The future of work is here*

*What Works is critical thinking, creative problem-solving, and subversive culture-making for humans navigating the 21st-century economy
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The Latest

Managing Mental Health in the Achievement Society

Managing Mental Health in the Achievement Society

“I thought for a long time: is it capitalism, or is it my ambition? And I am a very ambitious person,” Mara Glatzel told me a couple of years ago. That distinction between the narratives of capitalism, individualism, and meritocracy on one side and the drive to create...

The Economics of Meeting Your Needs

The Economics of Meeting Your Needs

We all have deep human needs—for belonging, for autonomy, for creative expression, for safety and security. But modern life can make it a real challenge to get those needs met in meaningful ways. Instead, we’re offered products with flashy marketing messages. Kitchen...

How Does An Idea Turn Into An Asset?

How Does An Idea Turn Into An Asset?

What makes an idea valuable?  What turns it into a product that can be bought, sold, or rented? Ideas turn into capital assets thanks to our system of intellectual property rights. But understanding IP isn’t simply a matter of learning what a trademark or patent is,...

What Works Podcast with Tara McMullin

Think Differently about Work, Culture, and the Economy

It’s easy to lose your way in the 21st-century economy. The world of work and business is changing so rapidly that you might be focusing more on how to keep up than how to live a meaningful life. What Works is a podcast for entrepreneurs, independent workers, and employees who don’t want to lose themselves to the whims of late-stage capitalism. Tara offers a distinctly interdisciplinary approach to the discourse around business, work, and personal growth.

A Radical New Approach to Goal-Setting

What Works: A Comprehensive Framework to Change the Way We Approach Goal-Setting

Nuanced, rigorous exploration. What Works is a thought-provoking antidote to the overhyped productivity narratives keeping us stuck in shame and validation spirals. This book, and Tara’s oeuvre more broadly, serves as a brilliant guide for emphasizing presence and process over rigid metrics and external markers of success. A rich, hearty meal for the mind, I was only sad to put this book down when it ended.”

— Jenny Blake, podcaster and author of Free Time, Pivot, and Life After College

What Works: A Comprehensive Framework to Change the Way We Approach Goal-Setting by Tara McMullin

Humane Business

Future of Work

How to Feel Good About Going Slow

How to Feel Good About Going Slow

My weekends revolve around baking. Well, baking and running. So really, my weekends revolve around patience. It wasn’t always this way. I like to go fast. When I was a kid, I’d rather finish my homework or even a test in record time than take the time to check my...

The Future of Work: A Vision for 2023 (and Beyond)

The Future of Work: A Vision for 2023 (and Beyond)

Work was in the news this year. Whether it was labor organizing at Starbucks and Amazon, layoffs at tech companies, the eyeroll-inducing “quiet quitting” trend, or the absolutely bonkers “productivity paranoia” scare, people who make the future of work their work have...

Culture & Economy

The Strange Logic of Value in the Attention Economy

The Strange Logic of Value in the Attention Economy

Did you know that 54% of 18-38-year-olds want to be influencers? Or that kids these days would rather be “influencers” or “YouTubers” than firefighters, astronauts, or teachers? Okay, Boomer. Calm down.  The “troubling trend” of all our kids putting themselves on...

Mindset & Identity

Why It’s Time to Radically Rethink Goal-Setting

Why It’s Time to Radically Rethink Goal-Setting

Nothing puts a spring in my step quite like setting my sights on a new target. I’m a goal-oriented overachiever from way back. And like many overachievers, I often end up overcommitted and burnt out. About five years ago, I hit a breaking point when it came to some of...

News & Recommendations

Listen: A Podcast About How Podcasts Make Big Money

Listen: A Podcast About How Podcasts Make Big Money

The business of how podcasts make money is relatively opaque. Lots of podcasts never make a dime. Plenty support marketing efforts at small businesses and large corporations. Still others maintain complete editorial independence by utilizing crowdfunding. And that...