PDF Summary:Working Hard, Hardly Working, by Grace Beverley

The word “productivity” typically doesn’t bring to mind self-care behaviors such as sleeping in and enjoying a leisurely meal with friends. But in Working Hard, Hardly Working, entrepreneur and influencer Grace Beverley insists that self-care and productivity aren’t opposites—they actually require each other. She argues that you can improve your life and avoid burnout by recognizing that productive work leaves you with more time for self-care, and self-care boosts your productivity by energizing you.

In this guide, we’ll explore Beverley’s advice for improving your self-care and productivity. You’ll learn how to use your work time wisely, make work tasks more enjoyable, and pursue self-care that leaves you feeling replenished. We’ll also supplement Beverley’s insights by offering tips from other self-care and productivity experts and providing historical context, such as the origins of our culture of overwork.

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Let’s explore three of Beverley’s tips for making your work more enjoyable.

Tip 1: Incorporate Satisfying Tasks Into Your Workday

First, Beverley recommends ensuring that your workday involves many satisfying tasks (what she calls “micro-passions”). When you fill every day with multiple satisfying tasks, those days amount to a satisfying life.

To implement this tip, make a list of work-related tasks you find satisfying. Then, make a plan to incorporate more of those tasks into your typical workday. Beverley notes that this may require making large changes, such as asking your boss for additional (or different) responsibilities or pursuing professional development that will improve your skills. If those changes aren’t possible, it could be a sign that you should switch roles or careers.

For example, imagine you’re a teacher who enjoys the tasks of supporting your colleagues and learning new teaching techniques. You could ask your boss if you can start mentoring new teachers, or you could seek out professional development opportunities that will expand your teaching skills. If these changes aren’t possible, consider switching to a role in which these satisfying tasks feature prominently, such as becoming an instructional coach (a teacher of teachers).

Advice on Satisfying Tasks From A Job to Love

In A Job to Love, writers from The School of Life share Beverley’s view that a workday consisting of satisfying tasks makes your life more satisfying, and they offer additional advice for identifying and pursuing these tasks.

Identifying satisfying tasks: First, the authors describe various types of satisfaction that a job can provide. They say you can clarify your top satisfying tasks by ranking the following twelve types of satisfaction: deepening your understanding; earning money; appreciating beauty; using your creativity; being a leader; expressing yourself; being independent; teaching others; organizing objects and ideas; enjoying nature; helping others; and solving problems using technology.

Furthermore, whereas Beverley recommends identifying work-related tasks you find satisfying, the authors of A Job to Love say you can look beyond work to identify the types of tasks that satisfy you. For instance, they recommend reflecting on which of the twelve satisfying tasks you found most enjoyable when you were playing as a child. They say it’s likely your childhood inclinations and interests are still true today.

Pursuing satisfying tasks: Like Beverley, the authors of A Job to Love recommend incorporating satisfying tasks into your workday. It may help to consider their advice that no single job will ever fulfill all of your needs. If your current job doesn’t involve enough satisfying tasks, either follow Beverley’s advice to find one that does—or accept that your current job may never be satisfying enough and instead pursue satisfying tasks outside of work.

Tip 2: Make Your Work Original

Second, Beverley argues that we find work more satisfying when we complete tasks in an original way. She explains that when we leverage our unique strengths to create original work, the result is more valuable because someone else can’t easily replicate it. Feeling valuable in this way gives us joy and satisfaction.

(Shortform note: If you do creative work, such as art or poetry, you may depend on others to determine your work’s originality and value—but in Keep Going, Austin Kleon warns against producing creative work to earn others’ approval. Kleon says you’ll risk making work that other people enjoy instead of making work that you enjoy creating. Even if you enjoy the work, you’ll feel unsatisfied with the results if they don’t get enough positive attention. Kleon says you can avoid these outcomes by paying less attention to others’ approval, as you’ll then start caring about it less. For instance, limit how much time you spend checking social media responses to your work.)

