The Portfolio Life: How to Future-Proof Your Career, Avoid Burnout, and Build a Life Bigger than Your Business Card

by Christina Wallace

You are more than your job. Optimize your happiness, bank account, personal growth, with this practical playbook to achieve sustainable work-life balance—perfect for readers of The Good Enough Job and What Color Is Your Parachute?

"An actionable guide to leading a balanced life." — Adam Grant, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Hidden Potential and Think Again

Pouring yourself into a single full-time job is the riskiest move you can make. Your parents’ advice to focus on one career path? It doesn’t work anymore, for reasons ranging from recessions to student loan debt, the gig economy, climate disasters, and a global pandemic (to name a few). We need a dramatically different relationship with work, one that allows us to define ourselves beyond our paid labor.
 
The answer? A Portfolio Life. An anti-hustle, pro-rest approach to work-life balance, a Portfolio Life is built on three You are more than any one role or opportunity. Diversification will help you navigate change and mitigate uncertainty. When (not if) your needs change, you can and should rebalance.  
In The Portfolio Life, Harvard professor, serial entrepreneur, and self-described "human Venn diagram" Christina Wallace adapts tried-and-true practices from the business sector to help you eschew the cult of ambition and experience the freedom of building the flexible, fulfilling, and sustainable life you want. Drawing on research, case studies, and her own experience, she walks you step-by-step through the process of designing a strategy for the long haul. Because you deserve rest, relationships, and a rewarding career—not someday, but today. After all, you only live once.
 

Genres: Nonfiction, Business, Self Help, Leadership, Psychology, Professional Development, Entrepreneurship

234 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 18, 2023

Reviews

[Will Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Portfolio Life wasn’t a bad read but it fell short of expectations for me. The idea of looking at your life as a portfolio to be diversified struck me as interesting but there wasn’t much meat on the bones here. The author presented some concepts then tried to personify them with various stories. The format ended up feeling repetitive. Not saying the book isn’t of any value but think I could’ve gotten the gist had it been condensed into an HBR article. Lastly there was a more of a “woe is me” vibe than I expected where the author railed on capitalism.

My notes below…

To be a work-ist is to worship a god with firing power

Four pillars of a portfolio life: identify, optionality, diversification, flexibility

Seek feedback from your network on 1) when have you seen me happiest, 2) what do you come to me for, and 3) where so I stand out against my peers. See what is a theme.

Be memorably lopsided rather than forgettably well rounded. Find out what you are really good at and lean into it.

Don’t let life happen to you. Proactively manage your time and allocate it in a diversified manner with a focus on maximizing happiness

When looking for a partner, whether professional or personal, look for those that share your vision, value, and velocity

Recruit a personal Board of Directors. You need a negotiator, cheerleader, and someone who can provide honest and objective feedback

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

BLUF: Good ideas, but who has time for all this?

I feel like the author is a terrible braggart.

The idea is that you need to develop a basket of diverse skills to make yourself more agile career-wise in a changing world. For example, the author was finding that spearheading multiple startups was going to require too much of her as she slid into motherhood, so she contacted an old friend who offered her a full-time lecturer position at Harvard. You know, like we all do.
I don't disagree with this philosophy, but it takes so much time and energy to stay current on a lot of skillsets, especially diverse skillsets.

I suffer from imposter syndrome a lot and feel like my main competencies are being able to spend time around children without killing them and doing an above-average job at trivia nights, particularly if they aren't heavy on pop culture. (Yeah, my net worth statement and the amount of positive feedback on Goodreads indicate I might have more areas of competence.) But I feel exhausted just from reading this book. The author's method demands both a lot from the reader and from the reader's professional/personal circle. One of the tasks is to contact a bunch of different people who worked with you in the past and ask them about your competencies and why this person sought you out or might seek you out in the future. Maybe someone will remind you of your knack at coming up with thoughtful birthday gifts or how you are able to pull a project together at the last moment.

Then you're supposed to come up with a personal "board of directors," which is like finding a mentor, but five of them, and you're supposed to craft a personal narrative, and you're supposed to create some sort of beneficial social media presence (author recommends a personal website or blog, but a LinkedIn will do in a pinch). In Chapter 10, she finally mentions time management, and on page 180 (of 220) she finally mentions planned rest. She wraps up the chapter freely admitting that she doesn't follow her own advice when it comes to time management (no kidding, Christina). The next chapter is about finances, and I feel like this should have been so much earlier in the book. The last chapter is about future planning.

[Amanda Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got an ARC copy. There is a lot in this book. In fact it seemed like the further I read, the denser it became.

