It Doesn't Have to Be Crazy at Work: A Practical Guide to Sustainable Productivity Through Calm Company Culture and Effective Leadership

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 leadership 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 a foundational text 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.

This is the practical management guide for the next generation, offering a new path to sustainable productivity:

A Calm Company Culture: Directly attack the chaos, anxiety, and stress that plagues millions of workplaces with a bold strategy for a better way to work. Sustainable Productivity: Learn why long hours and an excessive workload aren’t a badge of honor but a mark of stupidity, and discover how to get more done with less waste. Actionable Leadership Principles: Reject the prevailing notion of aggressive hustle and embrace an iconoclastic approach that has been the cornerstone of the authors’ company for twenty years. Proven Entrepreneurship Framework: Whether you’re a manager, executive, contractor, or solopreneur, get an inspiring distillation of insights that shows you exactly what they’ve done and how you can do it, too.