Hustle and Float: Reclaim Your Creativity and Thrive in a World Obsessed with Work

by Rahaf Harfoush

OUR CULTURE HAS BECOME OBSESSED WITH HUSTLING. As we struggle to keep up in a knowledge economy that never sleeps, we arm ourselves with life hacks, to-do lists, and an inbox-zero mentality, grasping at anything that will help us work faster, push harder, and produce more. There’s just one most of these solutions are making things worse. Creativity isn’t produced on an assembly line, and endless hustle is ruining our mental and physical health while subtracting from our creative performance. Productivity and Creativity are not compatible; we are stuck between them, and like the opposite poles of a magnet, they are tearing us apart. When we’re told to sleep more, meditate, and slow down, we nod our heads in agreement, yet seem incapable of applying this advice in our own lives. Why do we act against our creative best interests? WE HAVE FORGOTTEN HOW TO FLOAT. The answer lies in our history, culture, and biology. Instead of focusing on how we work, we must understand why we work—why we believe that what we do determines who we are. Hustle and Float explores how our work culture creates contradictions between what we think we want and what we actually need, and points the way to a more humane, more sustainable, and, yes, more creative, way of working and living.

Genres: Nonfiction, Business, Self Help, Productivity

382 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 19, 2019

Reviews

[Kelly]

This one didn't hold my interest nor offer anything I wanted to think about or implement. Bored and Brilliant: How Spacing Out Can Unlock Your Most Productive & Creative Self covers similar territory in a more compelling, action-focused way. You can skim the "big idea" notes at the end of each chapter to get the gist.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can't remember where I heard about this book (it might have been the newsletter of James Clear, author of Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones?) but I've been dealing with some work burnout (the Hustle) and wanting more creative time (the Float). The authors spent a lot of time talking about the history of work and creativity, from the times when having leisure time was a sign of the elite and work was for the lower classes, to the more current eras where being busy with work to the point of overwork is worn as a badge of pride and a signal of self-worth and where creativity is being treated as if it can be mass-produced on an assembly line.

While I recognized many of the signs of an unhealthy work culture in my current situation, I wish there had been more about how to fix said situation. The author spoke briefly (maybe 2 pages) about how they had looked their cycles of creativity for daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly and planned how best to be creative, but did not share how that was measured. Aside from some prompts to explore and critique one's own work ethic, this book does little to inspire creativity or make it work.

[Steve Brock · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was Stevo's Business Book of the Week for the week of 4/7, as selected by Stevo's Book Reviews on the Internet. You can find me at http://forums.delphiforums.com/stevo1 or search for me on Google for many more reviews and recommendations.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

rise and grind, people! let's get after it. who has time for sleep when there are more productivity hacks to invent?

just kidding -- author makes the eminently reasonable point that trying to be always on, check all the items off your to-do list, achieve inbox zero, etc. etc. are all largely incompatible with accomplishing anything creative, not to mention having time for what you're most excited about.

nothing wrong with the book -- she keeps it moving and gives lots of examples. I guess just a bit boring for me in that it's a familiar point made at excessive (300+ pages) length. Title is catchy, but i should have left it in the library for a business grind to read.

[Nast Marrero · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rahaf does an incredible job in analyzing and breaking down our global modern culture of work devotion. She lays the foundation to understand how our global village has build a religious relationship with work and dutifulness. She explains how being busy is understood as a sign of personal value, and how we are all expected to engage with work with the passion of a missionary (regardless of the content of that work).

I believe this book can be the pillar of a much needed new chapter in the world of work psychology, behavioral design and philosophy. I, for one, will be using it to help work teams talk about their collaboration and their lives together, and grow from there.

[Patrick Hardy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I saw Rahaf Harfoush speak last year about the “Digital Zen CIO,” and it stuck. I finally picked up Hustle and Float—and it’s the first book in a while that took me a long time to read front to back (even over two vacation trips).

The book traces how we work today: research on productivity/creativity, the origins of the 40-hour week, and the American Dream’s “self-made” myth—so common in tech and startup culture. Harfoush frames it through three forces: Systems, Stories, Self.