How can you make your work original? Beverley says to engage in warm-ups (what she calls “creative triggers”) that will inspire you to think outside the box before you complete work tasks. Warm-ups she recommends include drawing something relevant to your work task, listening to a podcast on a related topic, and brainstorming relevant ideas with others.

For example, say you’re a musician who posts lessons about musical concepts on YouTube. You begin one workday by doodling on paper while listening to a song you want to teach. This warm-up gives you the idea to represent the song visually in your video for it, using rising lines to represent ascending melodies, falling lines to indicate descending ones, and wavy lines to show vibrato.

(Shortform note: In keeping with Beverley’s first tip for making your work more enjoyable, consider choosing warm-ups that align with tasks you find satisfying—that way, you’ll both warm up your creativity and experience satisfaction. For instance, warm up with drawing if you enjoy organizing information visually; listen to a podcast on a relevant topic if you find research satisfying; and brainstorm ideas with others if collaboration brings you joy.)

Tip 3: Set Yourself Up to Experience Flow

Beverley offers a third tip for making your workdays more enjoyable: experience flow. She explains that according to psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, flow is a state in which you’re deeply absorbed in a task. Beverley says that flow makes productivity a form of self-care because the feeling of being engrossed in a task is joyful and satisfying.

(Shortform note: Flow has additional benefits beyond providing joy and satisfaction. For example, Csikszentmihalyi says that flow can leave you feeling more confident. When you work hard during flow to apply your skills toward goals you’ve deemed worthwhile, you feel better about yourself overall.)

According to Csikszentmihalyi, you experience flow when you’re engaged in a task in which your skill level matches the level of challenge you feel. If you’re not experiencing flow because a task is too easy, you can enter flow by making the task more challenging. If you’re unable to access flow because a task is too difficult, improve your skills.

(Shortform note: To enter flow by making an easy task more challenging, try beating your personal record or setting yourself a very challenging goal. For instance, if you’re an interior decorator, aim to complete your next decoration job using half the budget of your previous job. To initiate flow by improving your skills, consider seeking out a mentor who can provide feedback and teach you new skills.)

Beverley advises that it’s easiest to enter flow states when working on tasks that are already conducive to flow. Start by identifying tasks that have put you into a state of flow before. Think of instances in which you felt completely engaged in a work task, such as moments when you lost track of time.

(Shortform note: In Flow, Csikszentmihalyi describes additional elements of a flow state—these may help you recall tasks that have put you into flow. For instance, he says tasks that induce flow are autotelic—you’re motivated to do them because the process of working on them is enjoyable, not just because you anticipate certain benefits once you’re finished. For example, if you enjoy corresponding with clients because you like socializing with them, that’s an autotelic task that’s likely to put you into a state of flow. By contrast, if you enjoy corresponding with clients only because you anticipate doing so will later increase your profits, that task is less likely to easily induce flow.)

Next, instead of waiting for flow to happen when you engage in these tasks, purposefully initiate flow. Engage in a brief warm-up activity (Beverley calls these “flow triggers”) that inspires you to work on the tasks you identified. For instance, say you’re a graphic designer who has experienced flow in the past when sketching logo ideas. You could initiate flow by looking at pictures of your favorite logos for inspiration before designing your own.

(Shortform note: To make your warm-up as inspiring as possible, consider making it playful. In The Power of Fun, Catherine Price describes playfulness as having an attitude of curiosity, openness, and willingness to experiment instead of a specific purpose or desired outcome. For example, instead of looking at pictures of your favorite logos as your warm-up, create logos for imaginary and silly companies, like a noodle company that makes unconventional noodle shapes. Price cites research suggesting that playfulness has numerous benefits: It boosts your creativity, improves your memory, and decreases stress.)

