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How to Stay Productive When the World Is Ending: Productivity, Burnout, and Why Everyone Needs to Relax More Except You
A biting humor collection about the cult of productivity and the feeling of impending doom that comes with it, from Reductress.
Juggling careers, maintaining relationships, managing side gigs, and sustaining an engaging social media presence is hard––and we're expected to do it all while battling the ever-present feeling of existential dread against the backdrop of climate catastrophe, an ongoing pandemic, and social isolation.
From the editors and most popular writers of Reductress, the only satirical women’s magazine in publication, How to Stay Productive When the World is Ending is a collection of essays, how-tos, and “inspirational” graphics to help you laugh when staying both sane and productive in a commodified world feels impossible. From “’Doing What You Love’ and Why That’s Bad,” to "Why I'm Prioritizing My Career Over Finding a Better Career," this collection perfectly skewers the indignities, big and small, of living through late-stage capitalism.
Juggling careers, maintaining relationships, managing side gigs, and sustaining an engaging social media presence is hard––and we're expected to do it all while battling the ever-present feeling of existential dread against the backdrop of climate catastrophe, an ongoing pandemic, and social isolation.
From the editors and most popular writers of Reductress, the only satirical women’s magazine in publication, How to Stay Productive When the World is Ending is a collection of essays, how-tos, and “inspirational” graphics to help you laugh when staying both sane and productive in a commodified world feels impossible. From “’Doing What You Love’ and Why That’s Bad,” to "Why I'm Prioritizing My Career Over Finding a Better Career," this collection perfectly skewers the indignities, big and small, of living through late-stage capitalism.
Audiobook
First published June 6, 2023
60 people are currently reading
1205 people want to read
About the author
Reductress
6 books21 followersReductress.com launched in 2013 as a satirical women’s magazine, taking on the best and worst of woman-focused blogs, magazines and consumer culture. Since then, Reductress has become the Oprah of women’s media satire, with the Mouth Time podcast, live events across the country, and a new book, How to Win at Feminism, due in October 2016.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 164 reviews
July 24, 2023
Funny and yasss
January 27, 2023
How to Stay Productive When the World Is Ending would have hit perfectly in the early 2000s satire era, when Jon Stewart, and Stephen Colbert has bestsellers, everyone was reading the The Onion, and novelty coffee table books just hit so right. In 2023? Productive is funny, and just fine - but much of the novelty has worn off.
This book is a collection of essays, how-tos, and “inspirational” graphics from Reductress, and it sortof feels like you've gone to their website for an hour and binged everything. Who knows, maybe in our disastrous inescapable future when the internet is all gone, we will rely on funny print media like this. For now? I just don't quite see the need.
Know someone just entering the job market, dealing with burnout, or trying to escape the endless flood of whitewashed social media content? This book might be a good gift. But there's no actual advice mixed in with the endless stories of misery, sarcasm and humor, which is what would have really made this worth the trees it took. My thanks to Reductress, Andrews McMeel Publishing, and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
This book is a collection of essays, how-tos, and “inspirational” graphics from Reductress, and it sortof feels like you've gone to their website for an hour and binged everything. Who knows, maybe in our disastrous inescapable future when the internet is all gone, we will rely on funny print media like this. For now? I just don't quite see the need.
Know someone just entering the job market, dealing with burnout, or trying to escape the endless flood of whitewashed social media content? This book might be a good gift. But there's no actual advice mixed in with the endless stories of misery, sarcasm and humor, which is what would have really made this worth the trees it took. My thanks to Reductress, Andrews McMeel Publishing, and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
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July 22, 2023ممكن بيكون ممتع لو كنت أبيض امريكي في بدايات الألفين، وبما أنني مش امريكية واحنا مو ببداية الألفية الثانية، ما قدرت أفهم بعض النكت واللي فهمتها ما استمتعت بها.
August 2, 2023
DNF @ 36%
This book is not what I thought it would be. It's not necessarily bad, it is just a satire that doesn't work for me. If you enjoy this kind of humor, then it will work great for you. Sadly, this one just wasn't for me.
This book is not what I thought it would be. It's not necessarily bad, it is just a satire that doesn't work for me. If you enjoy this kind of humor, then it will work great for you. Sadly, this one just wasn't for me.
July 6, 2023
Lmao this felt like an unhinged glimpse at my inner thoughts
August 10, 2023
A collection of different narratives towards saving yourself from the doom this world is headed to sarcastically!
