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It Doesn't Have to Be Crazy at Work Hardcover – Illustrated, October 2, 2018
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In this timely manifesto, the authors of the New York Times bestseller Rework broadly reject the prevailing notion that long hours, aggressive hustle, and "whatever it takes" are required to run a successful business today.
In Rework, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson introduced a new path to working effectively. Now, they build on their message with a bold, iconoclastic strategy for creating the ideal company culture—what they call "the calm company." Their approach directly attack the chaos, anxiety, and stress that plagues millions of workplaces and hampers billions of workers every day.
Long hours, an excessive workload, and a lack of sleep have become a badge of honor for modern professionals. But it should be a mark of stupidity, the authors argue. Sadly, this isn’t just a problem for large organizations—individuals, contractors, and solopreneurs are burning themselves out the same way. The answer to better productivity isn’t more hours—it’s less waste and fewer things that induce distraction and persistent stress.
It’s time to stop celebrating Crazy, and start celebrating Calm, Fried and Hansson assert.
Fried and Hansson have the proof to back up their argument. "Calm" has been the cornerstone of their company’s culture since Basecamp began twenty years ago. Destined to become the management guide for the next generation, It Doesn't Have to Be Crazy at Work is a practical and inspiring distillation of their insights and experiences. It isn’t a book telling you what to do. It’s a book showing you what they’ve done—and how any manager or executive no matter the industry or size of the company, can do it too.
- Print length240 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherHarper Business
- Publication dateOctober 2, 2018
- Dimensions6 x 0.85 x 9 inches
- ISBN-100062874780
- ISBN-13978-0062874788
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Editorial Reviews
Review
“Their book is funny, well-written and iconoclastic and by far the best thing on management published this year.” — The Economist
“Each [chapter is] packed with a punch that seems both profound and practical—profound for how clear and different they tend to be from most accepted business wisdom, and practical because almost everything they describe is immediately applicable.” — 800-CEO-READ
“In short, jargon-free chapters, the authors challenge the way many of today’s businesses are run.” — Financial Times
“An urgent conversation to have.” — Wall Street Journal
About the Author
JASON FRIED is the cofounder and CEO of Basecamp. He started the company back in 1999 and has been running the show ever since. Along with David, he wrote Getting Real, REWORK, and REMOTE. When it comes to business, he thinks things are simple until you make them complicated. And when it comes to life, we’re all just trying to figure it out as we go.
DAVID HEINEMEIER HANSSON is the cofounder of Basecamp and the New York Times bestselling coauthor of REWORK and REMOTE. He’s also the creator of the software toolkit Ruby on Rails, which has been used to launch and power Twitter, Shopify, GitHub, Airbnb, Square, and over a million other web applications. Originally from Denmark, he moved to Chicago in 2005 and now divides his time between the US and Spain with his wife and two sons. In his spare time, he enjoys 200-mph race cars in international competition, taking cliché pictures of sunsets and kids, and ranting far too much on Twitter.
Product details
- Publisher : Harper Business; Illustrated edition (October 2, 2018)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 240 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0062874780
- ISBN-13 : 978-0062874788
- Item Weight : 2.31 pounds
- Dimensions : 6 x 0.85 x 9 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #67,336 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #102 in Workplace Culture (Books)
- #529 in Business Management (Books)
- #795 in Leadership & Motivation
- Customer Reviews:
About the authors
David Heinemeier Hansson is the cofounder of Basecamp and NYT bestselling coauthor of REWORK and REMOTE. He's also the creator of the software toolkit Ruby on Rails, which has been used to launch and power Twitter, Shopify, GitHub, Airbnb, Square, and over a million other web applications. Originally from Denmark, he moved to Chicago in 2005, and now lives between the US and Spain with his wife and two sons. In his spare time, he enjoys 200-mph race cars in international competition, taking cliche pictures of sunsets and kids, and ranting far too much on Twitter.
Jason Fried is the co-founder and President of 37signals, a privately-held Chicago-based company committed to building the best web-based tools possible with the least number of features necessary.
37signals' products include Basecamp, Highrise, Backpack, Campfire, Ta-da List, and Writeboard. 37signals also developed and open-sourced the Ruby on Rails programming framework. 37signals' products do less than the competition -- intentionally.
37signals weblog, Signal vs. Noise, is read by over 100,000 people every day.
Jason believes there's real value and beauty in the basics. Elegance, respect for people's desire to simply get stuff done, and honest ease of use are the hallmarks of 37signals products.
Jason Zimdars is an artist and designer who has always loved to draw. He grew up immersed in stories of heroes and magic like "The Lord of the Rings", "Star Wars", "The Dark Crystal", and "E.T". He always came home from the movies or the library to draw all the amazing characters and places he saw in his imagination.
When his friend, Brandon, told him about Prince Martin he knew he had to draw him and all his friends, too. He can’t wait to share more of Prince Martin’s adventures with you!
Mr. Zimdars lives in Oklahoma with his family and dog, who isn't nearly as brave as Sir Ray.
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the book's content great, practical, and employee-friendly. They also describe it as a super easy, quick read that makes business accessible to managers and employees. Readers also mention the book describes a calm, uncluttered workplace.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the book provides great insight, a practical mindset, and good ideas. They also appreciate the reminders about life balance and fulfilling work environments. Readers also appreciate that the book is no-nonsense and highly valuable. They mention that the short chapters give time to process the thought.
"...These brief excerpts suggest a practical, pragmatic mindset that can guide and inform the decision-making process by leaders of almost all..." Read more
"It’s great advice for work culture. You can do more with less with the right mindset and the right people...." Read more
"...Allies of families. They’re there to provide healthy, fulfilling work environments so that when workers shut their laptops at a reasonable hour, they..." Read more
"Good book and solid tips and reminders about life balance and setting and keeping boundaries. Focus on calm and no knee jerk reactions!" Read more
Customers find the book super easy to read, with 2-3 page chapters. They also say it's written like a series of blog posts, so it'll be easy to pick up and put down. Readers also say the book has depth, while still being very accessible and sharp. They say it’s riveting and hard to put down, with useful suggestions.
"...on many different areas of running a business but also makes it accessible to managers, and employees...." Read more
"...The book itself is a joy to read as it's laid out in very small, concise, easily-digestible chapters...." Read more
"...What a riveting read. (Ok, some of the swear words might shock you.)..." Read more
"The writing style has much improved, the authors have opened their hearts yet again on what goes on to manage Basecamp...." Read more
Customers find the book calming and describe a workplace that's calm, uncluttered, and intentional.
"...This book from Basecamp's founders describes a workplace that's calm, uncluttered, intentional, friendly, and highly productive...." Read more
"...It's all about being calm and relax, don't stress or overreach - breath!" Read more
"...This book provides tons of simple, tactical ways to create more calm workplaces." Read more
"Direct, to the point, simple calm. Easy read. Powerful content. Makes you wonder how to apply in corporate america! Unique" Read more
Customers find the visuals in the book graphically laid out and presented very well. They also say it's charming and practical.
"...Absolutely charming and practical" Read more
"...Great choice of graphics (18 of them ) to space your readings, usually after every three or so chapters...." Read more
"...first book I have read from the Basecamp people, but I have enjoyed the very earthy, practical nature of their explanations of why they do what they..." Read more
"...on the inside, although the outside is nice and classy once you remove the outside cover." Read more
Reviews with images
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That is the WHAT of this book.
Fried and Hansson consider the WHY self-evident, although for many -- if not most -- people it probably isn't. They wrote their book to explain HOW to avoid or eliminate craziness. "Your company is a product. Yes, the things you make are products (or services) but your company is the thing that makes those things. That's why your company should be your best product...progress is achieved through iteration. If you want to make a product better, you have to keep tweaking, revising, and iterating. The same thing is true with the company."
Check out the list on the dust cover. The insane dozen include 80-hour weeks, endless meetings, overflowing inboxes, unrealistic deadlines, and no time to think. All of them and others, Fried and Hansson insist, are symptoms of organizational craziness with which most of us can identity. Iteration of crazy polices and procedures can undermine and eventually destroy a company.
Years ago, I came across the results of a contest conducted by a magazine that solicited "Dilbert Quotations": comments by real-life Dilbert-type managers.
These were among the finalists:
o "What I need is a list of specific unknown problems we will encounter." (executive at Lykes Lines Shipping)
o "E-mail is not to be used to pass on information or data. It should be used only for company business." (Accounting manager, Electric Boat Company)
o "Teamwork is a lot of people doing what I say." (Marketing executive, Citrix Corporation)
o "We all know that communication is a problem, but the company is not going to discuss it with the employees." (Switching supervisor, AT&T Long Lines Division)
And here's the winner: "As of tomorrow, employees will only be able to access the building using individual security cards. Pictures will be taken next Wednesday and employees will receive their cards in two weeks." (Fred Dales at Microsoft Corporation in Redmond, WA)
In his book Leading Change, James O'Toole suggests that the greatest resistance to change tends to be cultural in nature, the result of what he characterizes as "the ideology of comfort and the tyranny of custom." That's true but never underestimate how much damage lazy and ignorant managers can do at all levels and in all areas of the given enterprise.
Near the end of the book, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson share these thoughts about having a calm workplace. Running Basecamp, "we've always kept our costs in check and never made a move that would push us back from black to red. Why? Because crazy's in the red. Calm's in the black."
Also, "revenue is no defense because revenue without a profit margin isn't going to save you. You can easily go broke generating revenue -- many companies have. But you can't go broke generating a profit.
"Profit means time to think, space to explore. It means being in control of your own destiny and schedule.
"Without profit, something is always on fire. When companies talk about burn rates, two things are burning: money and people. One you're burning up, one you're burning out."
These brief excerpts suggest a practical, pragmatic mindset that can guide and inform the decision-making process by leaders of almost all organizations, whatever their size and nature may be.
Organizational craziness really can be avoided or eliminated by common sense. Moreover, more and better work really can be completed at work by getting rid of distractions and interruptions, most of which are generated internally rather than externally. HOW to accomplish these separate but interdependent objectives?
The mindset needed is thoroughly explained in this book.
Our culture says that we should do whatever it takes to succeed. Put in 80 hours if need be, work through the weekend, push through, hustle. Do it for the team, the family life can wait.
Rightly so they call B.S. on this and give plenty of examples from their company and from many leaders in their respective fields. Here is one of my favorite quotes related to this from the book:
"A great work ethic isn’t about working whenever you’re called upon. It’s about doing what you say you’re going to do, putting in a fair day’s work, respecting the work, respecting the customer, respecting coworkers, not wasting time, not creating unnecessary work for other people, and not being a bottleneck."
As I flip back through my copy of the book, almost every page has a highlight or sentences underlined. So much of this hit home to me. Another one of my favorite quotes is related to how many companies claim “we are all a family”:
"The best companies aren’t families. They’re supporters of families. Allies of families. They’re there to provide healthy, fulfilling work environments so that when workers shut their laptops at a reasonable hour, they’re the best husbands, wives, parents, siblings, and children they can be."
Right now where I work employees just four people outside of the owners and it does feel like a family because we are close, but they 100% follow what the quote above points out and it’s amazing working for a place like that. In fact, much of what is outlined in the book my employer already does, to say I’m lucky in that regard is an understatement.
It Doesn’t Have To Be Crazy At Work is set up in distinct sections with essay’s that support the overarching goal of the section. This allows the book to touch on many different areas of running a business but also makes it accessible to managers, and employees. All wound together in a book that can be read in a short time. Unlike most business books, they’ve left out the cruft and put all the focus on getting their points across as quickly and sufficiently as possible.
It’s a five-star rating from me and you should buy a copy, read it, then give it to your boss or employees.
![Customer image](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/G/01/x-locale/common/transparent-pixel._V192234675_.gif)
Reviewed in the United States on October 19, 2018
Our culture says that we should do whatever it takes to succeed. Put in 80 hours if need be, work through the weekend, push through, hustle. Do it for the team, the family life can wait.
Rightly so they call B.S. on this and give plenty of examples from their company and from many leaders in their respective fields. Here is one of my favorite quotes related to this from the book:
"A great work ethic isn’t about working whenever you’re called upon. It’s about doing what you say you’re going to do, putting in a fair day’s work, respecting the work, respecting the customer, respecting coworkers, not wasting time, not creating unnecessary work for other people, and not being a bottleneck."
As I flip back through my copy of the book, almost every page has a highlight or sentences underlined. So much of this hit home to me. Another one of my favorite quotes is related to how many companies claim “we are all a family”:
"The best companies aren’t families. They’re supporters of families. Allies of families. They’re there to provide healthy, fulfilling work environments so that when workers shut their laptops at a reasonable hour, they’re the best husbands, wives, parents, siblings, and children they can be."
Right now where I work employees just four people outside of the owners and it does feel like a family because we are close, but they 100% follow what the quote above points out and it’s amazing working for a place like that. In fact, much of what is outlined in the book my employer already does, to say I’m lucky in that regard is an understatement.
It Doesn’t Have To Be Crazy At Work is set up in distinct sections with essay’s that support the overarching goal of the section. This allows the book to touch on many different areas of running a business but also makes it accessible to managers, and employees. All wound together in a book that can be read in a short time. Unlike most business books, they’ve left out the cruft and put all the focus on getting their points across as quickly and sufficiently as possible.
It’s a five-star rating from me and you should buy a copy, read it, then give it to your boss or employees.
![Customer image](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71Z2TDbMlkL._SY88.jpg)
Top reviews from other countries
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In this book you`ll find hundreds of choices that the authors took. “Wisdom” in business management is questioned and turned around. Everything that has been praised and preached, they do it differently.
“Best companies are NOT families.” And please “do NOT go to war over people. There are a lot of great people everywhere.” “We’ve found that nurturing untapped potential is far more exhilarating than finding someone who`s already at their peak.”
Why is “whatever it takes” so popular? “You are NOT actually capturing a hill on the beach of Normandy, are you? Reasonable expectations are out the window with whatever it takes.”
Basecamp calls itself a calm company. “A calm company is a choice. Calm is about reasonable expectations. Calm is smaller. Calm is sustainable practices for the long term.” “When calm starts early, calm becomes the habit.” A calm company should be the default way instead of “hustlemania”. The authors: “You have our permission to bury the hustle.” “We don't need to shoot up on risk to get excited about work.”
“The only way to get more done is to have less to do. Eliminate 7 of the 12 things.” The business world is suffering from ambition hyperinflation, which is claiming: “BRAND NEW. CHANGES EVERYTHING. Thousand revolutions promised at once. If you label your own work as disruption, it probably isn`t.”
At Basecamp they don`t live by FOMO but show “JOMO: Joy of missing out. Stop treating every little thing that happens at work like it`s breaking news.”
The book is about good salaries, good sleep, good weekends, good vacations, good teams, good software releases on Mondays instead of Fridays.
![](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/amazon-avatars-global/default._CR0,0,1024,1024_SX48_.png)
![](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/amazon-avatars-global/default._CR0,0,1024,1024_SX48_.png)
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It calls that the industry is sick with its open offices, over communication, talent war and lottery tickets as called stock options. It present a different approach that could be taken, an option, explaining how to create an appropriate environment where you are imune of those diseases and can grow your business.
It’s a good read although it applies more to founders. Choose what it takes to be calm is not easy, it goes against the “right way” to do business and it request a clear vision of where you want to be.
![](https://images-eu.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/amazon-avatars-global/default._CR0,0,1024,1024_SX48_.png)
It's a great product, very easy to read but very effective. Being the "hustler gonna hustler" kind of guy, I find it quite fascinating. Very recommended especially if you're the 24/7 kind of worker.