Don't Sweat the Small Stuff at Work: Simple Ways to Minimize Stress and Conflict While Bringing Out the Best in Yourself and Others

by Richard Carlson

Carlson shows readers how to interact more peaceably and joyfully with colleagues, clients, and bosses.

Spending forty hours or more a week in an office, along with rush deadlines, heavy workloads, and daily dilemmas, can make working a very stressful experience. Richard Carlson reveals tips that will transform your outlook at the office, easing stress there and also leading to a happier life at home.

Genres: Self Help, Nonfiction, Business, Personal Development, Psychology, Philosophy, Personal Growth

284 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Richard Carlson was an American author, psychotherapist, and motivational speaker. His book, Don't Sweat the Small Stuff... and it's all Small Stuff (1997), was USA Today's bestselling book for two consecutive years and spent over 101 weeks on the New York Times Best Seller list. It was published in 135 countries and translated into Latvian, Polish, Icelandic, Serbian and 26 other languages. Carlson went on to write 20 books.

Reviews

[adllto · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've dipped into this book over the years and basic commonsense we need to hear especially when stressed. As I declutter it's time for this book to go out the front door, which is rather ironic.

Some pieces of wisdom I'd like to note. 1/ Dare to be Happy i.e. actually enjoy what you are doing. 2/ Make Friends with Your Receptionist i.e. there are key people who can make your life easier and less stressed who you may not think important. In my studies it has been often the librarian. 3/ Create a Bridge between your spirituality and your work. For me this has meant trying to be aware of God in my day in the mundane as well the stressful. Not easy but often this can force the stresses into the small scale. 4/ Ask yourself the question "Am I making the best of This Moment".

When you're making the best of this moment, it's unlikely that you'll be sweating the small stuff because you'll be focused on solutions and enjoyment instead of problems and concerns.

[Patti Clement · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great collection of wisdom by the author of Don't Sweat the Small Stuff! Same format with 100 brief excerpts of wisdom for the workplace. My favorite is # 84....Make Peace with Chaos.....

[Anita · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book. Of course, some of it was common sense - but even the best of us need to be reminded of common sense sometimes! :-) Other portions were thought-provoking and made you look at the world or circumstances in a different way. As I have been reading the book and implementing some changes in my life, I have seen improvements in the way I deal with people and the way they respond. Now that I have completed the book, I can see myself reading a chapter a day as reminders (the chapters are short - 1.5 - 3 pages in length at most, each for a different topic).

Overall, not only would I recommend the book, I intend to buy multiple copies to give to my friends and co-workers.

[Tonya Mangum · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read. Provides insight to being happier and more productive at work and other areas of life

[mrs rhys · Rating 4 out of 5]

"There is no way to happiness; happiness is the way"

Richard Carlson strikes again in a work setting. I love these little bite-sized life tips that provide a good dose of common sense, and that can easily be accessed again and again.

[BookOtheDay · Rating 1 out of 5]

Creepy

I was happy to find this (and the original) at my local thrift store for less than a buck each. I've always been curious about this series and thought I would benefit from it. I am glad I did not pay more.

I'm sure (I think) Richard Carlson means well and wants to keep a sort of light, upbeat tone and he certainly takes care to clarify his points, but he kind of comes off as a kind of sociopath. I got through 22 pages of escalating weirdness before I reached my limit.

