Nonfiction

Working Hard, Hardly Working: How to achieve more, stress less and feel fulfilled

Working Hard, Hardly Working: How to achieve more, stress less and feel fulfilled

  • Downloads：3949
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-04-15 09:52:03
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Grace Beverley
  • ISBN：1529159008
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

THE #1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

'Excellent。' The Times

'Offers a fresh take on how to create your own balance， be more productive and feel fulfilled in the high-pressure social media age。' Cosmopolitan， 12 BEST NEW BOOKS TO READ

'Serves some serious inspiration for the business-minded。' Bustle， TOP DEBUT BOOKS OF 2021

'Pinpoints and unpacks the confusing and impossible messages we are all fed about modern work， how we are supposedly meant to be "nailing" all areas of our life all at once。' Emma Gannon
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We all know the pressure of feeling like we should be grinding 24/7 while simultaneously being told that we should 'just relax' and take care of ourselves， like we somehow have to decide between success and sanity。 But in today's complex working world， where every hobby can be a hustle and social media is the lens through which we view ourselves and others， this seemingly impossible choice couldn't be further from our reality。

In Working Hard， Hardly Working， entrepreneur and self-proclaimed 'lazy workaholic' Grace Beverley challenges this unrealistic and unnecessary split， and offers a fresh take on how to create your own balance， be more productive and feel fulfilled。
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A BOOK TO HELP YOU:

Create your own Productivity Method: Work smart and do more of what you love
Make your routine work for you: Optimise your habits and reap the benefits
Understand your value: Get into your flow and enjoy your everyday
Engage in effective self-care: How stepping back can help you move forwards

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Reviews

Rosie Finch ，

An interesting approach to productivity and work culture。 I found the narrative choice very jarring。 I have always loved Grace and support her with all of her businesses。 But this was a struggle to read。 Luckily I listened to it on Audible and found it an easy listen while on the treadmill at the gym。 Conclusion: Good content but interesting narrative and style choice， one that makes it a tricky read。 Would recommend the audio book version。

Dominique ，

I bought this because I've been following Grace since about 2018， and this was way better than I was expecting （due to previous experience with 'youtuber books'）。 Grace gives relevant， actionable steps to build the life that YOU want， giving blatant disregard for what anyone else thinks。 She checks her privilege regularly and critiques the current system that Late Stage Capitalism has created for us， while offering solutions。 Additionally， Grace has a wicked sense of humour and I unironically lo I bought this because I've been following Grace since about 2018， and this was way better than I was expecting （due to previous experience with 'youtuber books'）。 Grace gives relevant， actionable steps to build the life that YOU want， giving blatant disregard for what anyone else thinks。 She checks her privilege regularly and critiques the current system that Late Stage Capitalism has created for us， while offering solutions。 Additionally， Grace has a wicked sense of humour and I unironically loved the use of hashtags， memes and jokes in the book。 The book is not perfect， but it is solution driven， which I appreciated much more than I thought I would。 。。。more

Kerrianne ，

A really interesting look at productivity， the workplace and the pressures we face。

Evelyn Jones ，

This was okay， there were no new concepts introduced but （when she wasn't unnecessarily swearing） she articulated the topics in an interesting way。 I enjoyed reading it on my way to work to gear me up for the day This was okay， there were no new concepts introduced but （when she wasn't unnecessarily swearing） she articulated the topics in an interesting way。 I enjoyed reading it on my way to work to gear me up for the day 。。。more

Anika ，

An easy read - some valuable concepts but nothing groundbreaking。

Bryony Grace ，

Throughly enjoyed this one as an audiobook。

Fiona ，

Took almost a month to finish。 The points are useful but can definitely tell that Grace is an academic and writes like an academic。 The writing could be more concise but instead Grace opts for big words， making it harder to take in the key messages。

Breanna Evans ，

Had a few impactful， thought-provoking pages。 Majority of the content has been written about before by numerous authors。

Ellie-Jean Royden ，

I absolutely disagree with the reviews saying she is privileged so what’s the point of the book。 If you want a book about someone else go and read a book about someone else？ There are lots of unsuccessful people out there with the exact same background as grace and I want to know what she did to get where she is。 However， I do agree that she often is arguing with herself throughout the book and seems to caveat everything with a paragraph about how “that might not work for you”。 I think I would h I absolutely disagree with the reviews saying she is privileged so what’s the point of the book。 If you want a book about someone else go and read a book about someone else？ There are lots of unsuccessful people out there with the exact same background as grace and I want to know what she did to get where she is。 However， I do agree that she often is arguing with herself throughout the book and seems to caveat everything with a paragraph about how “that might not work for you”。 I think I would have come away feeling better about it if she had just owned her advice and maybe had one caveat in the introduction saying hey this is how do it and it really works for someone who is super busy and running many projects but it might not all apply to you and that’s okay。 。。。more

Molly ，

Here's how to work hard without really working: Have rich parents。 Here's how to work hard without really working: Have rich parents。 。。。more