Looks like someone worked in corporate culture and vomited all their fucking suppressed sarcastic thoughts into this. Oh don't worry, I am only implementing the Author's advice to use the F*** word into our resume to make an impression - well, let's see how strong and impressed they feel seeing it in their f***ing review!
I kept waiting for this book to redeem itself but, it was downhill trekking from the top on your 4s. It started with a wonderful topic, addressing the lesser-appreciated people across the world, but oh my God, it quickly transformed into a rant. So here I am with my version of it.
I gave this book a full chance, by not DNFing it in the first hour, so my thoughts are coming from putting in effort and wasting my time on a rantfull list of advice that you might rather keep in your head than put out loud. What made me furious was the advice it offers. Like yeah, the world sucks, but how are your suggestions making it any better?
The only part this book had good was what I understood to be the concept - of not letting yourself become a robot of survival diving deeper every day into a trap created by society and living your life for once, which deserves a star! And another one to the thought behind putting this topic up - I empathise with it.
Looks like someone worked in corporate culture and vomited all their fucking suppressed sarcastic thoughts into this. Oh don't worry, I am only implementing the Author's advice to use the F*** word into our resume to make an impression - well, let's see how strong and impressed they feel seeing it in their f***ing review!
I kept waiting for this book to redeem itself but, it was downhill trekking from the top on your 4s. It started with a wonderful topic, addressing the lesser-appreciated people across the world, but oh my God, it quickly transformed into a rant. So here I am with my version of it.
I gave this book a full chance, by not DNFing it in the first hour, so my thoughts are coming from putting in effort and wasting my time on a rantfull list of advice that you might rather keep in your head than put out loud. What made me furious was the advice it offers. Like yeah, the world sucks, but how are your suggestions making it any better?
The only part this book had good was what I understood to be the concept - of not letting yourself become a robot of survival diving deeper every day into a trap created by society and living your life for once, which deserves a star! And another one to the thought behind putting this topic up - I empathise with it.
July 1, 2023
I love silly satire. But silly satire that echos a lot of my own opinions and political beliefs back at me? Even better. It was very nice to put off working by reading this book about how ridiculous productivity culture and capitalism can be.
The book is kinda like scrolling through the reductress website, but I found it to be organized in such a way that it made it not tiresome to keep going from article to article.
I think that this book might hold my record for most highlights in a single book and I didn’t even highlight every single part that made me laugh
The book is kinda like scrolling through the reductress website, but I found it to be organized in such a way that it made it not tiresome to keep going from article to article.
I think that this book might hold my record for most highlights in a single book and I didn’t even highlight every single part that made me laugh
June 4, 2023
Reading this felt as unproductive as scrolling mindlessly through Twitter. I understand this was meant to be satirical, but I don’t think there was enough insightful commentary to make this a meaningful read.
July 24, 2023
As a cranky millennial, working in a corporate world, this book was just what I needed. Full of snark and sassy commentary on working life and the world as we know it right now, I found my personal laugh track on repeat as I listened to this book!
I listen to the audiobook before purchasing a physical copy of this book, because I liked it so much, and found myself easily ensconced in the main narration from Mara Wilson. Her fun and upbeat cadence provided the perfect Snark to go along with the material she was reading. Jay Aasen’s commentary on different side notes provided a good break up in the dialogue and contrast. Both narrators delivered a fun and very listenable reading to this sarcastic self help manual.
I had a lot of fun listening to this and relating to a lot of the issues. A lot of sarcastic, and biting commentary. Depending on your sense of humor, and even perhaps what you do for a living, this book will either be absolutely hilarious and relatable, or a complete flop.
I personally love this book and had a lot of fun listening to the narration and I’m looking forward to revisiting some of the finer points and sharing them with my friends and my physical copy.
How to Stay Productive When the World Is Ending by Reductress is avail now in all formats.
Thanks to Andrews McMeel Audio and NetGalley for my audio review copy.
#HowtoStayProductiveWhentheWorldIsEnding #Reductress
I listen to the audiobook before purchasing a physical copy of this book, because I liked it so much, and found myself easily ensconced in the main narration from Mara Wilson. Her fun and upbeat cadence provided the perfect Snark to go along with the material she was reading. Jay Aasen’s commentary on different side notes provided a good break up in the dialogue and contrast. Both narrators delivered a fun and very listenable reading to this sarcastic self help manual.
I had a lot of fun listening to this and relating to a lot of the issues. A lot of sarcastic, and biting commentary. Depending on your sense of humor, and even perhaps what you do for a living, this book will either be absolutely hilarious and relatable, or a complete flop.
I personally love this book and had a lot of fun listening to the narration and I’m looking forward to revisiting some of the finer points and sharing them with my friends and my physical copy.
How to Stay Productive When the World Is Ending by Reductress is avail now in all formats.
Thanks to Andrews McMeel Audio and NetGalley for my audio review copy.
#HowtoStayProductiveWhentheWorldIsEnding #Reductress
October 19, 2023
How to Stay Productive When the World is Ending by Reductress begins in a quick witty format that makes you want to continue reading. However, the wit slowly dissolves and the entire book feels like an outdated joke book. This book is definitely more catered tord corperate sad girl millenials and pigeons itself into a very small niche.
Overall, not a book that is worth recommending but it is a short read and if you are a "corperate sad girl millennial" then this might hit closer to home for you.
Thank you to the publisher for providing an ALC of this book.
Overall, not a book that is worth recommending but it is a short read and if you are a "corperate sad girl millennial" then this might hit closer to home for you.
Thank you to the publisher for providing an ALC of this book.
February 19, 2023
Honestly, this book was such a breath of fresh air. The satirical voice was funny and yet directly relatable. I like how it was an approachable view on burnout, but still felt lighthearted enough to not feel pointed and accusatory. I'd recommend anyone in the working world to give this one a go. It has some practical advice for dealing with the tougher moments of burnout, too, so it's entertaining and an easy read as well as useful.
August 3, 2023
A collection of different narratives towards saving yourself from the doom this world is headed to sarcastically!
Looks like someone worked in corporate culture and vomited all their fucking suppressed sarcastic thoughts into this. Oh don't worry, I am only implementing the Author's advice to use the F*** word into our resume to make an impression - well, let's see how strong and impressed they feel seeing it in their f***ing review!
I kept waiting for this book to redeem itself but, it was downhill trekking from the top on your 4s. It started with a wonderful topic, addressing the lesser-appreciated people across the world, but oh my God, it quickly transformed into a rant. So here I am with my version of it.
I gave this book a full chance, by not DNFing it in the first hour, so my thoughts are coming from putting in effort and wasting my time on a rantfull list of advice that you might rather keep in your head than put out loud. What made me furious was the advice it offers. Like yeah, the world sucks, but how are your suggestions making it any better?
The only part this book had good was what I understood to be the concept - of not letting yourself become a robot of survival diving deeper every day into a trap created by society and living your life for once, which deserves a star! And another one to the thought behind putting this topic up - I empathise with it.
What this book did inspire people to do?
1. Use the F*** word in every possible sentence to make a point and be taken seriously
2. Guidelines on how to and how not to masturbate
3. #grinding
4. Call the baby 'A Creature'???
To conclude, you will either love this or hate it. There is no in-between. Unfortunately, I fall on the blue side of the spectrum, hope someone finds it in their warm tones.
Genre: #business #humor #satire
Looks like someone worked in corporate culture and vomited all their fucking suppressed sarcastic thoughts into this. Oh don't worry, I am only implementing the Author's advice to use the F*** word into our resume to make an impression - well, let's see how strong and impressed they feel seeing it in their f***ing review!
I kept waiting for this book to redeem itself but, it was downhill trekking from the top on your 4s. It started with a wonderful topic, addressing the lesser-appreciated people across the world, but oh my God, it quickly transformed into a rant. So here I am with my version of it.
I gave this book a full chance, by not DNFing it in the first hour, so my thoughts are coming from putting in effort and wasting my time on a rantfull list of advice that you might rather keep in your head than put out loud. What made me furious was the advice it offers. Like yeah, the world sucks, but how are your suggestions making it any better?
The only part this book had good was what I understood to be the concept - of not letting yourself become a robot of survival diving deeper every day into a trap created by society and living your life for once, which deserves a star! And another one to the thought behind putting this topic up - I empathise with it.
What this book did inspire people to do?
1. Use the F*** word in every possible sentence to make a point and be taken seriously
2. Guidelines on how to and how not to masturbate
3. #grinding
4. Call the baby 'A Creature'???
To conclude, you will either love this or hate it. There is no in-between. Unfortunately, I fall on the blue side of the spectrum, hope someone finds it in their warm tones.
Genre: #business #humor #satire
December 1, 2023
Should you read this book while you're high? You don't have to. Will it help? Probably. Did I like the parts I read high more than the other parts? Yes. The uses for coconut oil graph had me dying. The Timothee Chalamet/Pokemon fan fiction was incredible. The Oscar Isaac Makes Marinara was good, but for me I'd go for Edward Norton Mops My House in a Ball Gag.
Your preference may differ!