Strategy 2: Meet Your Needs While You’re in Flow

Making tasks more enjoyable isn’t the only way to engage in self-care while working; Beverley says you can also attend to your needs (physical and otherwise). In this section, we’ll focus on Beverley’s advice for taking care of your needs while you’re in a state of flow, specifically. Even though flow is an enjoyable state, Beverley warns that it can lead to overwork. Let’s explore two of Beverley’s tips for avoiding this.

Tip 1: Prepare to Meet Your Physical Needs

When you’re experiencing flow, you might be so absorbed in a task that you forget to take care of yourself. Therefore, before starting a task that’ll get you into flow, prepare to meet your physical needs. For instance, fill your water bottle in advance and make sure your workspace is comfortable.

(Shortform note: Some experts recommend desk-based self-care strategies, like using a water bottle that includes time markings to easily show you how much water you need to consume each hour of the day. In addition to making sure your workspace is physically comfortable in advance, consider writing yourself reminders to meet your physical needs throughout your flow session. For instance, write a reminder to prevent eye strain by following the “20-20-20 rule”: Every 20 minutes, look 20 feet away from your screen for at least 20 seconds.)

Tip 2: Decide in Advance How Long to Spend in Flow

Furthermore, if you spend too much time in flow, you’ll become mentally and physically exhausted—Beverley calls this “overflow.” Therefore, set a time limit for your flow session in advance. Enforce this limit by ensuring you’ll know to stop when that time is up—for example, set up a desktop notification to remind you when your flow period has ended.

(Shortform note: Whereas Beverley recommends setting a time limit for your flow sessions in advance, other experts recommend setting a time limit for only your breaks. For instance, the Flowtime Technique has you work for as long as you want and take timed breaks whenever the need for a break arises. For example, you might take a timed break when you need to stretch your legs or when your task makes you frustrated. The technique’s creator explains that this approach has two benefits. First, by taking breaks when you need to, you’re more likely to be focused while working and thus achieve flow. Making these breaks timed ensures you don’t avoid your work for too long. Second, you won’t feel anxious about a timer interrupting your work—such anxiety could prevent you from achieving flow.)

Strategy 3: Engage in Self-Care-Only Time

So far, we’ve explored how to integrate self-care and productivity by bringing self-care time into your work time. However, Beverley also says it’s important to engage in pure self-care outside of productivity time so you can regularly experience the benefits of work-free leisure. Remind yourself that self-care-only time still supports your productivity by leaving you feeling rejuvenated and ready to be productive.

(Shortform note: Self-care-only time that’s specifically restful may prepare you for productivity beyond just helping you feel rejuvenated. In Do Nothing, Celeste Headlee explains that restful time when you’re not working on a task (such as when you’re taking a bath) activates a system of structures in your brain called the default mode network (DMN). When this system is activated, you naturally process emotions and decisions, reflect on memories, consider others’ feelings, and daydream about the future. Headlee says that the DMN sparks creativity and growth since your brain is free to consider things from new angles. Therefore, you may find it motivating to remind yourself during restful self-care-only time that the creative ideas you generate may support your productivity later.)

Let’s explore two of Beverley’s tips for engaging in self-care-only time.

Tip 1: Discover What Self-Care Means to You

Beverley argues that there isn’t a single set of self-care activities that work for everyone, since we all have different needs and interests. Therefore, take time to experiment with various self-care activities. First, try out any activities that could be considered self-care—anything that feels good and could therefore leave you rejuvenated, such as playing a board game or photographing your pet. Keep a record of which activities have the most positive impact on your mental health and productivity. Then, make those your go-to self-care activities.

(Shortform note: As you experiment with various self-care activities, consider documenting your experience so you can easily reflect on which activities you’ve tried, which work for you, which don’t, and which you’ve modified to suit your needs. For instance, try a documentation method that Ryder Carroll describes in The Bullet Journal Method: Mix different styles of bullet points within a single list (for instance, a list of self-care activities). This method allows you to organize information in a way that you can easily understand at a glance. For example, you could use a star-shaped bullet point to mark self-care activities that helped you, an X-shaped bullet point to indicate activities that didn’t, and an asterisk to denote tasks you modified.)

