Caveday's Favorite Books of 2021

At Caveday, we read a lot. Not just non-fiction, but novels and poetry, memoirs and short stories. We’re curious about how people work their best, and what they can create when they do. There were a lot of favorites this year, but if we were going to focus on the 9 books that influenced our work, thinking, and direction of Caveday as a company, these would be them.

The Practice
Seth Godin

We featured this on our 2021 gift guide as we loved it so much. This book will inspire you to work harder and smarter, with succinctly explained concepts. Ultimately, it’s about building a creative practice to show up every day and ship regularly and how creating work publicly is survivable.

DO/Breathe
Michael Townsend Williams

If you don’t know the “DO” books, you’re in for a treat with this introduction. They’re all about 100-120 pages and help teach a life skill. This one hit particularly hard about destressing at work. It touched on everything from mindfulness to flow, focus, and energy. A lot of great activities in here to improve as the author calls it our “dynamic balance” of well-doing.

Four Thousand Weeks
Oliver Burkeman

Probably the most interesting and smart approach to time management out there right now. Burkeman is both a journalist and philosopher who looks at human history and our relationship to time– from medieval peasants to Silicon Valley. Our obsession with keeping up with the proverbial Joneses and new mental frameworks we can take on to refocus our approach to managing, accepting, and living in time.

Rest
Alex Soojunk-Kim Pang

An insightful read about why taking breaks, intentionally resting, and sleep improve the way we work. Lots of science and research behind the effects of rest on creativity, energy, and overall mental performance. A great read and reminder to take breaks and even nap more regularly.

How to Write One Song
Jeff Tweedy

The concept of the title is that no one sets out to write a whole album at once. We have to write one song at a time. Sort of like “Bird By Bird” (Anne Lamott) for songwriting. Written by the frontman of the band Wilco, this book includes a toolbox and practical exercises for approaching songwriting. And it discusses the mental resistance that comes with making creative work.

The Gifts of Imperfection
Brené Brown

A book about Brown’s 10 tentpoles for wholehearted living. Guidelines for building a stronger family and just a stronger individual presence in the world. Not to necessarily go big, or be famous, but to remind yourself of your own definitions. It's not a how-to list by any means, it's more of a toolkit to help you define things that matter to you and be clear about the things that get in the way.

The Culture Code
Daniel Coyle

How teams and relationships among coworkers are forged. Through vulnerability, psychological safety, and moments of connection. Lots of great case studies from the NBA to Pixar and the Upright Citizens Brigade. Also shares great tips on giving good feedback and how to craft a culture credo.

The Art of Community
Charles Vogl

Reading this book was so affirming about the work we’re doing at Caveday. It not only aligns with how we’ve built our community, but also inspiring about where it could go. Great for anyone passionate about community building. He has another book called Building Brand Communities that is more about a company community as we’re building with Caveday.

How to Be An Anti-Racist
Ibram X Kendi

We’re continuing to do anti-racism work and uncover our biases as individuals and as a company. Loved the way Kendi wove personal stories with larger historical and societal themes. Full of calls to action and work that needs to be done.

The first seven books parallel the seven workshops that are part of our new training program coming in Q1 of 2022. Look out for announcements and messaging around Headlamp in the coming weeks. We’d love to have you join.

The Practice → Foundations of Work
DO/Breathe → Flow
Four Thousand Weeks → Focus
Rest → Energy
How To Write One Song → Creativity
The Gifts of Imperfection → Self-Knowledge
The Culture Code → Relationships

We hope this list inspires you to read or listen more in the coming year and helps you find more focus along the way.

Have a book that you think we’d enjoy or should read in the coming year? We’d love any new recommendations. Have a happy and healthy new year.

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Caveday is on a mission to help you improve your relationship to work. We write regularly and send out monthly newsletters with productivity tips, life hacks, and recommendations. Sign up for the mailing list here.

Jake Kahana is a cofounder of Caveday. Sign up for his personal emails, called “The Email Refrigerator” here.