Is Your Work Worth It? by Jennifer Tosti-Kharas & Christopher Wong Michaelson Summary
Overview of Is Your Work Worth It?
In "Is Your Work Worth It?", Tosti-Kharas and Michaelson challenge our relationship with work following 9/11's wake. Praised by Harvard's Amy Edmondson as "wise, provocative, and ambitious," this guide asks the question former Best Buy CEO Hubert Joly calls essential: What makes your professional journey truly meaningful?
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Key takeaways
When the Alarm Clock Feels Like a Verdict
Picture yourself on Sunday evening, that sinking feeling creeping in as Monday looms. Is that dread about your job, or something deeper-a question about whether the life you're building is the one you actually want? This isn't just career anxiety; it's an existential crisis playing out in millions of lives simultaneously. After the Great Resignation shook the foundations of how we think about work, we're left with a more fundamental question: not just whether to stay or go, but whether our work is genuinely worth the finite hours of life we're trading for it. Consider Wong Jun-Chow, a Chinese general who fled to Brazil in 1949, failed in business, yet continued "working" unpaid into old age-sharing wisdom and Confucian values with his family. His story reveals something crucial: work isn't just what pays the bills. It's purposeful, effortful, and recognized by society-though each element contains contradictions that make defining "worthy work" far more complex than it appears.
The Paradox of What Counts
The Money Myth and What Actually Motivates Us
The Ant, the Grasshopper, and the Impossible Choice
When Markets Betray Meaning
The Calling That Consumes
The Work That Remains When Everything Else Stops
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"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
From Columbia University alumni built in San Francisco
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
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