The first half of Portfolio Life goes into establishing why having a variety of skills and interests is valuable, then goes into identifying your core skills, including any unifying themes that you might not have noticed.

The second half of the book is where things get real serious. Christina Wallace lays out ways to measure personal success (a hazy idea that she helps you pin down), how to tell your story, how to measure your time and capacity, and so much else that many productivity and career books go into, but that feels new as she explains it within the portfolio framework.

It felt freeing going into time management in a way that values leisure time and interests in addition to career skills and career adjacent projects. I've read many productivity and career books, but much of this material still felt new. I plan to re-read and work my way through this book's methods more thoroughly.

I'm a little tempted to remove a star for the mention of Gantt charts. (I'm kidding.) (But really, Christina.) Aside from that, wonderful book. Will re-read. Hoping an audiobook version will be available soon. This is going to be one of my "triple books", where I have a hard copy, a Kindle copy, and an Audible copy.

[Dominique · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not everything in the book was relevant for my personal circumstances, which I suspect will be the case for anyone reading it. But it provided a lot of food for thought, which I'm grateful about. Straight to the point, well written and covering a range of topics around this central theme. Would recommend

[Sherif Gerges · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is by no means a bad book, but as I was reading I was consistently wondering if this should be a long article as opposed to an entire book.

[Wendy Greenley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was fortunate to read an advance copy of The Portfolio Life: Future-Proof your Career and Craft a Life Worthy of You that releases April 18, 2023. The book encompasses common sense encouragement to shed the fear of self-promotion as well as broadening our circles of influence and looking more critically at our hobbies and talents for sources of employment. I share the author's view about what would/should be optimum work-life balance and the joy that arises from pursuing passions with time for rest and relationships. At different points, it struck me that not everyone will have the "safety nets" or networks in place to implement the author's glass-always-half-full suggestions. Those elements don't arise organically in difficult situations. An uplifting and aspirational if not always realistic read.

[Clarabelle Koh · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 really

[Kara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an excellent book about the concept of diversifying your work activities and finding ways to incorporate your many interests and talents into your career. Great anecdotes about a variety of people who have built a "portfolio" career. I appreciated that the author addresses things like the downsides of capitalism/consumption, the impact of inequality, etc. Books on career-related topics really need an intersectional view of things or they really lack credibility, imo.

[Alyssa Foll · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars!

This is an important book for anyone who wants to move off of a linear career and start building a life (and work) that works for them. I appreciate her business expertise and entrepreneurial experience as well -- she does a nice job of explaining business jargon and making concepts accessible.

[molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

refreshing helpful and almost anti colonialist lol

[Rachelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Portfolio Life... this book could have been summarized in a list of points. Overexplained and overcomplicated, full of calculations and equations, the text does provide some inspiration for gaining favor in the workplace and successfully balancing home life, work, and other activities, but overall is a brag for the author and her creative way of explaining her venn diagram approach to explaining her career and interests. I appreciate the stories told by others interviewed by the author.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Portfolio Life by Christina Wallace is a refreshing and practical playbook for those seeking to achieve sustainable work-life balance while optimizing their happiness, personal growth, and bank accounts. In this inspiring book, Wallace challenges traditional career advice and instead proposes a new approach to work that she calls the "Portfolio Life."

Wallace argues that pouring oneself into a single full-time job is the riskiest move in today's world, where recessions, student loan debt, and climate disasters can quickly upend one's career plans. Instead, she advocates for diversification and rebalancing as the key tenets of a Portfolio Life. According to Wallace, a Portfolio Life allows individuals to define themselves beyond their paid labor, navigate change, and mitigate uncertainty.

Drawing on her experience as a Harvard professor and serial entrepreneur, Wallace adapts business practices to help readers build flexible, fulfilling, and sustainable lives. The book is filled with case studies, research, and actionable steps to help readers design a long-term strategy that prioritizes rest, relationships, and a rewarding career.

What sets The Portfolio Life apart from other books on work-life balance is Wallace's emphasis on rejecting the cult of ambition and focusing on the long haul. She recognizes that people's needs and priorities change over time and that a successful Portfolio Life requires ongoing rebalancing.

Overall, The Portfolio Life is a great read for anyone seeking a new approach to work that prioritizes flexibility, fulfillment, and sustainability. Wallace's writing is engaging, relatable, and inspiring, making this book a valuable resource for anyone looking to live their best life.

[Steve G G H G · Rating 3 out of 5]

The most interesting part is the intro / "Why" sections, which contrasts life before modern times, when people existed in small communities that all traded skills, to the modern hypercapitalism, where there is a huge stress on being ultra-specialized. The economics of previous generations that were able to work at one factory for a lifetime and support a family was very interesting too. It was cool to read about how you can transition between careers with seemingly disparate skillsets.

