is a purely observational result and was not tested in a casual effect (RCT study!) and it gets more problematic when it comes to statements on eating habits, movement, or mental health practices.
Of course, the author might have better casual evidence and just not used it in text. There are a lot of sources at the end of the book! But all of them are further books, rather than peer-reviewed studies. So it is hard to check.
I know I have high standards for this book. My classmate is praising it so much, that I thought it will be perfect. But hey, I am still giving it 4 stars! It is good.
Another thing I did not love, is the general assumption. But to be fair, the premise of the book is pretty clear, I should not have picked this book up, if I did not want to hear about productivity and high-achievers only.
I just wonder where are consideration of privilege? What about people who can not easily make changes to their own habits or the company because of external factors. E.g. a lack of money, lack of influence due to belonging to a marginalized community. Why would the author not talk about sexual, racial, ableist discrimination at the work place and how that affects productivity and mental health. Why do we assume that people have nothing else going on in their lives but work and maybe family?
Again, there was more potential to this book.
This book just brings it all together with a bit of background information. I think books like this are great, and I think generally everyone who reads this does not lose anything, but rather gains a new perspective on their work and possibly motivation to change.
In short: sleep, move, eat, take breaks, reflect, and have integrity.
What I don't love about this book is how sometimes correlation is mistaken with causation. For example, it will say that people who sleep more are better leaders. I think the casual connection is logical, we all think that more sleep is beneficial. But this is a purely observational result and was not tested in a casual effect (RCT study!) and it gets more problematic when it comes to statements on eating habits, movement, or mental health practices.
Of course, the author might have better casual evidence and just not used it in text. There are a lot of sources at the end of the book! But all of them are further books, rather than peer-reviewed studies. So it is hard to check.
I know I have high standards for this book. My classmate is praising it so much, that I thought it will be perfect. But hey, I am still giving it 4 stars! It is good.
Another thing I did not love, is the general assumption. But to be fair, the premise of the book is pretty clear, I should not have picked this book up, if I did not want to hear about productivity and high-achievers only.
I just wonder where are consideration of privilege? What about people who can not easily make changes to their own habits or the company because of external factors. E.g. a lack of money, lack of influence due to belonging to a marginalized community. Why would the author not talk about sexual, racial, ableist discrimination at the work place and how that affects productivity and mental health. Why do we assume that people have nothing else going on in their lives but work and maybe family?
Again, there was more potential to this book.