Working for a living is a joke. Capitalism sucks. I need another gummy.
Guess I better get to work.
Your preference may differ!
Working for a living is a joke. Capitalism sucks. I need another gummy.
Guess I better get to work.
March 6, 2025
Absolutely hilarious!
November 4, 2024
If you like reductress, you'll probably like this book written by the creators of reductress, considering it's a book of reductress articles!
August 26, 2023
Initially, I wasn’t sure if I’d enjoy reading so many satirical bits back to back but it made me giggle quite a few times. I enjoyed it.
April 18, 2023
I received an advanced reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.
When I first picked this book, I thought it would be a self-help one, full of advice and relatable situations. It's not quite that, but it didn't disappoint. At all!
The sarcasm in this book is so sharp, I love it! It's a great book to have a few laughs - I mean, I couldn't stop laughing while reading it haha. And it's so relatable - I could relate to most of the situations described there - which sucks, but it also comforts to know that I'm not alone.
This was a very enjoyable read - and a fast one, I finished this book in two days. I totally recommend it! Rating: 5/5 stars.
When I first picked this book, I thought it would be a self-help one, full of advice and relatable situations. It's not quite that, but it didn't disappoint. At all!
The sarcasm in this book is so sharp, I love it! It's a great book to have a few laughs - I mean, I couldn't stop laughing while reading it haha. And it's so relatable - I could relate to most of the situations described there - which sucks, but it also comforts to know that I'm not alone.
This was a very enjoyable read - and a fast one, I finished this book in two days. I totally recommend it! Rating: 5/5 stars.
February 22, 2023
How to Stay Productive When the World is Ending is the kind of book that I normally stay away from. Don't get me wrong, I really liked the tone and form of the writing, and found it sharp-witted and clever. But, to be honest, this could have been a 15 minute read on a blog and it would have had the same effect (and wasted less of my time). After a few short pages, you realize that it's just more of the same, and honestly it's not worth the time (or the money, if you're purchasing this book with your hard-earned cash). No telos, no sense of direction, no real solid underlining critique. It seemed like me to be less of a book reading experience and more akin to that icky feeling you get after doom-scrolling for a few hours.
There were a few books over the last couple of years that I was tricked into buying based on the clever title and solid first few pages, only to realize later that they were really paper-bound blog posts that wound up leading to nowhere. This is one of them.
Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
There were a few books over the last couple of years that I was tricked into buying based on the clever title and solid first few pages, only to realize later that they were really paper-bound blog posts that wound up leading to nowhere. This is one of them.
Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
August 8, 2023
Very funny, self aware and relatable for those in an office workspace
I enjoyed that there were different snippets of stories so it wasn't like a full long section on one particluar subject
The only critic I have is that there were a lot of "you're reading a book congratulations" At first this is funny but then after 4 times of hearing in in one reading session it got a little excess and took me out of the audiobook
I enjoyed that there were different snippets of stories so it wasn't like a full long section on one particluar subject
The only critic I have is that there were a lot of "you're reading a book congratulations" At first this is funny but then after 4 times of hearing in in one reading session it got a little excess and took me out of the audiobook
July 12, 2023
Meh. Short, funny, witty. But a lot of the time it seems like they just ripped off internet memes and turned them into long winded essays.
July 18, 2023
*Audiobook
“No thank you, I would not like to be hunted today.”
“Just work harder.”
Hilarious satire of the current state of our world. For real, it’s funny….and also a little sad & unfortunate but mostly funny.
My friend @spellboundreader recommended this book to me and I’ve never felt so attacked but in the best way. 😬
I’m guilty of so many of the stupid things humans do and which are discussed in this book. 🫣
While it is a little political (left leaning) it’s done in a way that I rather enjoyed. I hate when books are super political but I was here for it with this one.
Topics covered…
🌎 Prioritizing work over…well everything.
☠️ Ignoring illness and how it’s just something our culture does
🏫 College loan debt
💴 Work / Life Balance
🧠 Neurasthenia, Thanks Dr. Beard
⛅️ Climate Change
I learned a lot about stuff I already sorta knew but need to do better with. Work isn’t life. If COVID taught me nothing else…it’s that.
This book is laugh out loud funny and made me cringe. Let’s face it we are all guilty of some of the stuff in this book. Also the book format is great! Enjoy!
“No thank you, I would not like to be hunted today.”
“Just work harder.”
Hilarious satire of the current state of our world. For real, it’s funny….and also a little sad & unfortunate but mostly funny.
