Named one of Amazon's Best Business and Leadership Books of 2024 A Next Big Idea Club Must-Read “Brigid Schulte is a vital voice on the future of work, and her carefully researched book lights the way to fewer hours, less stress, and more meaning.”―Adam Grant, The New York Times #1 bestselling author of Think Again and Hidden Potential , and host of the podcast WorkLife From The New York Times bestselling author of Overwhelmed , a deeply reported exploration of why American work isn’t working and how our lives can be made more meaningful. Following Overwhelmed , Brigid Schulte’s groundbreaking examination of time management and stress, the prizewinning journalist now turns her attention to the greatest culprit in America’s quality-of-life crisis: the way our economy and culture conceive of work. Americans across all demographics, industries, and socioeconomic levels report exhaustion, burnout, and the wish for more meaningful lives. This full-system failure in our structure of work affects everything from gender inequality to domestic stability, and it even shortens our lifespans. Drawing on years of research, Schulte traces the arc of our discontent from a time before the 1980s, when work was compatible with well-being and allowed a single earner to support a family, until today, with millions of people working multiple hourly jobs or in white-collar positions where no hours are ever off duty. She casts a wide net in search of solutions, exploring the movement to institute a four-day workweek, introducing Japan’s Housewives Brigade―which demands legal protection for family time―and embedding with CEOs who are making the business case for humane conditions. And she demonstrates the power of a collective and creative demand for change, showing that work can be organized in an infinite number of ways that are good for humans and for business. Fiercely argued and vividly told, rich with stories and informed by deep investigation, Over Work lays out a clear vision for ending our punishing grind and reclaiming leisure, joy, and meaning. Named one of Amazon's Best Business and Leadership Books of 2024 A Next Big Idea Club Must-Read “Ambitious... A grand unifying theory to explain why so many Americans are exhausted and stressed.” ― The Washington Post “Great… Zooms out and talks about how there’s a context for overwork… I was just sort of floored.” ―Emily Peck, Slate , "Money Talks" “A convincing case for a drastic overhaul of the way we earn a living…. A great introduction to the gnarly problems of work and policies to tackle them.” ― Financial Times “A deeply reported book with a ton of results… Moving.” ―Aki Ito, C-SPAN “[Schulte’s] conclusions offer no pat solutions, rather underscoring the need for change.” ― Los Angeles Times , “10 Books to Add to Your Reading List” “ A journalistic deep dive into the origins and development of an ongoing crisis in Americans’ quality of life, connections, and happiness.” ― Book Riot “Writing with energy and passion, Schulte shows how work has come to dominate our lives and outlines options for change.” ― Kirkus Reviews “A bold vision for transforming work from a burden that takes over our lives into an activity that enriches them. Brigid Schulte is a vital voice on the future of work, and her carefully researched book lights the way to fewer hours, less stress, and more meaning.” ―Adam Grant, The New York Times #1 bestselling author of Think Again and Hidden Potential , and host of the podcast WorkLife “In her fantastic new book, Brigid Schulte combines meticulous research with compelling profiles to argue that the exhausting way we work today is a choice. More sustainable and equitable options are possible, but only if we’re willing to engage at the societal level in the hard but necessary work of making needed change.” ―Cal Newport, The New York Times bestselling author of Slow Productivity and Digital Minimalism “Revelatory and inspiring, Over Work delivers the hopeful news that real change is possible. While we’ve all been tied to the grind, workers of every kind―from domestic workers to CEOs―have been building a movement, refusing to accept that our punishing, perilous way of work is the only way to organize our lives. The stories captured in Schulte’s book point to the possibility of an economy where we move beyond winners and losers to shared opportunity and true progress.” ―Ai-jen Poo, President, National Domestic Workers Alliance, and author of The Age of Dignity “In Over Work , Brigid Schulte illuminates diverse change agents driven by visions of a fairer, more fulfilling work-life paradigm. She weaves captivating storytelling with essential data to expose the roots and ramifications of our overworked society, while spotlighting innovative solutions. Through tales of resilience and resistance, from advocating for better labor laws to fostering individual agency, Over Work urges reade