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Working Hard, Hardly Working
We all know the pressure of feeling like we should be grinding 24/7 while simultaneously being told that we should 'just relax' and take care of ourselves, like we somehow have to decide between success and sanity. It's a seemingly impossible choice, and one that doesn't reflect the complex working world we find ourselves in.
In Working Hard, Hardly Working, entrepreneur and self-proclaimed 'lazy workaholic' Grace Beverley confronts this unrealistic and unnecessary split, and offers a fresh take on how to navigate modern life. Full of practical advice for helping you focus when you're finding it hard to get stuff done and for stepping back when you're on the edge of burnout, Working Hard, Hardly Working provides a productivity blueprint for a new generation. Insightful, curious and refreshingly honest, it will make you reflect on what you want from your life and work - and then help you chart a path to get there.
In Working Hard, Hardly Working, entrepreneur and self-proclaimed 'lazy workaholic' Grace Beverley confronts this unrealistic and unnecessary split, and offers a fresh take on how to navigate modern life. Full of practical advice for helping you focus when you're finding it hard to get stuff done and for stepping back when you're on the edge of burnout, Working Hard, Hardly Working provides a productivity blueprint for a new generation. Insightful, curious and refreshingly honest, it will make you reflect on what you want from your life and work - and then help you chart a path to get there.
288 pages, Paperback
Published April 15, 2021
804 people are currently reading
7114 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 292 reviews
April 23, 2021
Wasn’t initially going to read this at all but after such mixed reviews I thought I’d give it a go.
Although not as hard to read as I initially expected, I did find myself at the end of each chapter having no idea what the point was she was trying to make. Knowing what I do about Grace, it’s hard to understand where she is coming from when she herself perpetuates the concepts and “cultures” she is trying to pull people away from.
She seems to believe she has redefined the term “purpose” over a full 10 pages when she really could’ve just made her point with one or 2 sentences. There are definitely a few good points to take away from the book, and parts to make you think about your own “purpose” and productivity, and I didn’t hate reading it, but it’s hard to see past the hypocrisy.
It’s also difficult to understand who her target audience actually is. As someone who is partially self employed, a few of her ‘tips’ would come in useful for me I’m sure, but I can’t see these being actionable in most workplaces. The ‘working hard’ section is very repetitive and could’ve been summed up in about 4 bullet points rather than chapters.
As other reviews have suggested, and knowing what I do about the author, her privilege is downplayed and the style of writing is that of a uni student trying to hit their word count. The ‘hardly working’ section is also very repetitive and again reads like an essay just analysing her own definition of hardly working.
My conclusion is that I honestly think this could’ve been a series of vaguely informative Instagram posts rather than an entire book.
Granted you may find some useful tips in here, but I’d save yourself the time and money and just “find what works for you” as this is the essentially the bottom line of the book (with a load of weird analogies thrown in to make it *even* longer).
Although not as hard to read as I initially expected, I did find myself at the end of each chapter having no idea what the point was she was trying to make. Knowing what I do about Grace, it’s hard to understand where she is coming from when she herself perpetuates the concepts and “cultures” she is trying to pull people away from.
She seems to believe she has redefined the term “purpose” over a full 10 pages when she really could’ve just made her point with one or 2 sentences. There are definitely a few good points to take away from the book, and parts to make you think about your own “purpose” and productivity, and I didn’t hate reading it, but it’s hard to see past the hypocrisy.
It’s also difficult to understand who her target audience actually is. As someone who is partially self employed, a few of her ‘tips’ would come in useful for me I’m sure, but I can’t see these being actionable in most workplaces. The ‘working hard’ section is very repetitive and could’ve been summed up in about 4 bullet points rather than chapters.
As other reviews have suggested, and knowing what I do about the author, her privilege is downplayed and the style of writing is that of a uni student trying to hit their word count. The ‘hardly working’ section is also very repetitive and again reads like an essay just analysing her own definition of hardly working.
My conclusion is that I honestly think this could’ve been a series of vaguely informative Instagram posts rather than an entire book.
Granted you may find some useful tips in here, but I’d save yourself the time and money and just “find what works for you” as this is the essentially the bottom line of the book (with a load of weird analogies thrown in to make it *even* longer).
