Book review: The Good Enough Job by Simone Stolzoff

By Sharmila Ganapathy

“It is a narrow mind which cannot look at a subject from various points of view.”- George Eliot

Perspective. Too many of us get caught up in the daily grind to think deeply about our perspective of work.

I should know. I’ve done it over and over again during the course of my career as a wordsmith. In fact, I still struggle to have a “healthy relationship” with my day job because writing is part of who I am and who I want to become.

This realisation hit home in a big way when I wrote this post six months ago. I made a note of Simone Stolzoff’s book release date and when it was out, I got myself a hard copy of The Good Enough Job: Reclaiming Life From Work.

I’m now endeavouring to put into practice some of my learnings from Stolzoff’s book. Here’s the TLDR for those who have no intention of getting the book anytime soon (although I highly recommend that you do):

There’s no such thing as a dream job. When I was a full-time journalist (and later an editor), I truly believed being a journalist was my “calling” in life. Now, as a mid-career wordsmith, I see with such clarity that work is…well, work. To quote Ms. Fobazi (whom Stolzoff interviewed for his book): “I’m going in with eyes wide open.”

Work does not define your worth. In his book, Stolzoff emphasises the point that your value is in not how much you create—something that is rooted in capitalism. I’m a wordsmith who creates content for my day job and on the side as a poet and fiction writer. But I’m also an artist, a pretty good cook and a dedicated cat-mommy. The joy is in creating, not how much or how fast I create. Stolzoff quite rightly points out: “We are not born with a fixed identity; it’s something we build over time.”

The workplace is not your family. Ha, no it really isn’t. When the publication I had worked for for nearly two years shuttered, it was a metaphorical slap in the face for the entire editorial team. Any illusions I had of the workplace or working in the media being like family, were shattered in a matter of days. I’ve never looked at journalism (in fact, any workplace) the same way, ever since.

Working more hours does not lead to better work. Ask yourself this: every time you stayed late at the office because your boss/supervisor did too, how much more effectively did you work? Stolzoff’s book has the research and interviews to drive home the point that employees are more effective when they work normal hours. Heck, countries with four-day workweeks have the data to prove that this practice increases productivity. Who am I (or your employer) to say otherwise?

Work hard, go home. Stolzoff’s book has interesting insights about cushy office perks and how employees end up working late (partly) because of these. His interview with an ex-Googler illustrates this point pretty well. As a remote worker, I’ve learned to separate my workspace and living space…so I get to “go home” when I’m off the clock.

The myth that status equals success. Seriously, now. I know people who were laid off from high-ranking and well-paying jobs at the height of Covid, and they went into a deep depression because they had erroneously tied their entire self-worth to their status. It’s not fun; because it’s during these times that you learn more about yourself and who your real friends are. Chew on this one for a bit.

Setting personal boundaries is harder than you think. Stolzoff is the first person to admit that he hasn’t quite perfected the art of drawing a boundary between work and his sense of self. I found his honesty refreshing and being in the same boat myself, I feel for him and everyone else who struggles with this issue.

My biggest takeaways from this book? 1) You are not your work and doing purposeful, paid work to pay the bills and put food on the table is perfectly okay, and 2) Work doesn’t have to be your whole life (just because someone else says so).

You are who you choose to become. It’s as simple as that.