349: Embracing Doubt and Going for “Good-Enough” Work with Simone Stolzoff

Pivot with Jenny Blake

As relationship expert Ester Perel says, “Too many people bring the best of themselves to work, and bring the leftovers home.” This is one of several notions that sparked today’s guest, Simone Stolzoff, to reconsider his relationship to work. We’re talking about his unique approach to researching his new book, The Good Enough Job, interviewing over 100 primarily white-collar workers, but only featuring nine stories in depth. His goal is that you’ll treat this book—and our conversations—less like a textbook and more like a mirror. “I hope [it] prompts you, as writing it did for me, to examine your own relationship to your job.”

More About Simone: Simone Stolzoff is an independent journalist and consultant from San Francisco. A former design lead at the global innovation firm IDEO, he regularly works with leaders—from the Surgeon General of the United States to the Chief Talent Officer at Google—on how to make the workplace more human-centered. His feature writing on the intersection of labor and Silicon Valley has appeared in The Atlantic, WIRED, The San Francisco Chronicle, and numerous other publications. Today we’re talking about his new book, The Good Enough Job: Reclaiming Life from Work.

🌟 3 Key Takeaways

• If all your needs were met, what would you do with your life? How might that inform the work you do to get paid versus the activities that nourish your spirit?
• Michael Norton at HBR asks millionaires two questions: How happy are you on a scale of 1 to 10? And how much more money would you need to get to a 10 out of 10? Regardless of whether people had $1 or $2 or $5 million, respondents all answered the same way: that they’ll be happier when they have two to three times more money than they have now.
• You may still experience grief even if you’re making a decision that can be a better path for you in the future.

✅ Try This Next

Consider how your identity is shaped by the people you are surrounded by. Find communities that can reinforce an identity of yours beyond the commercial value you contribute to the world, beyond your professional life. What group/s can you join where what you do for work doesn’t matter to them at all? (Think intramural sports or even time outside with pets :)

🔗 Resources Mentioned

• Simone on the web, IG, Twitter, LinkedIn
• Simone’s Substack: Simone Stolzoff
• Articles: NYT—Please Don’t Call My Job a Calling

📚 Books Mentioned

• The Good Enough Job: Reclaiming Life from Work by Simone Stolzoff
• The Pathless Path: Imagining a New Story for Work and Life by Paul Millerd
• Free Time: Lose the Busywork, Love Your Business
• Pivot: The Only Move That Matters Is Your Next One
• Life After College

🎧 Related Episodes

• Pivot x RadReads: Conversations with Khe Hy (Spotify Playlist)
• Pivot: 341: Pivoting From Prestigious Consulting Jobs To The Pathless Path With Paul Millerd
• 321: ChatGPT as Universal Intern and Excellent Advice for Living with Kevin Kelly
• Free Time: 203: 🎢 Riding the Emotional Rollercoaster of Launching with Natalie Lue
• 205: Why Paul Millerd Turned Down a $200K Two-Book Traditional Publishing Deal

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