April 25, 2021
Grace is extremely impressive as a business woman but the book oozes unacknowledged privilege and doesn’t say anything new
May 5, 2021
Very strange structuring and sentences longer than myself to say the same point over and over.
The ideas suggested although interesting seemed unrealistic - a quick glance online shows the author doesn't abide by the rules, leaving me wondering the overall value of the advice given.
Not sure a self-help book is suitable from someone who's position, although clearly hard-worked for, wasn't self-made. I'd appreciate more insights from someone who started from a much more common starting point that I could relate to more.
The ideas suggested although interesting seemed unrealistic - a quick glance online shows the author doesn't abide by the rules, leaving me wondering the overall value of the advice given.
Not sure a self-help book is suitable from someone who's position, although clearly hard-worked for, wasn't self-made. I'd appreciate more insights from someone who started from a much more common starting point that I could relate to more.
May 8, 2021
Unfortunately this read to me like a blog post that was fluffed out to meet a book publishers word count.
Grace admits at one point in the book that when she started writing it, she had no idea what she was going to say, and to be honest that’s very evident when you’re reading it. There are a few good points made, but certainly not enough to write a book. At the end of most chapters it felt very unclear what point, if any, she was trying to make.
At points I felt like I was reading a self-help book that the author had written for the benefit of herself alone. As someone who has worked one internship and then spent the rest of her career as the CEO of her own companies, I don’t think much of her advice is at all relevant for the average millennial/Gen Z.
Grace admits at one point in the book that when she started writing it, she had no idea what she was going to say, and to be honest that’s very evident when you’re reading it. There are a few good points made, but certainly not enough to write a book. At the end of most chapters it felt very unclear what point, if any, she was trying to make.
At points I felt like I was reading a self-help book that the author had written for the benefit of herself alone. As someone who has worked one internship and then spent the rest of her career as the CEO of her own companies, I don’t think much of her advice is at all relevant for the average millennial/Gen Z.
May 6, 2021
A poorly written book by an influencer with an overinflated ego and a massive amount of privilege. Please don’t bother reading this book if you want some useful advice on how to be more productive and successful.
September 23, 2021
Oh deary, this one missed the mark for me and I really wanted to love it.
This is a classic case of 'I was not given what you promised me'. The cover says it is a 'how to', giving 'tips' to 'boost productivity, find your purpose, avoid burnout and practice self-care' The back cover promises 'help' around 'productivity methods' and 'making routines'. To me, that sounds like this book is full of PRACTICAL STUFF which is hopefully unique and not just another version of every other productivity self-help book. In her introduction, Grace also emphasises that this book 'is really not about me'.
I would say this book failed on both counts to achieve what it marketed itself as. Grace says 'it's not a memoir' but what I read was 200 pages of her career life story mixed in with some well-researched opinions on the working generation of today, with a scattering of practical tips I have seen everywhere.
Credit to Grace for curating some really interesting research and clearly being very knowledgeable on business and the working environment today. Sadly, the way that research was presented was a little bland and repetitive for my liking. This is a surprisingly dense book yet I don't feel like I absorbed much of what it was saying.
Personally, I think the balance being struck between research/opinion and practical advice was a little off - I wanted more realistic ways in which I could APPLY the ideas and theory to my life. Telling me to 'take breaks' does not constitute good advice at this point.
This book also felt very 'buzz-wordy' to me. It got irritating. As did Grace's unacknowledged privilege at times (she did address privilege at moments throughout the book but it was still dripping in privilege).
I think I would have enjoyed this a lot more if Grace just embraced the fact it is essentially a memoir with some social commentary and research included. If she embraced that and built upon the memoir sections, making the book less dense with some photos, it would have been a much more enjoyable read.
Overall, I would recommend this if you want to try it out, especially if you haven't read many books of this genre before. Sadly, it didn't offer me much but I can see that it may have value for others.
This is a classic case of 'I was not given what you promised me'. The cover says it is a 'how to', giving 'tips' to 'boost productivity, find your purpose, avoid burnout and practice self-care' The back cover promises 'help' around 'productivity methods' and 'making routines'. To me, that sounds like this book is full of PRACTICAL STUFF which is hopefully unique and not just another version of every other productivity self-help book. In her introduction, Grace also emphasises that this book 'is really not about me'.