My friend @spellboundreader recommended this book to me and I’ve never felt so attacked but in the best way. 😬
I’m guilty of so many of the stupid things humans do and which are discussed in this book. 🫣
While it is a little political (left leaning) it’s done in a way that I rather enjoyed. I hate when books are super political but I was here for it with this one.
Topics covered…
🌎 Prioritizing work over…well everything.
☠️ Ignoring illness and how it’s just something our culture does
🏫 College loan debt
💴 Work / Life Balance
🧠 Neurasthenia, Thanks Dr. Beard
⛅️ Climate Change
I learned a lot about stuff I already sorta knew but need to do better with. Work isn’t life. If COVID taught me nothing else…it’s that.
This book is laugh out loud funny and made me cringe. Let’s face it we are all guilty of some of the stuff in this book. Also the book format is great! Enjoy!
Read
February 24, 2024Mini Audiobook Review: Thank you so much Libro.FM for the complimentary audio!
I saved this one because the title and cover was very eye catching. I don't know if I learned much from this but it was a fun time. From start to finish this was satire and comprised of essays that felt relatable even though I did not help with actually how to stay productive. I did get a chuckle out of the section on Timothee Chalamet erotic as I felt like I was the target demo. I thought Mara Wilson and Jay Aaseng did a great job narrating with the material they had and I like how they traded off parts within each section. Even though this book was short (around 3 hours via audio), it did feel like it dragged especially in the 2nd half.
If you are a fan of the account Reductress (who I didn't realize until I listened to this was the author) then you probably will like this book.
**I do not rate NF books.**
I saved this one because the title and cover was very eye catching. I don't know if I learned much from this but it was a fun time. From start to finish this was satire and comprised of essays that felt relatable even though I did not help with actually how to stay productive. I did get a chuckle out of the section on Timothee Chalamet erotic as I felt like I was the target demo. I thought Mara Wilson and Jay Aaseng did a great job narrating with the material they had and I like how they traded off parts within each section. Even though this book was short (around 3 hours via audio), it did feel like it dragged especially in the 2nd half.
If you are a fan of the account Reductress (who I didn't realize until I listened to this was the author) then you probably will like this book.
**I do not rate NF books.**
August 4, 2023
Reviewing a satirical nonfiction piece is a little challenging, since a lot of the content is ironic or flat out the opposite of what should be true. But I enjoyed it nonetheless. This book was irreverent and hilarious. It poked fun at a lot of real issues in the workplace and American culture. Of course, the tongue-in-cheek humor was appreciated all around. The narrators were great—I could hear when something was meant to be in quotation marks or italics… Reductress knows their own voicing very, very well.
I wouldn’t recommend this book to everyone—it is certainly not for people who feel the need to defend hustle or productivity culture. But I’m certainly grateful to have received and audio ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley, Andrews McMeel Publishing, and Reductress!
I wouldn’t recommend this book to everyone—it is certainly not for people who feel the need to defend hustle or productivity culture. But I’m certainly grateful to have received and audio ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley, Andrews McMeel Publishing, and Reductress!
February 26, 2024
3.5⭐️ - This was a bit of a mixed bag for me - I think I’m exactly the demographic this is aimed at - overworked millennial- so this was completely relatable and several parts made me laugh out loud. Not to mention sarcasm / snark is basically my whole personality, but it did feel a bit repetitive in parts. I listened to the audiobook and did not care for the dual narration and would have probably enjoyed it more if it had been only Mara Wilson narrating. Overall, it was a quick, entertaining listen and would recommend if you’re looking for a bit of comedic relief.
July 15, 2023
This was a wild ride. I don't know whether to recommend it or not. It's short so maybe give it a go? I was in a space where the absurdism and satire were refreshing and very welcome. I listened to the audiobook and, consequently, it sometimes reminded me of "Welcome to Nightvale." It was both very relatable at times and highly disturbing at others. I don't know, I mostly enjoyed it.
Thank you to libro.fm and the publisher for the Advanced Listening Copy.
Thank you to libro.fm and the publisher for the Advanced Listening Copy.
June 19, 2024
(**insert Rupaul gif “meh”**) I’m actually shocked I finished and didn’t DNF this. There were some moments of satire in the book that made me chuckle but after a while all of the novelty wore off, and it just became dull.
July 1, 2023
Lol. Loved the Goodreads dig
September 7, 2023
Wonderfully funny and apropos. Love Mara Wilson as the narrator. Great read.
September 28, 2023
If you love Reductress you’ll really enjoy this book. It’s essentially essays from their funny, outrageous, and relatable memes. Well written and hilarious, I lol’d several times. Satire at its finest.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 164 reviews