Could Work Actually Work For Me? How I Built a Business Around a Life, Not the Other Way Round
This was the first thing I ever sent to the Soft Work Society list. It's where it all started - the question that I still think about every day, and that shapes how I work with every client.
I couldn't help but wonder... could work actually work for me?
A few years ago, I was in a job that had me running on empty. I'd wake up every morning with that familiar knot in my stomach and shuffle into meetings I didn't need to be in, Slack notifications pinging like an incessant toddler tugging at my sleeve.
I had a thought - one that had been quietly brewing in the background for years.
What if... work didn't have to feel like this?
You know the feeling. That sinking dread when your to-do list feels like a personal attack. Saying yes when you're already drowning because you think it proves your worth (spoiler: it doesn't). The endless meetings, the performative busyness, the creeping realisation that giving 110% isn't just mathematically impossible - it was never the point.
So I started asking myself: why have we all agreed to this? Who decided that burning the candle at both ends was the only way to get ahead? And more importantly, why was I still lighting the match?
Cue Soft Work Society. I created this because I've been there - burned out, exhausted, and running on the fumes of someone else's idea of success. I wanted to find a way to make work softer, smarter, and just... less. Less grind, less guilt, less of everything that makes you question if it's all worth it.
The S.T.O.P. Framework
The secret to working better isn't about doing more. It's about stopping the unnecessary.
S - Say no to something today. A meeting, an email, a "quick favour." You won't get fired, I promise.
T - Turn off notifications for an hour. Watch how much more you get done without Slack screaming at you.
O - Opt out of over-delivering. You don't need to rewrite the report, stay late, or bend over backwards to prove you're good at your job.
P - Plan a real break. Walk. Nap. Stare dramatically out of the window. Just step away.
Hustle culture only works if you participate. So let's stop. Bin the grind one overly ambitious deadline at a time, and start believing that work can actually work for you.
Cass x