I would say this book failed on both counts to achieve what it marketed itself as. Grace says 'it's not a memoir' but what I read was 200 pages of her career life story mixed in with some well-researched opinions on the working generation of today, with a scattering of practical tips I have seen everywhere.
Credit to Grace for curating some really interesting research and clearly being very knowledgeable on business and the working environment today. Sadly, the way that research was presented was a little bland and repetitive for my liking. This is a surprisingly dense book yet I don't feel like I absorbed much of what it was saying.
Personally, I think the balance being struck between research/opinion and practical advice was a little off - I wanted more realistic ways in which I could APPLY the ideas and theory to my life. Telling me to 'take breaks' does not constitute good advice at this point.
This book also felt very 'buzz-wordy' to me. It got irritating. As did Grace's unacknowledged privilege at times (she did address privilege at moments throughout the book but it was still dripping in privilege).
I think I would have enjoyed this a lot more if Grace just embraced the fact it is essentially a memoir with some social commentary and research included. If she embraced that and built upon the memoir sections, making the book less dense with some photos, it would have been a much more enjoyable read.
Overall, I would recommend this if you want to try it out, especially if you haven't read many books of this genre before. Sadly, it didn't offer me much but I can see that it may have value for others.
April 24, 2021
„So while I was coming to the realisation that I had NOT a F*cking Clue™️ whether I was lazy, burned out, entitled, lost, working hard, hardly working or all of the above, I began to conclude that no one did either.“
Grace is 24 years old and has build 2 companies already. I have followed her for 5+ years on social media and she always comes across as forward thinking and having an understanding of matters of millennial’s + gen z‘s.
And that’s what she brings into this book.
She talks about how social media has influenced our understanding of productivity, „hustling“ etc. and how that is very damaging.
The book is devided into two parts.
The first one being: „Working Hard“: How does success look like for YOU personally, some of her productivity tips, the flow state and a (very good) real talk about purpose and how to redefine the current definition that floats around.
In the second part „Hardly Working“: Redefining self-care as being productive, the matter of wanting or needing to „have it all“ and the art of doing nothing.
One of my favorite chapters was the one on success.
„I‘m never going to feel successful unless I define what success is for me, and if I never feel successful, I‘ll never be successful.“
What I liked less was that she put too many personal remarks in brackets behind sentences. Some of the productivity tips and the flow state weren’t anything groundbreaking new.
But: This is one book that our generation needs! Because it’s so relevant to us and just the start of a hopeful bigger conversation.
It inspired me to think about my life and how I can change my perspective of productivity, success and which role social media plays in it.
She manages to formulate some things, that we are all feeling and experiencing to some degree, in concrete terms like I haven‘t heard much people talk about yet.
I think this will speak to a lot of young people and can help to start changing the direction of how we see the workplace etc. in our current time and with all the challenges that are thrown at us.
Grace is 24 years old and has build 2 companies already. I have followed her for 5+ years on social media and she always comes across as forward thinking and having an understanding of matters of millennial’s + gen z‘s.
And that’s what she brings into this book.
She talks about how social media has influenced our understanding of productivity, „hustling“ etc. and how that is very damaging.
The book is devided into two parts.
The first one being: „Working Hard“: How does success look like for YOU personally, some of her productivity tips, the flow state and a (very good) real talk about purpose and how to redefine the current definition that floats around.
In the second part „Hardly Working“: Redefining self-care as being productive, the matter of wanting or needing to „have it all“ and the art of doing nothing.
One of my favorite chapters was the one on success.
„I‘m never going to feel successful unless I define what success is for me, and if I never feel successful, I‘ll never be successful.“
What I liked less was that she put too many personal remarks in brackets behind sentences. Some of the productivity tips and the flow state weren’t anything groundbreaking new.
But: This is one book that our generation needs! Because it’s so relevant to us and just the start of a hopeful bigger conversation.
It inspired me to think about my life and how I can change my perspective of productivity, success and which role social media plays in it.
She manages to formulate some things, that we are all feeling and experiencing to some degree, in concrete terms like I haven‘t heard much people talk about yet.
I think this will speak to a lot of young people and can help to start changing the direction of how we see the workplace etc. in our current time and with all the challenges that are thrown at us.
