The one-sentence summary

Life and work are intrinsically linked, so if you want to live an extraordinary life, your work needs to resonate with a strong sense of purpose.

WHAT THE BOOK SAYS

  • The sub title and message of this book is Love your work, love your life.
  • Life and work are intrinsically linked, so if we want to live an extraordinary life, our work needs to be extraordinary too. And that means it needs to resonate with a strong sense of purpose.
  • Work is your slave, not the other way round. No one makes you work – the choice is yours.
  • Reflection time is crucial to build in to each working day.
  • There’s no such thing as bad people, just bad actions.
  • Be nice to people and it will be nicer for you.
  • You have to love yourself before you can love others.
  • Our self-worth should never be dictated to by other people’s opinions.
  • If you had a blank sheet of paper how would you design your job?
  • We have on average 27,350 days on the planet, and 10,575 will be spent at work.
  • Vergaderziekte is Dutch for ‘meeting sickness’. Try to have fewer of them.
  • Don’t chase the orgasm: the current job is never the ultimate goal and so it is never properly enjoyed.
  • 75% of employees say their boss is the worst part of their job. 65% say they’d prefer a new boss to a pay rise.
  • Crap bosses are our fault because we let them get away with it, and it is estimated that they cost the US economy $360bn a year.
  • Most people use 60% or less of their work time to be productive.

WHAT’S GOOD ABOUT IT

  • 98% of US employees believe their annual performance review is unnecessary. Anonymous ‘feedback’ in 360 degree appraisals is demotivating and divisive. The correct format is:

Fact – What is that I actually did?

Think – What is your interpretation of that?

Feel – What is your reaction to that?

  • “Most people treat the present moment as if it were an obstacle they need to overcome. Since the present moment is life itself, it is an insane way to live.” Eckhart Tolle
  • “If you can’t enjoy one dollar, what’s the chance of you enjoying a million dollars?” Richard Bandler

WHAT YOU HAVE TO WATCH

  • There is a reasonable amount of floaty stuff here – shamanism, ayurvedic ideas, and various spiritual observations that are arguably something of a sideshow to business matters.