Cannonball Read Bingo: Font
This year I started a new job and it was a huuuuge life shift: new industry (from non-profit higher education to for-profit tech corporation) new physical environment (hybrid to remote only) new role (administrator to enabler). (Yes, enabler is a real job title. Who knew?!). As with all things, I approached it with a thirst for resources that would equip me with the tools to be successful and help me find my way. Early on in a “getting to know you” convo with my supervisor, she mentioned that this was a book she found helpful as a resource at work. I’m a pretty hierarchical thinker, so my boss recommending a book to me meant that it skyrocketed to the tippy top of my “to read” pile. And it didn’t hurt that it sounded like an AWESOME book by lizandmollie! For the uninitiated, lizandmollie are a collaborative duo who share their insights and reflections about modern concepts using words and illustrations. I first came upon their brilliance on Instagram and their content (and unique font stylings, BINGO!) is some of my favorite stuff ever (see pic for example).
— lizandmollie (@lizandmollie) February 14, 2021
So what’s the book like? The book is marketed as a “toolkit for dealing with negative emotions at work.” And yes, that’s true, it is a handy reference manual for harnassing emotions at work. But more than helping me to deal with negative emotions, it helped me to realize that emotions (having, showing, and talking about them) at work shouldn’t be taboo. I’ve internalized that being emotional at work is to be avoided (thanks, patriarchy) but lizandmollie are here to counteract that bunk (poppycock. hogwash, straight-up trash) and illuminate how emotions can be your allies, nay, your strength, in a work environment.
The book is split into seven key topics: health, motivation, decision-making, teams, communication, culture, and leadership; each section is an engaging blend of personal anecdotes, advice, and illustrations, all of which are underpinned by thorough research. I’ll make the bold claim that absolutely any person who takes the time to read this book will learn something: their ideas are the perfect blend of relatable and actionable. This would be great to read with a friend or co-worker and talk about. Like a lot of self-help style books, this book has loads of good information and is a dense volume of great tips and points to ponder, so reading it cover to cover feels daunting, and not the way to get the most out of it. I would recommend reading a chapter every two weeks, to really have time to reflect and absorb it. And as hard as I endorse the book, I equally endorse following their content online, and though I haven’t read their new book, heck it’s probably great too!