May 13, 2021
Was intrigued by this book from the huge media frenzy about it but was disappointed - although perhaps I shouldn’t have been (after all, most ‘influencer’ books are much like this aren’t they?!).
I listened to this on audible and I’m not sure if I’d have found it so irritating written down, but there were so many cliches or cringe phrases that really clanged for me. It read a lot like a University essay, that’s then been post-edited to add in a casual/‘relatable’ tone of voice, a few swear words here and there, some ‘jokes’ and weird similes in order to try to pander to Grace’s audience. I don’t think it’ll age well, it’s very much a book written for the now, for the 20 year olds of today.
I hate to say I found it quite patronising to be receiving a lot of this advice from a 24 year old - whilst it’s impressive she’s at the stage of her career that she is at that age, I think a lot of her success is very circumstantial and can’t be replicated by reading a book with some age old timekeeping strategies in.
Perhaps more helpful for the generation younger than me (And I’m only 26, for reference) who are just starting out in the working world - I can’t say I learnt anything!
It was however (and I find this with all self-help books) somewhat helpful in getting me into an evaluative mindset to consider my working practices, work life balance etc, by forcing me to make space to review my approach. So not a complete waste of time!
I listened to this on audible and I’m not sure if I’d have found it so irritating written down, but there were so many cliches or cringe phrases that really clanged for me. It read a lot like a University essay, that’s then been post-edited to add in a casual/‘relatable’ tone of voice, a few swear words here and there, some ‘jokes’ and weird similes in order to try to pander to Grace’s audience. I don’t think it’ll age well, it’s very much a book written for the now, for the 20 year olds of today.
I hate to say I found it quite patronising to be receiving a lot of this advice from a 24 year old - whilst it’s impressive she’s at the stage of her career that she is at that age, I think a lot of her success is very circumstantial and can’t be replicated by reading a book with some age old timekeeping strategies in.
Perhaps more helpful for the generation younger than me (And I’m only 26, for reference) who are just starting out in the working world - I can’t say I learnt anything!
It was however (and I find this with all self-help books) somewhat helpful in getting me into an evaluative mindset to consider my working practices, work life balance etc, by forcing me to make space to review my approach. So not a complete waste of time!
May 9, 2021
Pretty wordy and repetitive at times. I could get through a whole chapter and not really have a clear idea of the point trying to be made.
May 16, 2021
I was so excited for this book. I thought “this is exactly what I need”.
Well let’s just say I wasted £16.99.
I didn’t gain anything from this book.
The introduction is boring and the language is uselessly difficult.
All the things this book says are already known: I know I have to take breaks; I know I need time off; I know I need to write to-do lists. I already know and do all of these things. I wanted something more.
Also, I find this book very repetitive. My mind literally went blank while reading some parts. It almost looks like something I could have written in high school. It’s just the same concept over and over again.
Something I enjoy while reading this kind of books is the science at the basis of concepts. Or at least the account of other people’s personal experiences. There is nothing about that here. This is a book about Grace.
Many parts of this book made me anxious instead of less stressed. I am surprised I managed to finish it, even though it was only 200 pages.
Well let’s just say I wasted £16.99.
I didn’t gain anything from this book.
The introduction is boring and the language is uselessly difficult.
All the things this book says are already known: I know I have to take breaks; I know I need time off; I know I need to write to-do lists. I already know and do all of these things. I wanted something more.
Also, I find this book very repetitive. My mind literally went blank while reading some parts. It almost looks like something I could have written in high school. It’s just the same concept over and over again.
Something I enjoy while reading this kind of books is the science at the basis of concepts. Or at least the account of other people’s personal experiences. There is nothing about that here. This is a book about Grace.
Many parts of this book made me anxious instead of less stressed. I am surprised I managed to finish it, even though it was only 200 pages.
May 5, 2021
Whilst this book didn't say anything groundbreaking for me personally about productivity, it was nice to have all the advice in one place. What I did like was the mixed genre between self-help/autobiography/academic discourse about hustle culture. I was made to think about how working itself can be self-care and how to work more efficiently, and also how to recognise the difference between burn out and laziness. Grace is acutely aware of her own privileges so it didn't read hypocritically at all, some people are just set on hating every single thing she does. Overall I came away feeling motivated and I enjoy the reading list/podcast recommendations at the back.