I thought, naively, that this book would be about "small stuff" given that its in the title and all. But I should have listened to logic that said "there's no way advice about small stuff would fill that big a volume". Mr. Carlson does not stick to small stuff. When he does, his points about stuff like managing phone time and being nicer colleagues are fine. I guess. But it's when he decides to tackle SOMEWHAT BIGGER ISSUES like when your job gives you barely any time to have a life, that Mr. Carlson's creepy worldview shows through. This book wants you to view your job the way you do God or the weather - all you can do is roll with it. Which might be fine if you lived in Soviet Russia or something but here comes off as a sort of depressing bit of corporate propaganda. I gave up on the chapter labelled Corporate Bragging which apparently refers to people who brag about how many hours they work and how it leaves them no time for anything else, down to bathroom breaks. Instead of suggesting that these people take a minute to gauge their priorities, negotiate a better situation, look for another job, quit or call OSHA or something, Mr. Carlson's honest-to-God suggestion is that they just shut up about it. You see, he is tired of hearing about your worklife and I mean, I am too but if I wrote a book intended to help people I wouldn't include that. It's breathtaking, in that I think I gasped, to read as someone actually takes what most of us would take as a cry for help or at least evidence of a bad work environment and come to the conclusion 1. the solution to this problem is for you to stop talking about it 2. whining is not a productive use of your time, isn't good for you spiritually etc so never, ever do it. Your suffering and humanity is inefficient and it's bringing you down, so just don't be it! People may treat you badly but don't make it worse telling anyone or doing anything about it! If you want to be happy just stop being sad! Time isn't money, emotions are! Mr. Carlson is the villain of Inside Out but for money. If you are still interested in this series, let me spell it out for you: if you have a big problem, shut up about it; if you have a small problem, fix it yourself. All of your problems, ever, are caused by your attitude and never by the actions of others. If someone jumps out and mugs you, well you shouldn't have had such a muggy attitude. And don't be scared or upset! That isn't a productive use of your time.

[Dave Donahoe · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took longer to read than I thought. But...hey, I'm not gonna sweat it.

[Zoë · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 Stars. This book tells you not to stress about things, and that’s about it. So I guess I’ll just magically not stress about things anymore ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[Tamara Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book provides 100 short and simple tips to reduce work stress and well as get along well with your boss or co-workers. I like that the tips provided can be used immediately. My favorite tips are take your breaks, confront gently, join the new club “tgit” and don’t sweat your critics. Overall, this is a powerful tool to use when feeling stressed at work as well as learn different coping mechanisms for interacting with challenging work situations.

[Bianca Riley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd say 33% is stuff you already know and bores you, 33% is stuff you already know but really needed to hear again, and 33% is amazingly helpful.

If you're feeling you need to get control of your work life or are struggling with a troublesome colleague, this is a good book to pick up. If you're in control, this will bore you.

[Dene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting food for thought.

Easy to read (chapters are 2-3 pages on average) so can can read snippets over breakfast or during a break.

While a lot of it is what you might already (un)common sense, I would recommend it for reminding you so you don't have to think about it.

[Aileen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Long overdue in reading this one! It gave me a couple of ideas to carry into the office, and had some I've been doing for a while anyway. An enjoyable read, but if I spent my work day trying to practice everything in the book, I'd never get any work done!

[Laurel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has been my first small stuff book. It has made such a difference in how I view my workday. I liked it so much I'm ordering the daily affirmations book. I need constant reminders or I WILL sweat the small stuff.

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great read to remind yourself of what's actually important and what is not!

[Sakshi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well some days you have to read these also. A good one in the self-help genre. Better to improve while we can than to leave evaluations to hindsight.

[Jap Hengky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don’t sweat the small stuff… And it’s all small stuff!

[Hilary · Rating 4 out of 5]

At least you know that you are not alone in trying to deal with issues at work when you read this volume.

[Alma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Learn to delegate.

[Faith]

Not giving a star rating because I simply skimmed that book, reading the chapters that intrigued or seemed to apply to me. What I did read I found helpful, Mr. Carlson has a lot of wisdom so I appreciate the very condensed form of small bite sized chapters each with a different piece of advice for less stress, and more enjoyment of your everyday work life. There were a few different things I really needed to hear (or rather read), such as 'ask for what you want, but don't insist on getting it', 'accept that sometimes you will work with incompetent people, and give them grace', and 'don't anticipate feeling tired'.
I love the author's sense of humor, and the lightness he brought to each topic was a helpful reminder to keep a relaxed mindset regarding work and all of the speed bumps you encounter on a daily basis while engaging in it.
I'm glad I picked this up at our local little library!

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a collection of 100 different (but related) topics to help reduce or prevent stressors in your life at work to improve your overall life and well being.

Like many self-help books I have read, this one points out seemingly obvious and easy things to help improve a person's standard of living. Relating some of these concepts to my co-workers, some seemed disbelieving of several concepts. I am constantly stressing myself out at work and found many of the concepts are things that I have learned myself along the way as well as some new ideas. A good book to put your work life and view in perspective.