The "Why" outlined in the book is definitely important. How do we navigate a society that tends to treat us like economic agents, like profit functions that are meant to be maximized?

I didn't find the answers provided to be particularly satisfying. It felt a bit pedantic and arbitrary. When I got to the part about creating a "Personal Balance Scorecard" I knew I had gone too far and had to call it quits.

There also seems to be an underlying assumption that by studying business, we can crack the code to happiness in our lives, optimizing our way to life satisfaction. While it can be a valuable exercise to think of your life as a business in some scenarios, I think the book takes it to a ridiculous level, comparing a romantic partner to a co-founder and encouraging you to "build your [personal] board of directors."

Nevertheless, there are definitely some interesting ideas and anecdotes. I enjoyed the first half!

[Kathryn Minshew · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Portfolio Life is a fantastic addition to the career advice canon (and I should know!). I've spent the last decade working and building in the career space and highly recommend The Portfolio Life. Why? Firstly, it's a phenomenal reframing of work/life balance that I think will really resonate. Work is a subset of our lives, not in opposition to it, and the Portfolio Life helps you think in a new way about your work/career/profession and its relation to everything else.

In addition, the book is a perfect blend of case studies, research, and Christina’s experiences in a highly readable (and actually really funny!) format. You know how many books are amazing in chapter 1 and then kinda stretch out to fill enough pages to charge for a full book? Yeah, this isn’t like that. Somehow Christina keeps adding value in every single chapter. The last section is as powerful as the first, and that’s rare in the world of business and career books.

One recommendation - grab a package of post-its as you read, because you’re going to need them to get the most out of the exercises in this book. I found it really helpful to highlight, flag concepts, and jot down ideas and answers. Pick it up - you won't regret it!

[Frieda · Rating 4 out of 5]

The premise of this book is built upon the current capitalist system, where the author gave a quick overview in the beginning of the book. The current economic model does not allow us to depend on one company to satisfy our needs - job security, health benefits, a robust retirement fund.

Because of this, we must diversify our work/personal lives not only to be happy but also to be smart about how our lives will play out through retirement.

The author recommends a serious life audit - starting with analyzing what is currently working for you and what isn't. She advises to look deeply into our lives, how are we using our time and does it match to the goals we have set for ourselves. The goals stem from "100 wishes" where she advises to write out all kinds of wishes ranging from personal to professional. These are then grouped and analyzed for common themes.

From there, we can organize our lives and prioritize what goals we want to meet, all the while working at our current jobs or looking for a new one. A great book for career changers or those looking to level up in their careers.

[Meelo Piezas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book acknowledges the fact that our current capitalist system is no longer serving us. This system has limited us in many ways from our sense of identity, financial freedom, and other facets of life. Christina Wallace brings about a new perspective of looking at your life in this large scheme of things- it encourages us to seek all the colors of what you are capable, using those to achieve a more meaningful life. It also does not leave the fact that you, as human, are limited by day and advises to (1) take a rest and (2) make time with your family and friends, to name a few.

It is truly a great book. Its stories are written in a fun and interesting way and encourage one to think of their life in such a way. Also, Christina has a really comprehensible and structured writing style that makes the writing easier to follow in a layman's perspective, especially that it incorporates technical aspects from business.

Over-all, it is a practical and interesting approach on how to navigate today's uncertain world.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

It took me a while to finish this one as I went through each chapter very intentionally and working at most of the exercises. This book isn’t only for people with physical portfolios relevant to their work, but for anyone who is multifaceted and multidimensional. Christina Wallace tackles everything you might think of and more in order to help you juggle your many professional goals, and she takes your personal life into account as well.

The anecdotes and examples helped clarify and drive points home, adding some entertainment and intrigue along the way. This book helped me feel seen and validated in the converging paths I would like to take in my life, and it provided me with a guiding light to achieving some structure with it all. As someone who gets overwhelmed, I found I could breathe a little easier after having read it. I still have a lot of work to do, but I feel that I know my way forward now.

[Qurrat Ahmad · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book should have been an HBR article -- so much of the book was anecdotes about anonymous people, or repetition from works of other people, that it was hard to know what was central to the central concept and what was a tangent. Admittedly, as a business school student, I did not find her constant references to things she saw and learned at HBS at all novel (such as the references to the operations equations of utilization, for example). I would recommend reading about the concepts below vs the full book.