It also got me thinking about goodreads and the role it plays in hustle culture. Do we participate in reading challenges for fun or to show our peers how many books we have read. Am I writing this review as a personal log about things I enjoyed, or to prove to my friends that in my spare time I read books about success?...
It also got me thinking about goodreads and the role it plays in hustle culture. Do we participate in reading challenges for fun or to show our peers how many books we have read. Am I writing this review as a personal log about things I enjoyed, or to prove to my friends that in my spare time I read books about success?...
May 16, 2021
Doesn’t really share anything new - some good productivity tips but it’s things you can find online already. I also wasn’t sure what point she was trying to make in the first chapter, so had to read it parts of it several times.
July 4, 2021
The book I wish my twenty one year-old self had read. Would have been really helpful when I entered full-time work and started navigating self-employment.
January 31, 2022
Working Hard, Hardly Working is another self-help book that is way longer than it needs to be. It has some occasionally helpful tips, but was mostly 101 basic advice - I did not learn anything new. The book is strangely structured and the writing is rambly, often obscuring whatever point the author was trying to make. She also constantly discounted her own suggestions. While I understand she was trying to avoid coming across as overly authoritative and show awareness of her privilege, it took away from her arguments for me. For the positives, I think there were some interesting observations on hustle culture, 'marketable workaholism' and the need for work reform. But, overall, I would skip this book.
August 16, 2021
I adore Grace Beverley and EVERYTHING she does, but this didn't really hit the mark for me. Really it should be 3 stars but the 4th is for the fact that it actually has given me some helpful productivity tips and it was incredibly well written. The downsides for me was that it felt a bit hypocritical (which was acknowledged) and it lacked substance for me; realistically it could have said everything it did in half the number of pages. Also I don't think it was entirely aimed at me and the sort of work I do (ironically it was kind of aimed at 'side hustlers' despite the discussions of how side-hustling isn't ideal), so I can't be too harsh really. There were a few inspirational parts and a good overview of what our generation has to deal with day to day, so overall pretty good.
May 23, 2021
This was essentially a handbook for Gen Z with useful tips on how to be more productive but also find the right balance and avoid being overworked. The first half was a bit too buzzword and theory heavy for me, but definitely had good advice, some of it I already embed into my work. I found the most engaging aspects were Grace’s own experiences and how she faces them, from imposter syndrome, managing yourself and knowing when to take a break, through to the reading list at the back of the book with a list of key texts, podcasts and online resources to get stuck into for motivation and inspiration.
August 26, 2022
I have always been fascinated by Grace and I was hoping this would be an autobiography, sadly not. It reads like it was written for an extremely naïve 14 year old, and has cemented my dislike for self-help books!!
November 9, 2021
Read this book as part of a book club from work.
I had no idea who Grace Beverly was and overall I was pretty clueless about the book's contents or its target audience when I started reading it. All I knew was that I wanted to have a conversation about work and I wanted to reflect upon my approach and motivation and this book seemed as good a start as any other.
I enjoyed most of the book and I feel like I got what I needed from it + some tips or tricks that I'd like to implement. Personally I enjoyed most the chapters on productivity, flow, success and the art of doing nothing. I got to reflect a lot on what works and what doesn't for me, whether the definitions that I have set up are relevant and whether the strategies that I adopt for work and personal life are really effective or beneficial. Admittedly, I've never read a business+self-help type of book before so I'm guessing that the contents of these chapter are not, by any means, innovative but I do think that the way the narrative of these chapters is built up, you can get some meaningful ideas out of it, especially if this your first book in the genre.
I was pretty surprised that there was so much talk about Gen Z and Millennials, probably because I didn't really know who the author was. I'm a Millennial, borderline Gen Z myself, but I found the amount of talk around these generations a bit too excessive or unnecessary. The points around this topic were over repeated and over explained to the point that the book must feel a bit strange for someone who is in neither of these generations. Some chapters felt diluted or unclear, resembling more the transcript of someone giving a talk rather than a book. The first 40 pages or so of the book were hard to get through personally due to the points mentioned beforehand, but I don't regret continuing to read it as it definitely gets better afterwards.
