7 books that will help you regain a sense of calm

Whether you were cooking big holiday meals, avoiding political talk at the dinner table, or simply trying to dodge the latest COVID variant, there’s a good chance that the last few weeks were a stressful time. If so, first of all, we hope you’ve found time for a nap and some tea. But after that, we recommend checking out the seven relaxing reads below, each of which is sure to bring your stress back down to pre-holiday levels.

Tracking Wonder: Reclaiming a Life of Meaning and Possibility in a World Obsessed with Productivity

By Jeffrey Davis

A refreshing counter-voice to the exhausting narrative hyper-productivity, Tracking Wonder is a welcome guide for experiencing more meaning and joy in the present moment as you bring your greatest contributions to life. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Jeffrey Davis, in the Next Big Idea App

A Minute to Think: Reclaim Creativity, Conquer Busyness, and Do Your Best Work

By Juliet Funt

Whether you are an individual trying to build a more sane and humane flow of daily work, a team that wants new levels of efficiency and effectiveness, or an entire organization changing your culture toward thoughtfulness, this book will lead you there. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Juliet Funt, in the Next Big Idea App

Laziness Does Not Exist

By Devon Price

For too many of us, our self-worth has become a function of our productivity. In other words, we only feel good about ourselves by working harder and harder. But in this book, a social psychologist argues that what we call “laziness” isn’t just natural—it’s something we should all strive to embrace. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Devon Price, in the Next Big Idea App

Thrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Life of Well-Being, Wisdom, and Wonder

By Arianna Huffington

Drawing on the latest groundbreaking research and scientific findings in the fields of psychology, sports, sleep, and physiology that show the profound and transformative effects of meditation, mindfulness, unplugging, and giving, Arianna Huffington shows us the way to a revolution in our culture, our thinking, our workplace, and our lives. Listen to our Book Bite summary in the Next Big Idea App

A World Without Email: Reimagining Work in an Age of Communication Overload

By Cal Newport

Drawing on years of investigative reporting, a computer science professor makes the case that our current approach to work is broken, then lays out a series of principles and concrete instructions for fixing it. With these insights in mind, we may be able to liberate workers everywhere from the tyranny of the inbox.
Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Cal Newport, in the Next Big Idea App

The Power of Fun: How to Feel Alive Again

By Catherine Price

If you’re not having fun, you’re not fully living. The author of How to Break Up with Your Phone makes the case that, far from being frivolous, fun is actually critical to our well-being—and shows us how to have more of it. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Catherine Price, in the Next Big Idea App

Effortless: Make It Easier to Do What Matters Most

By Greg McKeown

We’ve been conditioned to believe that if we want to overachieve, we have to overexert, overthink, and overdo. That if we aren’t perpetually exhausted, we’re not doing enough. But Effortless proposes a better, healthier way forward, one in which it’s easier than ever to do the things that really matter. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Greg McKeown, in the Next Big Idea App

This article originally appeared in the Next Big Idea Club magazine and is reprinted with permission.