[Christina Singh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an incredibly motivating read for me. I initially picked this book up as a way to reduce work stress, but realized that it helped me find ways to alleviate stress in other areas of my life, too! This book was easy to read and I loved how easily Carlson applied his words of advice to scenarios in real life that we could all relate to. I really took the time to read this one, only giving myself a chapter or two per day to really allow the messages and advice to sink in. Highly recommend this book to EVERYONE, regardless of whether or not you feel stressed at work. Even better to start your day with this, it puts a little pep in your step! ;)

[Krista · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading this book by Richard Carlson makes me want to read more of his writings! I read this book over a course of 2 weeks. I read several chapters in the morning and then whenever I had time later on in the day. Its a book that you could re-read over and over. There is something practical to learn in each chapter. Each "small thing" he mentioned was so down to earth and easy to connect with. I felt like mentioned solutions to some of the problems faced at work were easy to connect with and to personally correct some views and ways of doing things.

[Heather Lavigne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I usually don’t go for this kind of book but at this time I’m my life, I thought I could use the reset to reconsider my work habits. Many of the chapters were excellent reminders. Among them, these were my favorites:

8. Stop Anticipating Tiredness
27. Examine Your Rituals and Habits and Be Willing to Change Some of Then
29. Be Careful What You Ask For
34. Recognize Patterns of Behavior
56. Don’t Let Your Own Thoughts Stress You Out
63. Remember the 3Rs (Responsive, Receptive, Reasonable)
87. Avoid “If Only” Thinking

[Maya Murti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bisa jadi ini adalah buku nonfiksi paling berdampak buat saya. Isinya berupa tips dan insights menyikapi hal-hal remeh-temeh yang biasa kita pusingkan di tempat kerja. Kalau buku ini bilang "pekerjaan adalah tempat yang bagus untuk mempraktikkan spiritualitas", nah, itu saya setuju. Banget.

Beberapa tipsnya tercantum di blurb buku ini. Tadinya saya cuma tandain dan catat tips-tipsnya di buku, tapi banyak juga ternyata. Akan lebih baik kalau punya kopi fisiknya, lalu ditandai dan diberi catatan pinggir sesuai pemikiran pembaca masing-masing.

[D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Carlson can take a straightforward bullet point and create 2-3 pages of discussion. I'll be honest that I didn't read most of that, except piecemeal where it caught my attention.

But the bullet points themselves are well worth keeping in mind. This book really is worth placing on the side of your desk at work and flipping through it randomly every now to remind you of its points and recharge your brain.

[Elizabeth Magbanua · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's like being shown into a dumpsite and hypnotizing yourselr it's wonderland. Most of the stuff here are things you should already know about if you're 30 or approaching 30. Every chapter negates itself in the end. I dunno if it's just me but, this is not as life changing as I imagined it to be. 1 star because it's just no worth to me.

[Ζωή Παππά · Rating 3 out of 5]

Τα κεφάλαια του βιβλίου είναι μικρά και διαβάζονται εύκολα και το βιβλίο έχει σίγουρα να δώσει πολλά. Μάλλον όμως εγώ έχω διαβάσει πολλά βιβλία του είδους γιατί θα ήθελα να αναπτύξει την κάθε ιδέα περισσότερο και ομολογώ πως δεν έμαθα αρκετά καινούρια πράγματα. Επίσης το στυλ της γραφής δεν μου ταίριαζε.

[Annie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was helpful. I liked that the chapters focused on a workplace annoyance, irritant or distraction that could be detrimental to a person's work environment. The chapters were concise; I liked that the author brought in examples. I was trying to read a chapter a week to focus on managing a bad workplace environment. It helped in the short term. Now if I could only win the lottery...

[Astrid · Rating 4 out of 5]

is a book with advice that you probably already know but reminds you that you need to apply it in your life. Sometimes certain tips are a bit exaggerated (they give you the feeling that it's ok to accept a bad job and only your thinking is the problem). The book is written with many examples, which I think is appreciable.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recommend reading one tip a day as the book contains less in terms of practical tips than it does reinforcement and reminders to maintain a positive outlook and of course, not sweat the small stuff.