I had no idea who Grace Beverly was and overall I was pretty clueless about the book's contents or its target audience when I started reading it. All I knew was that I wanted to have a conversation about work and I wanted to reflect upon my approach and motivation and this book seemed as good a start as any other.
I enjoyed most of the book and I feel like I got what I needed from it + some tips or tricks that I'd like to implement. Personally I enjoyed most the chapters on productivity, flow, success and the art of doing nothing. I got to reflect a lot on what works and what doesn't for me, whether the definitions that I have set up are relevant and whether the strategies that I adopt for work and personal life are really effective or beneficial. Admittedly, I've never read a business+self-help type of book before so I'm guessing that the contents of these chapter are not, by any means, innovative but I do think that the way the narrative of these chapters is built up, you can get some meaningful ideas out of it, especially if this your first book in the genre.
I was pretty surprised that there was so much talk about Gen Z and Millennials, probably because I didn't really know who the author was. I'm a Millennial, borderline Gen Z myself, but I found the amount of talk around these generations a bit too excessive or unnecessary. The points around this topic were over repeated and over explained to the point that the book must feel a bit strange for someone who is in neither of these generations. Some chapters felt diluted or unclear, resembling more the transcript of someone giving a talk rather than a book. The first 40 pages or so of the book were hard to get through personally due to the points mentioned beforehand, but I don't regret continuing to read it as it definitely gets better afterwards.
July 13, 2021
Ironically the first book I think I've read about productivity from a fellow Gen Z.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading through this book and it's fresh take on working in a more fulfilled and humane way. I can see from other reviews that a lot of criticism is that Grace isn't saying anything new but I also don't think she claimed to do so. What I do think this book does is take a more realistic view towards working hard without taking us towards 'karoshi' and I think Grace is a very ideal person to present this view as a successful Gen Z business owner/Oxford graduate. I also see a lot of criticisms about her privilege, which she does acknowledge in the book but I don't think she should be invalidated to speak on hard work because she didn't study by candlelight in a third world country growing up.
It was quite interesting reading this book around the same time I was listening to Tim Grover's new book on winning and I personally would love to see a debate between the two (self care certainly isn't found in Tim's book- apologies if this is inaccurate). These two works present a very different approach towards having it all- although that's because they'd probably disagree on what having it all means. Whether you lean more towards working hard or hardly working, Grace has you covered in an amusing one size does not fit all approach with university essay like references to other relevant works in beautiful Times New Roman font. I'd recommend this book to other Gen Z workers finding their way in the work place as well as everyone else (who thinks avocado on toast symbolises our self entitlement).
I thoroughly enjoyed reading through this book and it's fresh take on working in a more fulfilled and humane way. I can see from other reviews that a lot of criticism is that Grace isn't saying anything new but I also don't think she claimed to do so. What I do think this book does is take a more realistic view towards working hard without taking us towards 'karoshi' and I think Grace is a very ideal person to present this view as a successful Gen Z business owner/Oxford graduate. I also see a lot of criticisms about her privilege, which she does acknowledge in the book but I don't think she should be invalidated to speak on hard work because she didn't study by candlelight in a third world country growing up.
It was quite interesting reading this book around the same time I was listening to Tim Grover's new book on winning and I personally would love to see a debate between the two (self care certainly isn't found in Tim's book- apologies if this is inaccurate). These two works present a very different approach towards having it all- although that's because they'd probably disagree on what having it all means. Whether you lean more towards working hard or hardly working, Grace has you covered in an amusing one size does not fit all approach with university essay like references to other relevant works in beautiful Times New Roman font. I'd recommend this book to other Gen Z workers finding their way in the work place as well as everyone else (who thinks avocado on toast symbolises our self entitlement).
September 15, 2021
This book definitely had some useful tips and thought provoking arguments/ concepts but, particularly in the first section, was very repetitive. Feel like it probably could have been a series of articles or Instagram posts.
August 25, 2021
I really enjoyed this book; Grace's writing style is very relaxed and conversational which made this a very quick and easy read. There were many useful tips and tricks that could be extracted and easily adapted for different lifestyle situations.
The use of personal anecdotes made Grace appear more human than the virtual persona that Social Media presents which made it a lot easier to align with her journey as a young entrepreneur and not some genius super-human robot.
