Downshifting: How to Work Less and Enjoy Life More

by John D. Drake

This book is for you if you are.fed up with the 12-hour work day and want to cut back.scared about the risks that come with working less.looking for more satisfaction in life.making a good income, but wondering if the price is worth it.questioning ''Is this all there is?''.wanting more time for your family or yourself, but uncertain about the best ways to achieve it. Downshifting is all about getting off the merry-go-round. It is written to help you move from the fast track to a more satisfying, less work-focused lifestyle. You will not find Downshifting to be pie-in-the-sky. Most of us need to work to earn a living. We recognize, too, that work can be a positive experience - it can provide us with a sense of self-worth, pride of achievement, and even an identity. But, as with most things in life, dependence on just one source for fulfilling our psychological needs narrows the opportunities for personal satisfaction. This book helps you to expand the possibilities. In Downshifting you will learn ways to cut back and still make a good living. I will show you how to convince your organization that the changes you want to make will be good for the organization. You will even learn how to cope with the scared feelings that you're likely to experience. This book will guide you through all you need to know, and do, to find more free time - not only for yourself, but those you care most about. I've written this book because I want to share my experiences in becoming a happier, more balanced person. As a workaholic I knew it would be difficult to work less and as a psychologist I knew why, but I learned how to do it - peacefully and profitably. I've never had the desire to go back. ---- PREFACE

Genres: Self Help, Business, Nonfiction, Health

135 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 31, 2000

Reviews

[Kiri · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd been wanting to read this book for ages -- attracted by its subtitle, "How to work less and enjoy life more." Who doesn't want that? But then by the time I finally got a copy to read, I discovered that I'd already taken a good number of "downshifting" steps on my own. But just because the advice in this book came a little late for me, that does not at all mean that I find it without value.

This is an excellent little book that carefully covers the important aspects of downshifting: identifying what is making you unhappy; exploring options for a range of changes, from minimal to life-altering; how to get buy-in from your employer; and what to do with the new time you've freed up, to truly invest in increasing your happiness. The book contains both high-flung motivation and concrete details like specific steps you can take to test the waters -- what your employer may tolerate, and what you may tolerate. I liked that the author did not naively assume that you can just make huge changes and expect happiness to follow; instead the book acknowledges that change of any kind carries its own obstacle and gradual change can be much more realistic. Sometimes even the smallest tweak, like reserving your lunch hour for personal time instead of meetings, can make a huge difference in your mental health and satisfaction.

I recommend this book for anyone who's feeling the first stages of burnout, or who worries about balance between career and family, or who wants more out of life than a paycheck.

[Matt McCormick · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't get much out of this book. This book seems to be targetted at high-level executives that have to work long hours due to their jobs.

I would have liked to see some studies about productivity vs. work time to have some data to back up the cases for working less. There were a couple anecdotes in the book about people working less and getting the same amount done. I feel that a lot of people would be better off working less because they would only lose the unproductive time. The productive time would be kept and perhaps even increased due to more time for rest and better thinking. If the author had backed up the demand for downshifting with data to support it, he could have made a much stronger argument.

This book may be good for people who are burnt out and can't see any other solutions but for me, it was nothing special.

[Dan · Rating 1 out of 5]

This guy begins the book asking if various characteristics fit my work life, they included:

- Do you feel guilty when you leave work at the end of the day?
- Do you call the office frequently on vacation?
- Do you constantly push back your vacations because of work?

Ummm, no, I don't do any of that. He wants me to "down shift" from working 80-90 hours per week, I want to down shift from working 45 hours per week. I guess I'm way ahead of where this guy wants me to be.

Not a helpful book for me.

[Marjorie Elwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short book contains a great deal of specific information, both on how to 'downshift' (work less) and how to deal with the psychological ramifications of trying to do so. Though there was a little too much emphasis on religion, I did find it a helpful read.

[kinu triatmojo · Rating 2 out of 5]

prinsipnya sama dengan formula nenek moyang bangsa indonesia yang telah dipatenkan dalam sebuah rumus aljabar berjudul berakit-rakit ke hulu berenang-renang kemudian.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank God for friends who know us better than ourselves and can get us to slow down and move us to a lower gear for climbing upwards!!!

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written by someone who understands the pressures of Corporate America.