Bree Groff's Today Was Fun: A Book About Work (Seriously) is an impassioned, authentic call to reimagine work as a source of joy, not drudgery. "Most work, most days, should be fun," Groff advocates, drawing from observations of her parents' joyful careers and her own professional expertise as a senior advisor at the transformation consultancy SYPartners, which endeavors to create a humanity-driven world of work.
Groff organizes her book around seven witty and insightful rules such as, "Your brain works whether you're wearing a suit or stretchy pants." She dismantles pervasive and imperfect notions of labor and encourages readers to craft fulfilling workdays and vibrant personal lives.
Today Was Fun blends anecdotes, research, and practical tools, including team rituals such as a daily check-in and the fast food rule, which emphasizes making sure your team members feel heard. Groff offers leaders actionable solutions for creating inclusive, gratifying, high-performing "cozy teams" and recommends that, "in a cooperative system, the best strategy is to start with generosity."
While Groff acknowledges that "not all days will be fun," she enthusiastically champions the stance that "Life is joy, not endurance." She shares her experience of caring for her terminally ill mother to reinforce her advice to "bank the joy now."
Groff's conversational style and inclusion of interactive exercises make Today Was Fun an engaging read for those seeking to reclaim joy in their occupations and their lives. --Grace Rajendran, freelance reviewer