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Getting Work Right: Labor and Leisure in a Fragmented World
If we don’t get Sunday right, we won’t get Monday—or any day of the workweek—right.
The divided life is a temptation so built into our society, we may not even recognize it. Yet most of us fall prey to it. We either undervalue work, resenting it as simply a job, or we overvalue it as an identity-defining career.
Michael Naughton, drawing on his background in both business and theology, proposes that the key to finding balance is another important human activity: leisure.
In light of leisure—not mere amusement, but time for family, silence, prayer, and above all, worship—work becomes a space where men and women can find deep fulfilment. Naughton provides real-world examples of how businesses can promote authentic human flourishment and innovation through practices and policies that support leisure.
In Getting Work Right Michael Naughton will change how you work—and rest.
The divided life is a temptation so built into our society, we may not even recognize it. Yet most of us fall prey to it. We either undervalue work, resenting it as simply a job, or we overvalue it as an identity-defining career.
Michael Naughton, drawing on his background in both business and theology, proposes that the key to finding balance is another important human activity: leisure.
In light of leisure—not mere amusement, but time for family, silence, prayer, and above all, worship—work becomes a space where men and women can find deep fulfilment. Naughton provides real-world examples of how businesses can promote authentic human flourishment and innovation through practices and policies that support leisure.
In Getting Work Right Michael Naughton will change how you work—and rest.
152 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 2, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
August 22, 2021
Good overview of applied principles of catholic teaching on social issues. It is a very practical view of work and leisure.
March 4, 2021
Of the eight chapters, roughly 6.5 dealt with labour and only the remaining 1.5 dealt with leisure. Sure, the two go hand in hand, but I was hoping for a little bit more discussion on the leisure side.
That said, it was a worthwhile read and provided much to discuss with our men's group. I especially liked the call to walk the middle path between over-valuing work (careerism) and under-valuing it (treating it nothing more than a job).
That said, it was a worthwhile read and provided much to discuss with our men's group. I especially liked the call to walk the middle path between over-valuing work (careerism) and under-valuing it (treating it nothing more than a job).
June 8, 2020
This is the first of the “Living Faith Series” books I’ve read. I enjoyed it and found it of value. There is so much noise regarding “work/life balance”, “living wage”, and the nature of work. I think this book does a nice job explaining the Catholic teaching on all of the above with some great suggestions.
May 20, 2025
Super important message, but pretty dry.
July 8, 2025
good read
Good book very readable I liked the chapter on the Lords day. I will be reading pieper’s book on liesure next.
Good book very readable I liked the chapter on the Lords day. I will be reading pieper’s book on liesure next.
January 16, 2020
A dear friend gave this book to me (hardcover!), and it was exactly the right book for me at the right time. .. as I am looking for a framework to use as I go about looking for a second career, or a first vocation. I wrote all over the margins with comments and questions, it triggered much for me.
In any self-help book, I always want to hear about the author's personal journey, and this book left me hungry for more of that. But the anecdotes the author did share were rich, and pointed, and left me asking about how I spend my Sunday, for example. For my part, I think I do better at dedicating a 30-60 minute period every day to meditation and reflection and prayer than I do dedicating a whole day to it every week.
In any self-help book, I always want to hear about the author's personal journey, and this book left me hungry for more of that. But the anecdotes the author did share were rich, and pointed, and left me asking about how I spend my Sunday, for example. For my part, I think I do better at dedicating a 30-60 minute period every day to meditation and reflection and prayer than I do dedicating a whole day to it every week.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews