Most workplaces COMPLETELY misunderstand productivity.
They’re stuck in an industrial-age mindset that is outdated and actively harmful to employees.
In this video I present my suggestion for The 5 New Rules Of Productivity.
Let me know what you think!
The attitude employees have towards the company is incredibly important.
In this video I talk about why it matters and how to improve employees’ attitudes towards the organization and the huge role the CEO and upper management plays in this.
MY NEW PODCAST IS OUT!!! In it, I and my awesome and highly energetic co-host Katie Cobalt celebrate unironic enthusiasm by getting excited about a wide variety of topics.
The first episode is about The Happiest Man in Hollywood – Harpo Marx of the Marx Brothers. Hear amazing stories about Harpo’s epic life, his best pranks and about his occasional nudism. He could (and would) turn any boring situation – like a game of golf – interesting by taking off his clothes.
In each episode we also have a Moment of Meta where we give tips for living a more enthusiastic life.
You can hear it on Spotify, Apple, Google and all the other podcast platforms or right here:
If you like the episode and also believe the world needs more enthusiastic people, please share the podcast with others. That would makes us really happy!
Global warming is an existential threat to all humanity and corporations emit the vast majority of manmade greenhouse gases.
If you currently work for a company that does not urgently strive to become carbon neutral in a very short time frame, you have two choices:
It doesn’t matter if you’re the CEO or the receptionist, you have an ethical responsibility to not use your time and talents in the service of a workplace that is wrecking the planet.
If enough of us act on this, we can force more corporations to take the climate seriously, either by changing their behavior from the inside or by sapping them of critical employee talent.
You can change things – and at the very least you can make sure that your work days aren’t spent hurting our children’s futures.
Some people want you to believe that quitting is weak and for losers. They’re lying and we need to normalize leaving jobs that are not good for us.
In this video we take a deep look at what happens when you’re unhappy at work, how you can know it’s time to quit and how you can support others who need to get away from a bad job.
Content:
(00:00) 1: Frogs aren’t idiots
(01:01) 2: Introduction to quitting
(03:45) 3: How hating your job hurts you
(06:56) 4: Exposing the anti-quitting propaganda
(18:05) 5: The excuses people make for not quitting
(27:23) 6: Should you quit?
(32:47) 7: 21 perfectly valid reasons for quitting
(40:21) 8: What if you can’t quit
(46:24) 9: How to quit
(47:39) 10: Should you always find a new job first before you quit?
(49:42) 11: We should celebrate quitters
(59:22) 12: I quit!
Relationship between a bad job and poor health
A bad job makes you gain weight
Unhappy workers are less productive
Effective propaganda exploits existing biases
How Herbalife and other MLMs scam people
The No Asshole Rule – excellent book by Bob Sutton
Turing pharmaceuticals raised prices
Stories from people who quit without first finding a new jobs
Apprentice car mechanic commits suicide after being bullied
The most basic freedom is the freedom to quit
The true cost of employee turnover
Bosses try to predict who will quit
60-hour workweeks (or more!) kill people. That seems bad and we should probably stop it. In this video I explain how we get back to or even below 40 hours of work a week.
CNN’s article on “The Secrets Of Greatness.
Working hours in different countries.
The Overworked American: The Unexpected Decline of Leisure, by Juliet B. Schor.
The Industrial Revolution In Manchester.
Rutger Bregmann: Utopia For Realists.
Tom Markert: You Can’t Win A Fight With Your Boss.
HBR: Long Hours Backfire For People And For Companies.
Long working hours hurt cognitive performance.
John Pencavel: Productivity for WW1 Munitions Workers.
Overtime in game developers doesn’t work.
Negative Health Effects Of Overwork.
Very few people can get by on less than 7 hours of sleep.
Gender bias in overwork cultures.
Men pretend to work 80-hours weeks.
What’s really holding women Back.
People overestimate their working hours.
People underestimate health risks of overwork.
Fred Gratzon: The Lazy Way To Success.
There are some career benefits to overwork.
Interview with Rich Sheridan at Menlo.
Knowledge Workers Are More Productive From Home.
Longer school days do not lead to better academic outcomes.
Homework does not help students.
Malcolm Gladwell’s 10,000-hour rule debunked again.
Hazing reinforces hierarchy, conformity and discipline.
Benjamin Hunnicutt: Kellogg’s Six-Hour Day.
European Union – right to disconnect law.
Universal Basic Income Explained.
US workers don’t take all their vacation days.
30-hour work week at Toyota Center Gothenburg.
We all know how their policies differ, but how are Trump and Biden different as bosses? And who would you rather work for?
References from the video:
Alfie Kohn – “No Contest : The Case Against Competition”
Philip Rucker and Carol Loennig – “A Very Stable Genius: Donald J. Trump’s Testing of America”
Npr interview with Philip Rucker and Carol Loennig
Times are tough for for workplaces all over the world right now. I would like to share some of my tools in the hope that maybe it can help a little.
So I’m making my two main books available as pdf downloads free of charge for anyone who wants them. There’s also no annoying email signup required or anything – just click below to download either book.
“It’s very, very good. It’s incredibly well written, full of insights, and there are exercises to improve your own happiness at work. You can’t ask for more than that!”
– David Maister, author of Practice What You Preach
“I have read well over 100 articles/books on topics covering happiness in the workplace and your book was by far one of the best. In fact, it was so informative that I went on and sent the link to your book to my entire professional network.”
– Chris Hollins, President, talentgrade.com
This book clearly explains what happiness at work is (and isn’t) and what each of us can do to have work we love.
Click here to download Happy Hour Is 9 To 5.
“What an inspiring book. Every leader should read it and learn how to promote happiness for employees, customers, suppliers, investors, and even the leader him- or herself. That type of leadership has been integral to our success and I know it will boost your results too.”
– Garry Ridge, CEO WD-40 Company
This book presents a simple but radical idea: The fundamental goal of any leader should be to increase happiness in the world. Leaders who don’t do that are doing it wrong.
Drawing on fascinating lessons from psychology, neurobiology and philosophy, the book demonstrates why leaders should put happiness first – for themselves, their employees, their customers, and the wider world – and why happy leaders are more successful.
Click here to download Leading With Happiness.
If you’d prefer to have either book as a kindle ebook or on paper (how old-school) they are available here and here.
The Chief Happiness Officer Academy is our most in-depth 3-day training where we share everything we know about creating happier workplaces. Get an in-depth background in happiness at work, hear about the latest research in the field and learn how to use this in your own business.
