‘It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work’

It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson of Basecamp

It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work

Who should read this book?

Anyone who

(i) Works within an organization, owns a company or coaches others AND
(ii) Acknowledges (or not) that life encompasses more than the perpetual chaos of a stressful job.

Why you should read this book (or not)?

As a fervent reader and advocate for personal and professional growth, I can state this is among the finest books I’ve ever encountered. The impact it had on me is evident in the immediate adjustments I made to the values of Ithaki: “Strive for simplicity, elegance & calm.”

The book presents its wisdom through concise, digestible chapters. Each chapter serves as a repository of insights into how Basecamp, the authors’ own company, effectively applies principles and practices to alleviate psycho-social stress. The brevity of each chapter facilitates an easy read.

What sets this book apart is its audacious departure from common beliefs and practices prevalent in today’s high-stakes corporate environment. The authors present a refreshing perspective, challenging conventional wisdom and advocating for a more measured and thoughtful approach to work. (It’s important to note that certain practices may not be universally applicable – Basecamp develops project management software). I found myself yearning for a business landscape populated by organizations that embrace such a clear and articulated vision for a healthier work culture. 

Interesting extracts

“Calm is protecting people’s time and attention.

Calm is about 40 hours of work a week.

Calm is reasonable expectations.

Calm is ample time off.

Calm is smaller.

Calm is a visible horizon.

Calm is meetings as a last resort.

Calm is asynchronous first, real-time second.

Calm is more independence, less interdependence.

Calm is sustainable practices for the long term.

Calm is profitability.”

“Entrepreneurship doesn’t have to be this epic tale of cutthroat survival. Most of the time it’s way more boring that than. Less jumping over exploding cars and wild chase scenes. More laying of bricks and applying another layer of paint.

So you hereby have our permission to buy the hustle. To put in a good day’s work, day after day, but nothing more. You can play with your kids and still be a successful entrepreneur. You can have a hobby. You can take care of yourself physically. You can read a book. You can watch a silly movie with your partner. You can take the time to cook a proper meal. You can go for a long walk. You can dare to be completely ordinary every now and then.”

“How about something really audacious: No targets, no goals?”

“Goals are fake. Nearly all of them are artificial targets set for the sake of setting targets. These made-up numbers then function as a source of unnecessary stress until they are either archived or abandoned. And when that happens, you are supposed to pick new ones and start stressing again. Nothing ever stops at the quarterly win. Every one of them has to produce, exceed, and beat EXPECTATIONS.”

“If you can’t fit everything you want to do within 40 hours per week, you need to get better at picking what to do, not work longer hours. Most of what we think we have to do, we don’t have to do at all. It’s a choice, and often it’s a poor one.”

“What’s worse is when management holds up certain people as having a great “work ethic” because they’re always around, always available, always working. That’s a terrible example of a work ethic and a great example of someone who’s overworked.

A great work ethic isn’t about working whenever you’re called upon. It’s about doing what you say you’re going to do, putting in a fair day’s work, respecting the work, respecting the customer, respecting coworkers, not wasting time, not creating unnecessary work for other people, and not being a bottleneck. Work ethic is about being a fundamentally good person that others can count on and enjoy working with.”

“Balance is give and take. The typical corporate give-and-take is that life gives and work takes. If it’s easier for work to claim a Sunday than for life to borrow a Thursday, there ain’t no balance. (…) And it’s also why if you decide you want to take a Wednesday to hang with your kids, that’s cool, too. You don’t have to “make up” the day-just be responsible with your time and make sure your team knows when you won’t be around. It all rounds out in the end.”

“If you don’t clearly communicate to everyone else why someone was let go, the people who remain at the company will come up with their own story to explain it. Those stories will almost certainly be worse than the real reason.

A dismissal opens a vacuum, and unless you fill that vacuum with facts, it’ll quickly fill with rumors, conjecture, anxiety, and fear. If you want to avoid that, you simply have to be honest and clear with everyone about what just happened. Even if it’s hard. That’s why whenever someone leaves Basecamp, an immediate goodbye announcement is sent out companywide. This announcement is written by either the person leaving or their manager. It’s their choice (but most people who’ve left Basecamp chose to write their own). Either way, someone has to write one.

The person who’s leaving then gets to see all the responses to this announcement from everyone else in the company before the day is up. These responses usually include sharing photos, memories, and stories. Saying goodbye is always hard, but it doesn’t have to be formal or cold. We all know things change, circumstances shift, and shit happens.”

“Way back when, we used to release new software on Fridays all the time. That often meant working Saturdays and Sundays to fix an urgent problem with the new stuff, wrecking the weekend for whoever did the release. It was stupid yet predictable, because we kept setting deadlines at the end of a week. But Fri- day is the worst day to release anything. We couldn’t come up with a good reason, so instead of shipping big software updates on Fridays, we now wait until Monday the following week to do it. Yes, this introduced other risks-if we somehow make a big mistake, we’re introducing it on the busiest day of the week. But knowing that also helps us be better prepared for the release. When there’s more at stake, you tend to measure twice, cut once. (…) And if we’re feeling frenzied for any reason, we delay the release until we’ve calmed down.”

“Until you’re running a profitable business, you’re always almost out of business. You’re racing the runway. Fretting about whether you’ll take off in time. Worrying about how to make payroll at the last moment if you don’t. Talk about a pressurized environment! When companies are in the red, employees worry about their jobs. Without profit, something is always on fire. When companies talk about burn rates, two things are burning: money and people. One you’re burning up, one you’re burning out.”

“You have a choice. And if you don’t have the power to make things change at the company level, find your local level. You always have the choice to change yourself and your expectations. Change the way you interact with people. Change the way you communicate. Start protecting your own time.”