I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone, particularly if they struggle with balancing work and life. The criticism of particular phrases such as "work-life balance" and "having it all" also made it not your typical self-help book. This really helped me to break down what causes me to be more prone to burn out and strategies I can develop and implement to prevent the constant cycle that modern society has helped perpetuate.
The use of personal anecdotes made Grace appear more human than the virtual persona that Social Media presents which made it a lot easier to align with her journey as a young entrepreneur and not some genius super-human robot.
I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone, particularly if they struggle with balancing work and life. The criticism of particular phrases such as "work-life balance" and "having it all" also made it not your typical self-help book. This really helped me to break down what causes me to be more prone to burn out and strategies I can develop and implement to prevent the constant cycle that modern society has helped perpetuate.
June 3, 2021
A very quick and interesting read. I loved Grace’s humour and writing style, it felt like a loving, at times tough love pep talk with a close friend over dinner.
I found myself writing loads of notes in a diary alongside reading and feel super motivated to implement her advice into my working life.
At times I felt it was repetitive and didn’t always actually offer more to the conversation and could have had more advice/ activities/ things to think about or do. I also feel I wasn’t the entirely right demographic as I’m just working as a waitress posh grad so didnt relate to all of the talk about business life or office politics but overall found it a very good guide to looking deeper at how to activity improve your life/ self worth/ mind set and enjoy working life.
Would recommend !!
I found myself writing loads of notes in a diary alongside reading and feel super motivated to implement her advice into my working life.
At times I felt it was repetitive and didn’t always actually offer more to the conversation and could have had more advice/ activities/ things to think about or do. I also feel I wasn’t the entirely right demographic as I’m just working as a waitress posh grad so didnt relate to all of the talk about business life or office politics but overall found it a very good guide to looking deeper at how to activity improve your life/ self worth/ mind set and enjoy working life.
Would recommend !!
June 7, 2021
This was the most over-hyped book I have read in a long time. It's great if this provided you with helpful tips to implement in your own life, but for me, it was extremely repetitive and confusing to read.
This book is incredibly self-indulgent and comes from such a privileged place, which is acknowledged but the acknowledgment doesn't go far enough.
Beverley is an astoundingly successful businesswoman and clearly very intelligent but she isn't a natural author, and I'm surprised parts of this got past proof-reading stages.
And please, stop italicising every fifth word.
This book is incredibly self-indulgent and comes from such a privileged place, which is acknowledged but the acknowledgment doesn't go far enough.
Beverley is an astoundingly successful businesswoman and clearly very intelligent but she isn't a natural author, and I'm surprised parts of this got past proof-reading stages.
And please, stop italicising every fifth word.
April 20, 2021
i’m being generous w 4 stars, it was really more 3/3.5 but i love grace so
a semi refreshing self help book, the first half was filled w buzzwords i hate like productivity, hustle-porn, working smart not hard, find your flow etc and i didnt really like the constant use of lists and pie charts n stuff but the second half was better imo
not really worth £16.99 but was a decent read, but most of it was stuff i’ve heard before / already implement into my life
a semi refreshing self help book, the first half was filled w buzzwords i hate like productivity, hustle-porn, working smart not hard, find your flow etc and i didnt really like the constant use of lists and pie charts n stuff but the second half was better imo
not really worth £16.99 but was a decent read, but most of it was stuff i’ve heard before / already implement into my life
June 21, 2022
I thought this would be really informative but it’s just written from an incredibly privileged point of view. I couldn’t continue after the introduction, and a quick flip through told me this was the right decision. There are good books out there for this stuff and this isn’t one of them.
September 11, 2022
This book was an easy and comforting read. A quick discussion of familiar concepts critiquing working culture looked at through the lens of the Gen-Z/ millennial generations which challenges the stereotypes that we are both lazy and unmotivated yet are also prone to overworking and experiencing burnout.
A lot of the concepts were quite repetitive but the book was easy to digest as it read like a conversation with a friend. It was comforting to hear my general critique of modern working culture almost repeated back to me in agreement from an author who is so successful in her line of business (however it is up to us to define our own success as outlined in her arguments).