Tip 2: Schedule Self-Care-Only Time Before You Burn Out

Beverley says we typically only engage in self-care-only activities in reaction to symptoms of burnout (such as exhaustion). This self-care doesn’t prevent burnout, however—it just manages its symptoms. Fortunately, Beverley says you can prevent burnout and its symptoms by proactively scheduling self-care-only time and protecting that time.

For example, say you find reading romance novels rejuvenating. Commit to spending every Saturday morning reading romance novels for two hours, and protect this self-care time by doing your chores beforehand and turning down any social invitations that conflict with this time.

(Shortform note: In Radical Candor, Kim Scott explains why we may tend to deprioritize scheduling self-care. She explains that self-care typically doesn’t feel as urgent or important as larger work tasks, so we put it at the bottom of our to-do lists. She shares a tip for scheduling and protecting your self-care time so you’re more likely to prioritize it: Put it on your calendar and commit to it as you would with any other scheduled meeting.)

Strategy 4: Use Your Work Time Wisely

We’ve discussed scheduling self-care-only time—however, making time for self-care is only possible if you use your work time productively. When you work effectively and efficiently, you can work fewer hours, leaving more time for self-care.

(Shortform note: Beverley’s assertion that you can make time for more self-care by working productively only applies to a subset of workers—those who have control over how many hours they work, such as CEOs and some freelance workers. Celeste Headlee points out in Do Nothing that some workers don’t have the luxury of choosing to work less. For example, those required to work a minimum of eight hours a day and those who need to work overtime to make ends meet may be unable to increase their self-care time by following Beverley’s tips.)

Let’s explore three of Beverley’s tips for using your work time productively.

Tip 1: Ditch the To-Do List for the Eisenhower Method

A conventional to-do list includes a lineup of tasks you must complete, whether they’re in order of importance or not. Beverley argues that to-do lists aren’t conducive to productivity because they fail to prioritize tasks. For instance, they might place unimportant tasks or tasks with far-off deadlines higher on the list than tasks that are important and time-sensitive. As a result, you waste your time on unimportant tasks and work more hours than you need to.

(Shortform note: While you may want to ditch to-do lists when planning your workload, you may still want to use them for a different purpose: managing your worries. Writing a simple to-do list before bed, specifically, may help you sleep. When you write down what you need to do the next day, you’re less likely to stay awake worrying about those tasks. For instance, one study showed that people who spend five minutes writing to-do lists before bed fall asleep faster than people who don’t.)

Beverley recommends the Eisenhower Method (EM) as a replacement for the traditional to-do list. The EM has you assess how crucial and pressing your tasks are so you can decide which to prioritize, which to delegate to others, and which to skip. Crucial tasks are important to complete at some point to achieve your long-term goals, while pressing tasks have upcoming deadlines. To implement the EM, follow these four steps:

First, complete crucial and pressing tasks. For example, if you’re a journalist, work first on a labor-intensive article with an impending deadline.

(Shortform note: Some experts specifically recommend doing crucial and pressing no later than today or tomorrow.)

Second, complete tasks that are crucial but not pressing. For instance, work on a large article that’s due in several weeks.

(Shortform note: Since crucial tasks aren’t pressing, you may work on them inefficiently—which could reduce your productivity and delay your achievement of long-term goals. Therefore, consider breaking important tasks into smaller subtasks with upcoming deadlines, as some research suggests that you can work more efficiently by setting short deadlines for specific tasks. In Scarcity, Sendhil Mullainathan and Eldar Shafir explain that this is because we naturally work more effectively as a deadline looms.)

