February 15, 2001
Drake offers practical advice to today's workers who dream of turning their hectic lives into something more peaceful. It took Drake only 15 years to build his own human-resources consulting firm into the largest of its kind in the world before he sold it to Harcourt General and "walked away." Now he counsels others on how to make the same move--even if they don't have the proceeds from the sale of a company to live on. Drake is also a psychologist, and he documents the heavy mental and physical toll extracted by a life on the fast track. He suggests simple, low-risk downshifting options that are as basic as taking a walk during lunch; these steps allow harried workers to make more time for themselves. Drake also identifies bigger moves, such as adopting a flextime schedule, taking gradual retirement, or requesting a lower level job within the organization. He recommends strategies for convincing employers of the benefits of such changes, and he offers tips on how to cut the ties if the boss says no.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2001, American Library Association.)