5 Books for the Burnt Out Office Worker

After spending a year actively recovering from burnout, I’d like to share some of the books that helped me find joy in life again.

Books for Understanding Burnout

Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-Reum

This down-to-earth novel follows the lives of several Koreans working through burnout caused by the incessant pressure and busyness pervading knowledge work in present-day South Korea.

Despite living across the world in the US, I found the characters’ anxious thoughts and deep sense of fatigue to be extremely relatable. The story gave me the feeling that I am not alone in this experience of burnout.

Slow Productivity by Cal Newport

This no-nonsense non-fiction is for those looking for tactics to avoid burnout and to create a manageable work life. Cal Newport presents several new ideas on the topic of productivity that I’ve never considered before.

For example, one of my favorite new terms is “pseudo-productivity: the use of visible activity as the primary means of approximating actual productive effort.” This concept has helped me better articulate aspects of my burnout that I previously had no words for.

Books for Rediscovering Joy in Life

The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron

If any book has changed my life for the better, it is The Artist’s Way. Julia Cameron takes the reader through a 3 month ‘spiritual path for the artist’ aimed at unearthing your forgotten joys and values.

I spent 12 weeks diligently working through all of the exercises in this book which follow weekly themes. Some exercises were straightforward like ‘Repot any pinched or languishing plants.’ Others required more creativity such as ‘Take your inner artist on a date every week’.

Having been an artist my entire life, this book was exactly what I needed in one of the worst moments of my burnout. I feel alive again after rediscovering my forgotten joys of singing, caring for animals, and ballet.

Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert

The author of Eat, Pray, Love offers readers a new lens through which to see life in this playful and moving non-fiction. Elizabeth Gilbert takes the popular idea that all pieces of our world are inextricably connected and names it 'big magic.'

Even as a realist and pragmatist, I found the concept of ‘big magic’ to be compelling and enlivening. The exuberance and humor of the book made me smile and rekindled hope that I could be ok again someday. If you need something encouraging and optimistic, I recommend this book.

A Book for Grounding Yourself in Reality

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

This hefty historical fiction follows several generations of a Korean family in a story of human perseverance. Beginning during Japan’s annexation of Korea and concluding in the 1980’s, this book gives the reader a wide perspective on what it means to be human.

I was intensely moved with the contrasts seen in the book. For example, the struggle to find food in wartime vs the struggle to rise at an investment bank. I found myself grounded and sobered when I compared my own existential problems to the survival problems of my ancestors.

This isn’t meant to diminish your own challenges in life, but rather to give you evidence that you are not alone in your suffering.

There will be more

I’ll continue to write about burnout and other topics common in the tech industry. Please let me know if you have any follow up questions by emailing me at mishi.lis@hey.com.