I write about people, technology, and creativity. I’m especially fascinated by the oblique strategies and unexpected ways creative people and organizations do their best work. This inspired my interest in rest as a source of creative ideas and sustainable creativity, and in the 4-day week as a strategy for unlocking innovation, improving workplaces, and helping people do great work. I talk about these subjects around the world.
My TED talk on “How rest can make you better at your job,” October 2023
My TED talk on “How rest can make you better at your job,” October 2023
As leader of 4 Day Week Studio, I bring decades of experience as a workshop designer, author, and expert on the 4-day work week.
During my tenure as director of research and consulting at 4 Day Week Global, I designed and ran its world-famous national programs, led consulting projects, and developed the curriculum for its live and online courses. I also developed and led training program for national partners who are launching local programs in the Nordic countries, Italy, France, and other countries.
Alex on Yahoo! Finance, 2024
Most important, I’ve worked with hundreds of companies, nonprofits, and government agencies to implement 4-day weeks. It’s rewarding helping organizations reduce working time without cutting salaries or productivity. Every business is different, but no business is unique; and so every organization develops its own solutions, making every engagement a learning experience for me.
I’ve written and spoken about the 4-day week around the world, in the Financial Times, National Public Radio, South China Morning Post, BBC, Australian Financial Review, and many podcasts.
Talking about the 4-day week on Dubai Business Week, 2024
My book Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less was first published in 2016. In 2024, Basic Books released an updated edition, with a new afterword.
DLD session of “Rest!” with Arianna Huffington, 2017
DLD session of “Rest!” with Arianna Huffington, 2017
Rest reveals the hidden role that rest played in the lives and work of some of history’s most creative and prolific scientists, writers, composers, and artists (and even some CEOS and generals). It uses recent work in neuroscience and the psychology of creativity to explain why deliberate rest helps us have new insights, discover approaches to problems we might otherwise overlook, and have more sustainable creative lives.
My conversation at Google about rest, July 19, 2019.
My conversation at Google about rest, July 19, 2019.
My work on rest and the 4-day week share a common interest in pushing back against our assumptions about the inevitability of overwork, and the belief that success can only come from working crazy long hours.
Talking about REST on EBS TV, Korea
This is especially true for people who are smart, ambitious perfectionists who want to do great work. But history teaches us that if you love what you do, you should play a long game, rather than burn yourself striving for fame. Not only will you be able to do the work you love for more of your life; you’ll actually be more likely to do work that lasts. It’s worked for me.
My books explore the intersection of technology, creativity, and time, and challenge our conventional ideas about the necessity of hustle culture, the virtue of busyness, and the inevitability of overwork and burnout.