Third, assign unimportant but pressing tasks to others. This will prevent you from working extra hours to complete these tasks. For example, if you’ll be leaving for vacation soon and it would be nice (both not necessary) to put an automatic vacation responder on your email, ask your assistant to draft it and set it up.

(Shortform note: Beverley’s suggestion to delegate applies most clearly to people who have employees working under them, such as people in white-collar leadership positions. However, if you work on a team, you may be able to complete this step by delegating tasks to your teammates. For instance, if you’re a cook for a restaurant and you notice a fellow cook has fewer tasks for the evening, consider asking them to help you out with unimportant but pressing tasks, such as garnishing dishes before they’re served.)

Finally, skip tasks that are both unimportant and not pressing—doing so will cut down on how many hours you have to work, leaving more time for self-care.

(Shortform note: Some experts say you can apply the Eisenhower Method to managing your emails, specifically. Consider categorizing your emails with labels and folders (such as a label or folder named “crucial and pressing”) so it’s easy to follow the first three steps. When you reach step four, instantly delete or archive emails that are both unimportant and not pressing so they don’t add visual clutter to your inbox.)

Tip 2: Engage in Deep Work

Once you’ve determined what tasks you must complete and in what order, ensure you work efficiently and effectively on those tasks by doing deep work. Beverley explains that according to Cal Newport (Deep Work), who wrote a book about this concept, deep work is devoting focused, uninterrupted attention to a cognitively demanding task.

(Shortform note: Deep work might not only boost your productivity: Newport says this type of work brings you happiness and fulfillment. He explains that when you’re doing deep work, you’re most capable of tackling your trickiest problems (the ones that are most cognitively demanding). Because these problems often yield the largest rewards, deep work is often more rewarding than its opposite—shallow work.)

To engage in deep work, Beverley advises building long periods of work time into your schedule. She says it’s easier to engage in deep work when you focus for blocks of one to one and a half hours, with breaks in between.

(Shortform note: Newport explains in Deep Work that if you’re new to this type of work, you should begin with hour-long blocks of deep work separated by breaks. Then work up to larger durations of deep work by training your brain to focus for longer and longer periods. One way to train your brain is to build your stamina for boredom during everyday idle moments. For example, while waiting in line, resist the urge to find a source of entertainment on your phone. Increasing your tolerance for boredom boosts your ability to focus, Newport says.)

Tip 3: Know When To Scrap Your Plans

While it’s valuable to build schedules and routines that support flow, prioritization, and deep work, Beverley provides the caveat that it’s important to recognize when your brain and body are simply incapable of productivity. These aren’t situations where you stop working simply because you want to—they’re situations when you need to stop working because you’re physically and/or mentally incapable of working productively (or even at all). For example, perhaps your partner suddenly broke up with you and you’re too sad and exhausted to work.

(Shortform note: Taking a break from working when you want to but don’t need to is an example of what psychologists call self-coddling. This is when you stay in your comfort zone, such as by avoiding work, even when it would benefit you to push yourself. According to one psychologist, self-coddling provides short-term relief, but it’s soon followed by negative feelings about yourself (such as the feeling of being stuck). By contrast, genuine self-care provides a long-term benefit: After you engage in it, you feel better about yourself, and this feeling lasts.)

In cases when you need to stop working or take a long break, Beverley urges you to be kind to yourself. Don’t shame yourself for being less capable than usual and needing to engage in necessary self-care.

(Shortform note: According to educational psychology professor and researcher Kristin Neff, being kind to yourself and refraining from self-shaming are elements of self-compassion—the practice of showing yourself the same care for your failures and pain as you’d show a loved one. Neff says that practicing self-compassion allows you to thoughtfully respond to challenges you face, expands your ability to empathize with others, and helps you appreciate positive things about yourself and others. In addition to being kind to yourself, you can practice self-compassion by 1) recognizing that suffering is a universal experience that connects you to others and 2) seeing your suffering just as it is—in other words, neither diminishing nor exaggerating it.)