What I liked and will think about:
- The concept of the portfolio life especially for people with myriad interests
- Lean into your strengths vs trying to combat all your weaknesses
- Lean into your network and develop a personal board of directors
- What is not measured is not managed. Audit your time better to hit your goals.

[Lorraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Useful, with practical advice that is immediately applicable (helped me!) and written with some humour and pop culture references, which keeps it light and grounded. If Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World is the theory, this is the workbook. They are not identical, but make good companions and speak to similar themes of how being diverse with your interests, skills, and work can make your world better (and you make the world better). Also a good approach if you hate your day job but can't leave it for whatever reason, this book may help you improve the rest of your life

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Despite saying otherwise several times throughout, I found this book to sell the expectation of “grind” culture. It centers itself around very outdated and frankly exhausting principle of living a life from the premise of viewing yourself and your life as a business. I would have hoped that in a post-COVID world we would have learned to do better, to Be better. But it is difficult to find solid guidance that has been updated to reflect what I feel like a lot of people are seeking- and that is a life of actual balance. Not fake balance of multiple income streams and more work- but true balance and ways of finding a different way of being in this world and life outside of an outdated American capitalist model.

[Shaun Shepard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you @gcpbalance for this informative book! I’ve subscribed to the “portfolio” concept of a career for a while, especially since reading The Multi-hyphen Life by @emmagannonuk a few years ago. I enjoyed how this book built off these ideas to give me an idea how to put them into practice in my career.

I really love the idea of shaping my career to fit all facets of my life—the idea that your professional portfolio can both showcase my many talents and adjust to my current needs. It’s complicated to imagine and even more complex to make a reality, but this book helped give me resources to continue thinking through this concept!

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

This guidebook has some great tools and insights on how to think about your career path, your network and your use of time -- and align that with your goals and values. But it should come with a warning. Some of the examples and case studies are just not attainable for most. The ballerina who is also an astronaut and astrophysicist. The computer programmer who performs on Broadway. The software engineer who writes plays.

Even though the intended message is how to avoid burnout and unrealistic expectations, the underlying message is work, work, work - just schedule in rest time. Kind of anxiety inducing.

[Dax · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful way to look at how to manage the many aspects of life! I loved how Christina approached each subject in a methodical, yet entertaining way that made the reading very enjoyable.

It was also very refreshing that she admits to her humanity by acknowledging that she struggles to follow her own advice even though she knows the research supports her book.

I highly recommend that you read through this and take what works for you.

[Kea4 · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting book that brings up some good points. It shows a work-life balance.
However, on page 212 she talks about someone who wants a child and lists her options. First of all, she had more options than the 8 that are listed. My other issue is that the book never says what ever happened to that person and what choice she made.

https://theworldisabookandiamitsreade...

[Yi-Chen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not exactly the type of book I usually read, but the title caught my eye. It provides some frameworks to help readers reflect on their life choices. I like the concept of creating a portfolio life and applying business tools to personal life planning. The author’s life and case studies are also fun to read. I probably wouldn’t say it’s a groundbreaking book, but it’s a quick and enjoyable read.

[Jenny Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is for all of the millennials and younger, who decided boxing ourselves into an overly specialized career box doesn’t work for the level of interests and passions we have. Christina Wallace goes into a detailed account about how you own various talents, life paths and experiences and use it as a tool to bring more depth to all areas of your life. She talked about planning for all the twists and turns life brings and that we choose. I loved this book!

[Yiyang · Rating 3 out of 5]

Took me 3 days after Xmas to finish reading this book - and I think it's between 3 to 4 stars (3.5 to be clear). My friend who embraced a portfolio life recommended this book to me and I also aspire to have something that Christina has - also I can relate to her because I consider myself an energetic individual as well. It's another one of those books that could be easily explained as a blog post and it's an easy-read for sure.

[Tej Dhawan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was super intrigued by the abstract for this book by Christina Wallace some months ago. The recently released book lives up to its promise, defining what a portfolio life (vs a resume) is, its necessary and visible components, development into a Venn diagram vs. a linear timeline, and an associated balanced scorecard.

[Sean Raftery · Rating 3 out of 5]

Christina Wallaca gathers a ton of actionable personal development tips and a unique view on what it means to be a modern laborer in our society. However, for readers like me who are well versed in personal development, nothing here rings as revolutionary, just a sensible rearticulation of wisdom that resonates for the modern audience.

[Y T · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting read that I picked up at the library.

What intrigued me was the realisation that our lives are not meant to be a single track and it’s perfectly fine to have multiple skills to do multiple careers.

I learnt to come up with my personal Venn diagram and relook at my own skills to see where else I can go from my current career.

Highly recommended read.