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Working on Purpose: How to find happiness at work
The way we work is broken. How do we fix it?
The rise of quiet quitting and bare minimum Mondays, the realisation that 'dream jobs' are as rare as unicorns and a shared sense of growing disillusionment are all signs that our relationship with work has reached breaking point. For many of us, it can feel like there are only two options to choose from when it comes to our relentless burnout or stifling boreout.
In Working on Purpose, journalist Ellen C. Scott offers a 360-degree approach to better understanding our relationship with work, from generational differences to the benefits of individual work styles to restoring the balance between our professional and personal time.
This empowering and clear-sighted guide is brimming with practical exercises, hacks and uplifting advice for anyone who wants to bring a renewed sense of purpose to their work. Because work shouldn't just be about getting through the day - instead it can be an opportunity to actively cultivate joy and meaning. It's time to change the way we approach our careers. It's time to work on purpose - and this book is your guide to doing just that.
The rise of quiet quitting and bare minimum Mondays, the realisation that 'dream jobs' are as rare as unicorns and a shared sense of growing disillusionment are all signs that our relationship with work has reached breaking point. For many of us, it can feel like there are only two options to choose from when it comes to our relentless burnout or stifling boreout.
In Working on Purpose, journalist Ellen C. Scott offers a 360-degree approach to better understanding our relationship with work, from generational differences to the benefits of individual work styles to restoring the balance between our professional and personal time.
This empowering and clear-sighted guide is brimming with practical exercises, hacks and uplifting advice for anyone who wants to bring a renewed sense of purpose to their work. Because work shouldn't just be about getting through the day - instead it can be an opportunity to actively cultivate joy and meaning. It's time to change the way we approach our careers. It's time to work on purpose - and this book is your guide to doing just that.
276 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 21, 2025
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41 people want to read
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
February 23, 2026
I wasn't sure how this book would fare when she introduced herself including her dob 1993 but I stayed on reading. She splits the book into different chapters and includes some exercises along the way. I found the chapter recap a good was to summarise the main points and the case studies shared had some relevant points to take away.
People find meaning within or outside work so you can either be a searcher, striver or stabiliser and these can change throughout your working/ non-working life. You gain happiness in pursuing an alignment to your purpose with work but it's great to learn how to navigate any problems you may encounter because even that dream job can change into a nightmare one.
Some exercises cannot be completed in one sitting e.g. finding your BIG why may not be answered straight away but it's good to get thinking to find out what's meaningful to you.
She writes about how it's important to protect your five to nine or non-working hours by time blocking, reframing your lunch break, reclaiming your commute, setting strong boundaries to protect your peace is essential to enjoying life.
I love how the book addresses the concept of power - we have some power to lead and direct the change(s) in our lives to look after our wellbeing because its not all about WORK! There were a lot of work trends I was not aware of so having the glossary or last chapter on this was really helpful.
People find meaning within or outside work so you can either be a searcher, striver or stabiliser and these can change throughout your working/ non-working life. You gain happiness in pursuing an alignment to your purpose with work but it's great to learn how to navigate any problems you may encounter because even that dream job can change into a nightmare one.
Some exercises cannot be completed in one sitting e.g. finding your BIG why may not be answered straight away but it's good to get thinking to find out what's meaningful to you.
She writes about how it's important to protect your five to nine or non-working hours by time blocking, reframing your lunch break, reclaiming your commute, setting strong boundaries to protect your peace is essential to enjoying life.
I love how the book addresses the concept of power - we have some power to lead and direct the change(s) in our lives to look after our wellbeing because its not all about WORK! There were a lot of work trends I was not aware of so having the glossary or last chapter on this was really helpful.
Displaying 1 of 1 review