What's good in this book: sharp history of how we began to over-identify with work (and why we equate success with grinding harder).
What I would have wanted more of: a practical playbook to balance the “hustle” (execution) with the “float” (rest/creativity).

Not my top pick for hands-on self-development, but a useful lens to name the problem.

What I’m trying next: visible “float” blocks in my calendar, outcomes > hours, and personal recovery rituals (focus windows, async by default).

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book took me forever to read. Each chapter is dense and chock full of information.

Basically...we have been lied to, and we are being lied to. Hustlers don't always win. When a Lyft driver goes into labor while driving and picks up one more passenger before she goes to the hospital, that story is not cute or inspiring...it's a depressing story about a sick society, that values work above all else (not to mention the irony of the fact that this "work" is for an employer that doesn't give her medical coverage or family leave).

Lots of interesting points here. I wish there was more "but how?" content. I also know there aren't a lot of easy answers here.

[Klarysa Crape · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading the author’s points about how creativity can’t be forced through long hours at work—creativity arrived when we “float,” or have down-time for our brains to engage in necessary mental processes that allow for us to keep our spark. The main theme that resonates with me is that we must separate our identities from our jobs in order to achieve true self-validation from our character, not our output. While I read this book because I often overwork, it provides more reasons against overworking vs. how to stop overworking, which lacked some content I was expecting the book to cover.

[Cady North · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read! I really appreciated how Ms. Harfounsh shares some of her own struggles with burnout at the beginning of the book. I can definitely relate. I can also relate to being frustrated in a corporate world that focuses on results, metrics and productivity when the vast majority of us have an episodic style of work. Creativity in the knowledge-based workforce can be rushed or forced. The insights in this book are spot on.

[Kyra · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read but I think I was expecting something different or something more to do with practical advice. Very informative on the social and technological progress that has led to this tension today, so if you're going into it knowing and looking for a deep dive on multiple angles as to WHY there is tension, moreso than practical advice in navigating it, it would likely be a higher rating.

[Divyesh Sheth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great reminder of our culture of glorifying workaholics and norms of overwork and work you do defining yourself. The book makes extensive discussion possible fixes. It talks about it briefly at the end, however it would benefit everyone if discussion was in depth and suggested solid actions.

[Melissa DeParis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really think this is an important book, even though I found it a bit verbose and US-centric in the data and examples given. Nonetheless, the book was definitely worthwhile from both the perspective of a creative knowledge worker and also from the perspective of a manager or c-suite boss.

[Vignesh Kumar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eye Opener

I always pride myself in being a workaholic person . But this book brought me into senses. Great Read. Very Detailed.

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Work is something we do, not who we are.

[André Guimarães Sakata · Rating 5 out of 5]

An awesome synthesis of our relation to work and how we ended up here.

[Natali · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not worth reading … nothing new

[Div Manickam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cheers to the new dream!

Thank you Rahaf for your tenacity and courage to share this perspective about WORK. As a society we have given work more importance than it deserves. It's time we find our balance and acknowledge what is truly worth and do what matters.

I take pride in unplugging from work and building discipline and boundaries. And proud to see my teams adopt some ideas for their wellbeing. Grateful to be able to inspire and influence my team.

I appreciate your honesty and wisdom to embark on this journey. I have been grateful to have had a glimpse of this imbalance in the past year and has truly helped to reimagine what is the essence. Those small habits, patterns, rhythm and finding your zen as you mentioned is a humbling experience.

[Moriah Yex · Rating 1 out of 5]

One of the first books in the last 18 months that I have DNF’d.
I tried this 3 different times and I only made it about 50% through the book before finally giving up. The writing is so fluffed it feels tedious to read. There is entirely too much jumping around in reference, it feels they didn’t have a proper editor to consult on the organization of thoughts. It’s basically a collection of other research and quotes by other authors, and hardly any new information or perspective at all, just interpretations of others thoughts over 200 years.

If you’re a creative reading this - Do yourself a favor and find something else inspiring to read because this isn’t it.

[Alla Hale · Rating 1 out of 5]

Little more than whining.