📚 It's time to bet on yourself

As we approach the final days of July, so too does our time reading Cal Newport’s Slow Productivity near its end.

By this stage, we hope those of you who read or listened along have found yourselves strategising approaches for escaping the ‘dehumanising grip of pseudo-productivity.’

We sure have.

And if that is the case, we can’t wait to hear all about it at the end of month book club call coming up this Thursday.

When we started this book club, we looked forward to reading incredible and eye opening books that would help us on our chosen journey of self reflection and improvement.

We feel safe to say that this month’s read, Slow Productivity, hit that mark.

We hope you’ve felt the same way.

Now it is time to look ahead to August and continue on our epic quest of knowledge and betterment. We’ve nominated 3 relatively recent titles for you to consider and vote on.

You'll find the titles, a little burb about each and the voting buttons below.

We’ve got three cracking reads lined up for next month’s book club vote, and we want you to decide what we dive into next. All three are recent bestsellers, packed with fresh takes on leadership and personal growth. Whether you’re looking to lead with more intention, shake up the status quo, or bring more heart into your leadership style, there’s something here for you.

Take a look at the blurbs below and then cast your vote!

This one’s all about turning restlessness into a purpose-driven life. Miles draws on interviews with leaders like Jeff Bezos and Jim McKelvey to lay out a roadmap for finding your “why” and chasing it with clarity and intention. Each chapter gives you practical tools to break out of autopilot and live with more meaning.

Why you might like it:
If you’re feeling a bit stuck or searching for more direction, this book is like a coach in your corner. Expect a mix of life stories, science-backed insights and exercises to help you reflect and take action.

Who it’s for:
Anyone craving more meaning in their work and life. Especially good for leaders who want to live and lead more intentionally, without the burnout.

» Check it out on goodreads

Modern leadership isn’t just about strategy and smarts, it’s about empathy, curiosity and courage too. This book explores eight traits of great leadership, backed by real-world stories and practical tools to help you lead with both head and heart.

Why you might like it:
It’s thoughtful, inclusive and a refreshing take on what leadership should look like today. If you’ve ever felt like traditional leadership books don’t speak to your experience, this one will.

Who it’s for:
Aspiring and current leaders who want to lead with emotional intelligence and values. Great for anyone building team culture or navigating change.

» Check it out on goodreads

This is a bold, no-nonsense guide to 21st-century leadership. Litman makes a case for a new leadership playbook - one built on equity, emotional fluency, and doing things differently from the old guard. Expect practical advice mixed with fire-in-the-belly motivation.

Why you might like it:
It’s sharp, energising and makes you feel like you can change how things are done at work, in your community, or in the world. A proper rallying cry for next-gen leaders.

Who it’s for:
Millennial and Gen Z professionals tired of outdated leadership models. Especially great if you're working in startups, social impact, or building something that matters.

» Check it out on goodreads

Which book should we dive into next? Cast your vote now, and the winning book will be announced on Monday next week.

Our Discord comment of the week:

“I finished this book on the plane rides to and from a work event last week, so I suppose I am also one of the odd ones that quickly finished Slow Productivity lol. Two of the take aways that I think stuck with me the most were ‘do less things’ and ‘focus on quality’

The first one, ‘do less things’ seems very obvious, but I hadn’t really thought of that much personally. I feel like I am someone that has many different interests, that wants to do ‘all the things,’ not just in office, but outside of work as well. But after reflecting while reading this, I realized how much it does contribute to feelings of being overwhelmed and that being more focused on prioritizing just a couple things, rather than semi-focusing on many things, already seems less stressful. So this seemed like an easy but impactful change to introduce.

The second, ‘focus on quality’, reminds me of an anecdote from Freakonomics radio I heard probably a decade ago, if not longer. It had something in it about a boss at a law firm that was hardly ever in office. People wondered what was up with him and how he got away with always being gone. But turns out whenever he would go in, he had extremely valuable answers and insights, particularly for the most difficult issues to figure out. So he was so productive and valuable when he was needed, he didn’t see a reason why he should waste his time there during times he would not be nearly as valuable. So being highly valuable can be one way to slow down while being productive. However, as is mentioned in the book, one way to reach this level of greatness may be by having short term deep and immersive work on issues, which may not be ‘slow’

The criticism I have is that sometimes I felt there were so many great examples about people in creative spaces doing the prescribed things mentioned, and then I would think, ‘but wait, how do you actually apply this as an office worker?’ There would be explanations, but sometimes seemed more of an afterthought or quickly added in a few sentences after longer stories. They’re still inspiring anecdotes though that offer a lot of insight to think about.” - Klschugart

We're so excited to host our next Bad Ass Bookshelf bookclub call to discuss Slow Productivity at the end of this week! Call details below:

Date: 31st July
Time: 17:00 GMT (12:00 EST / 09:00 PST)

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