In a world where the hustle and the grind are glamorized, it can be almost radical to consider the importance of rest. Alex Soojung-Kim Pang wants to reinvent work so that we can shorten working hours, and even whole working weeks, in order to promote productivity.

Alex is the founder of Strategy And Rest, a company that advises others on how to instill more productivity and creativity in their workforce by providing an environment that facilitates better rest. He is also a visiting scholar at Stanford University, and author of "Shorter: Work Better, Smarter, and Less―Here's How”, as well as “Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less”

Does it sound too good to be true? Think you could slow down and rest more? Well, listen as we discuss how the work of the mind can't always fit into a structured schedule, the valorization of overwork and why this balance is NOT too good to be true.

Episode Quotes:

How we got to a place of forgoing rest:

With creative work, unlike, being in the factory or in the field. At the end of the day, we don't have a bucket of widgets or a certain field that's been plowed. And so as a result, the amount of time that we spend working becomes a proxy for how well we are working. And then there are more recent cultural examples that have reinforced this idea, within the tech industry and finance. They have helped undermine the idea that success is a story of steady growth from the mailroom to the corner office. It's now something that happens super quickly in a few years, where you work titanically long hours in between economic slumps and you make your fortune before either you burn out or the next downturn happens.

Work as identity:

In all of these professions, how you work is an expression, not just of social identity, but of personal identity. And it is really easy to think that the more you work the more committed you seem to your colleagues, the more committed you feel yourself.

Who responds well building their own schedule:

The people who do well by which I mean, people who both perform well with their jobs and also don't burn out at them after 10 years, tend to be people who are really protective of their free time. They're good about leaving work behind on nights and weekends. They take vacations, they have hobbies, they've got other things in their life than work that keeps them from obsessing about it when they're off the clock.

Show Links:

Guest Profile:

Alex Soojung-Kim Pang on Linkedin
Alex Soojung-Kim Pang on Twitter
Professional Profile at Stanford University
Alex Soojung-Kim Pang on TEDxYouth@Monterey
Strategy + Rest Website

His work:

Salari in agrodolce, difesa in mezzo al guado