Sophia ，

Beverley gives a great insight into her success and habits that have aided in helping her create her business empire all whilst at university。 She gives fun and genuine advice on how to improve your working style， mindset， goal setting and overall attitude towards your working life。 As someone in my early-20s， Beverely decomposes the daunting notion of being an entrepreneur and successful businesswoman by guiding the reader through methods step-by-step to enhancing productivity， focus， goal sett Beverley gives a great insight into her success and habits that have aided in helping her create her business empire all whilst at university。 She gives fun and genuine advice on how to improve your working style， mindset， goal setting and overall attitude towards your working life。 As someone in my early-20s， Beverely decomposes the daunting notion of being an entrepreneur and successful businesswoman by guiding the reader through methods step-by-step to enhancing productivity， focus， goal setting and maintaining a work and social life balance。 A must read！ 。。。more

Hollie Kingsland ，

I really wanted this to be good， because I really like Grace – but I only got 20% of the way through before giving up。 I'm a professional editor myself， and I cannot understand what Grace's editors were thinking allowing the book to be published like this。 To me， it reads like a university paper。 Every part reads like an essay where the author is trying to form an argument and assess other sources – but the point attempting to be made is never actually made。 It's so frustrating！ The paragraphs a I really wanted this to be good， because I really like Grace – but I only got 20% of the way through before giving up。 I'm a professional editor myself， and I cannot understand what Grace's editors were thinking allowing the book to be published like this。 To me， it reads like a university paper。 Every part reads like an essay where the author is trying to form an argument and assess other sources – but the point attempting to be made is never actually made。 It's so frustrating！ The paragraphs are too long， the sentences too complex， and for something that you're given permission to dog-ear the pages， it's wholly inaccessible， unbrowsable， and painful to read。I also couldn't shake the weird feeling that I was taking advice from someone that's so early on in their entrepeunerial life。 I think she should have waited 5–10 years to establish more credibility。 That's not， however， to take away from the incredible success she's had， as she's certainly admirable。 。。。more

Emma Latham ，

This book put me in a reading slump。 I was so ready to listen to Grace and looking forward to reading this one but it was very repetitive and honestly took me nearly two weeks to finish。 Would recommend to skip out reading this book and follow her on Insta instead （not very self care of me I know！）

Lisa Webb ，

It’s very rare that I can’t finish a book， especially one this short but good god this was hard to read。 I made it 80% of the way through and I just couldn’t read any more。 I’ve taken absolutely nothing away from it， there were a lot of words but no real point。 I have no idea who she is but she’s written approximately 1000 times that she’s very privileged and honestly， the fact that this got published is evidence enough of that。 It’s a no from me。

Rebecca McNaughton ，

Easy read， relatable and some great pointers for how to set out goals - however felt it was slightly repetitive！

Jessica Errington ，

Having read the reviews， I really feel they don’t give this justice。 Grace really offers an approach to a healthy work life balance for normal people， while she recognises her privilege， she tackles the topic of reaching your own self- actualisation。 I reccomend this to any young working woman！

Maddie ，

Working Hard， Hardly Working is another self-help book that is way longer than it needs to be。 It has some occasionally helpful tips， but was mostly 101 basic advice - I did not learn anything new。 The book is strangely structured and the writing is rambly， often obscuring whatever point the author was trying to make。 She also constantly discounted her own suggestions。 While I understand she was trying to avoid coming across as overly authoritative and show awareness of her privilege， it took aw Working Hard， Hardly Working is another self-help book that is way longer than it needs to be。 It has some occasionally helpful tips， but was mostly 101 basic advice - I did not learn anything new。 The book is strangely structured and the writing is rambly， often obscuring whatever point the author was trying to make。 She also constantly discounted her own suggestions。 While I understand she was trying to avoid coming across as overly authoritative and show awareness of her privilege， it took away from her arguments for me。 For the positives， I think there were some interesting observations on hustle culture， 'marketable workaholism' and the need for work reform。 But， overall， I would skip this book。 。。。more

Louisa ，

I found this book very helpful。 Lots of tips about using your time effectively and also having that balance of taking time off。 It also makes you think about what you really enjoy when taking time off for example I find after scrolling through TikTok mindlessly I don’t feel good whereas seeing friends I feel refreshed and recharged。

Tatty ，

For someone who gets lost in tasks and forgets what they are doing I found the first part of the book， ‘working hard’ so helpful， and have implemented her tactics and into my work and have seen such an increase in my productivity！ I’m not the best reader but I found this easy to read， and intriguing

Megan Ward ，

A book full of tips and tricks which could be beneficial。 However they have been mentioned before。 Nothing really new included。