The narrative reads as a validating dialogue to any young worker trying to navigate the modern world. It can be read as a very generalised perspective of the workplace but Grace caveats her personal position by declaring her privileges to give context to her journey as a CEO of two businesses. This naturally gives a privileged position to her perspective, yet she suggests we all have vastly different experiences of work and her privileges are not lost on her.
The general hints and tips can definitely be adapted to our own working worlds. They seem familiar, but sometimes having known concepts reiterated can be a useful nudge to actually implementing them to our daily lives. The book made me want to start taking ownership of my self-care, self- acceptance and self-worth.
A lot of the concepts were quite repetitive but the book was easy to digest as it read like a conversation with a friend. It was comforting to hear my general critique of modern working culture almost repeated back to me in agreement from an author who is so successful in her line of business (however it is up to us to define our own success as outlined in her arguments).
The narrative reads as a validating dialogue to any young worker trying to navigate the modern world. It can be read as a very generalised perspective of the workplace but Grace caveats her personal position by declaring her privileges to give context to her journey as a CEO of two businesses. This naturally gives a privileged position to her perspective, yet she suggests we all have vastly different experiences of work and her privileges are not lost on her.
The general hints and tips can definitely be adapted to our own working worlds. They seem familiar, but sometimes having known concepts reiterated can be a useful nudge to actually implementing them to our daily lives. The book made me want to start taking ownership of my self-care, self- acceptance and self-worth.
October 24, 2021
Enjoyed listening to this! I’ve always looked up to grace as she was one of the first ‘influencers’ I ever followed and helped teach me about fitness and nutrition which I value a lot.
However, although this book is marketed for everyone I think it is a lot more transferable for those who are self employed or have their own management of their work load. There’s a few points I was able to take away from this so all in all wasn’t a waste of my time and even parts I couldn’t implement for myself I still find interesting to learn about.
The first couple of chapters I did agree with the criticism that it felt like an essay and that big words where being chucked in to up the word count. A lot of what was said was in a very roundabout way and could have been summarised a lot more precisely. Also I found it to have a few contradictions.
I am however going to reevaluate my life and am inspired to get my shit together to be more productive 😂
However, although this book is marketed for everyone I think it is a lot more transferable for those who are self employed or have their own management of their work load. There’s a few points I was able to take away from this so all in all wasn’t a waste of my time and even parts I couldn’t implement for myself I still find interesting to learn about.
The first couple of chapters I did agree with the criticism that it felt like an essay and that big words where being chucked in to up the word count. A lot of what was said was in a very roundabout way and could have been summarised a lot more precisely. Also I found it to have a few contradictions.
I am however going to reevaluate my life and am inspired to get my shit together to be more productive 😂
December 13, 2022
Some good ideas and sentiments that resonated with me, but mostly this was nothing new or even clearly explained, mixed with rambling sentences, quirky jokes and lots of privilege.
I was going to give this 3 stars but ultimately realised that after finishing each chapter, I didn’t even feel as though I’d absorbed anything particularly valuable or coherent. There was nothing I hadn’t either already learnt elsewhere or already did due to common sense (such as keeping a to-do list and using the calendar on my phone).
I had to take breaks from listening because it just wasn’t that enjoyable or engaging, even when I listened at work and therefore was in the right mindframe. Maybe I’d have enjoyed it more if I read it rather than listened… and if there wasn’t a section where Grace repeats the word “flow” approximately every 5 seconds.
I was going to give this 3 stars but ultimately realised that after finishing each chapter, I didn’t even feel as though I’d absorbed anything particularly valuable or coherent. There was nothing I hadn’t either already learnt elsewhere or already did due to common sense (such as keeping a to-do list and using the calendar on my phone).
I had to take breaks from listening because it just wasn’t that enjoyable or engaging, even when I listened at work and therefore was in the right mindframe. Maybe I’d have enjoyed it more if I read it rather than listened… and if there wasn’t a section where Grace repeats the word “flow” approximately every 5 seconds.
January 9, 2023
I liked the first half of book about work, it was totally relatable. The second part about rest, not working and self care could be definitely better - I didn’t grasp a particular direction. And the final conclusion was just about gen z, which is a bit off. Overall, good thoughts and self help tool on the first 100 pages, out of 200 total
January 3, 2023
Very interesting and insightful book for Gen-Z. If you are not part of this generation, you might not relate to this book as much.
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