Thriving In 24/7

In the 24/7 world, home can seem like a branch office. E-mail beckons at 3 A.M.; we work not nine-to-five but across multiple time zones; beeper messages interrupt private moments. Whether we're planning a vacation, choosing health insurance, or buying a car, we are flooded with so many options that our personal lives feel like second jobs. Even the pleasures that should refresh us -- Thanksgiving dinner or lunch with a close friend -- too often seem like tasks on an infinite to-do list. How, asks Sally Helgesen, do we keep from being swallowed up by a world that is fundamentally out of sync with human nature?

Helgesen, a premier thinker on the role of work in the knowledge economy, offers readers six powerful strategies for achieving and maintaining equilibrium in this new world. Drawing upon dozens of interviews with men and women adept at navigating life in 24/7, she urges us to:

"START AT THE CORE: " We can move more nimbly in a complex world if we confront personal history, locate our inner voice, get comfortable in the neutral zone, and take inventory on a regular basis.

"LEARN TO ZIGZAG: " We can master the art of improvisation if we learn from the youngest generation, think in terms of "gigs," plan to keep learning all our lives, rework our definitions of loyalty, and internalize optimism.

"CREATE OUR OWN WORK: " We can do this (even if we stay in our present jobs) by articulating our value, integrating our passions, identifying our market, running our own shop, and targeting multiple centers of gravity.

"WEAVE A STRONG WEB OF INCLUSION: " We can build the supportwe need if we learn to go deep fast, understand the strength of weak ties, grab the spotlight, and master the simple art of looking people up.

"BUILD A CLEAR BRAND: " We can brand ourselves unforgettably by becoming highly conscious of our practice, our materials, our design, and the symbols that we use.

"PRACTICE THE RHYTHM OF RENEWAL: " We can find true refreshment if we learn to connect with timeless rhythms, identify the true sources of our joy, practice mindfulness, and cultivate the elements of Slow.

Writing with simple eloquence and piercing intelligence, Sally Helgesen shows us that bucking up or burning out aren't the only choices if we want to get ahead. This indispensable handbook offers an imaginative, sometimes radical, blueprint for achieving balance in an unbalanced world.