Liv ，

Found the first section Working Hard more useful in terms of info， tips and advice than the second section Hardly Working ！！ Have come across a few of these tips before but its v good to have a refresher at the beginning of a new year🤓。 Loved the sections on flow， creative uniqueness & productivity as well as different types of tasks and how to approach them。 Some useful reflection prompts throughout the book， but perhaps some tips in ‘hardly working’ such as reflecting what you enjoy doing and Found the first section Working Hard more useful in terms of info， tips and advice than the second section Hardly Working ！！ Have come across a few of these tips before but its v good to have a refresher at the beginning of a new year🤓。 Loved the sections on flow， creative uniqueness & productivity as well as different types of tasks and how to approach them。 Some useful reflection prompts throughout the book， but perhaps some tips in ‘hardly working’ such as reflecting what you enjoy doing and if you are doing enough of it - I guess you kind of already know？？？ & you know the solution is to try and build more of it into your schedule。 But how？ For me this is where her assertions that rest， work， productivity and self-care are interwoven come into play bc being more productive and efficient at work （which she gives useful tips on） will allow for more ‘hardly working’ and doing things we love。 I guess thats why I found the first part most useful， bc by optimising work hours， we can make more room for other things！ Some parts of the book are more reflections & commentary on Gen Z and modern day society than practical advice but I still enjoyed those parts。。。it was actually nice to reflect， nod my head and understand where she is coming from rather than having an overwhelming number of tips screaming at me。 I think she has put effort into including theorists & previous research， which I appreciate and for some reason， wasn’t expecting！ Gave it 3 bc of some repetition， some ideas that u could grasp without the book and bc I enjoyed the first half mostly。。。 。。。more

Claire Luzmore ，

Just not really worth the time lol hence why it’s taken me so long to actually push myself to read it。 What the book is based on is sound and I really like Grace and she’s someone I have looked up to in the influencer world， but this book says a lot without saying a lot and could have been 10 pages long rather than 200。 Hoped for more， just glad I can move it to my ‘read’ pile now。

Brittany ，

Although the book has a few good productivity tips and exercises， there wasn’t anything profound in it。 I bought the book as I have been following Grace for a while， but just like her podcast （and any guest that came on it）， there was just too much privilege behind it that even the most basic advice seems unattainable for someone outside of that world。 It is an easy read， with a few moments of comic relief （if you will） in there that makes it an acceptable read between novels。

Flossie ，

To avoid sounded big-headed， this book provides some very useful tips for those who are looking to get organised and get disciplined in the simplest way possible， which isn't entirely a bad thing！ I found that a lot of the tips and organisation methods Grace outlined I already use and was aware of before I read this book， so I didn't exactly take away anything new。 However， I liked that this book serves as a useful reminder of how to get back on track quickly， and also how to take productive tim To avoid sounded big-headed， this book provides some very useful tips for those who are looking to get organised and get disciplined in the simplest way possible， which isn't entirely a bad thing！ I found that a lot of the tips and organisation methods Grace outlined I already use and was aware of before I read this book， so I didn't exactly take away anything new。 However， I liked that this book serves as a useful reminder of how to get back on track quickly， and also how to take productive time off from working - something a stressed and overwhelmed university student like myself can use every once in a while！ 。。。more

Readmedani ，

First half: 5 stars， so useful and inspiring。 I loved it。Second half: a little confusing， I couldn’t finish it。 Long long sentences。 Keeping the rating at 4 because the first half was genuinely super useful。

Shannon ，

Written by a young and conventionally successful woman， Beverley tackles issues of modern day work-til-you-burn-out culture and approaches the topic of self care with a refreshing perspective。 My overly organised self loved this book on productivity and rest。 Recommend！！

Erica Frances ，

The chapter on purpose is rough。 Another review said this felt like a university student trying to make their word count and I agree with that for certain portions。 That being said there were some useful pieces of advice that I have implemented in my day to day and I do find them helpful and motivating and stress reducing。 So that's great。 The last Final Thoughts section I think is something should have turned into a more meaningful chapter or book。 Our ideas on working hard and the way other ge The chapter on purpose is rough。 Another review said this felt like a university student trying to make their word count and I agree with that for certain portions。 That being said there were some useful pieces of advice that I have implemented in my day to day and I do find them helpful and motivating and stress reducing。 So that's great。 The last Final Thoughts section I think is something should have turned into a more meaningful chapter or book。 Our ideas on working hard and the way other generations label one another and the impact that has on individuals is very interesting and I wish she had gone more into that。 。。。more

Samantha ，

DNF

Amy ，

Good book especially for someone beginning university or beginning their career in the working world。 The book is well written and has something for everyone。 How much you can directly take from the book depends on your career， but it definitely encourages some self reflection。 Grace acknowledges her privilege throughout the book and acknowledges how not all the tips are feasible for everyone - I disagree with some of the reviews that say otherwise

Laura ，

I loved watching Grace's vlogs， but this book isn't it， its a mashup of a lot of good concepts already expressed better in better books。 I just wanted to finish it and not DNF it， but it was a real pain。 I loved watching Grace's vlogs， but this book isn't it， its a mashup of a lot of good concepts already expressed better in better books。 I just wanted to finish it and not DNF it， but it was a real pain。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Working Hard, Hardly Working: How to achieve more, stress less and feel fulfilled

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Working Hard, Hardly Working: How to achieve more, stress less and feel fulfilled&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Working Hard, Hardly Working: How to achieve more, stress less and feel fulfilled&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0