Rest

This book is not purchasable in your country. Please select another book.

Listen to a sample

What to expect

Penguin presents the complete unabridged, downloadable audiobook edition of Rest by Alex Soojung-Kim Pang, read by Adam Sims.


For most of us, overwork is the new normal. Resting means late-night TV binges or hours spent on social media. We never truly recharge.

In this revelatory book, Silicon Valley consultant Alex Soojung-Kim Pang offers a way for us to be more productive and fulfilled in all areas of our lives. Working better does not mean putting in longer hours: it means working less and resting better. Whether through daily naps, as Winston Churchill did in the Second World War, spending a week alone in a cabin like Bill Gates, or simply walking or playing a game, 'deliberate rest' is the key to getting more done.

Drawing on emerging neuroscience, Rest is packed with tips for upping our downtime - from sleep to hobbies to holidays. It's time to change the way we work, rest and play.

Critics Review

  • Take a break and read Rest: you’ll make smarter decisions, have better relationships, and be happier and more creative.

    James Wallman, author of 'Stuffocation'
  • An incredibly timely read – for this moment in history, but also in my own increasingly rest-starved life. This might be the book to finally persuade us that downtime isn’t in conflict with good work; rather, it’s an essential ingredient of it.

    Oliver Burkeman, Guardian columnist and author of 'The Antidote'
  • If work is our national religion, Pang is the philosopher reintegrating our bifurcated selves

    New York Times Book Review
  • Alex Soojung-Kim Pang shows us how much more productive we can be by spending less time in noisy open-plan offices . . . It should be compulsory reading for office managers everywhere

    Evening Standard
  • Read this book, and you’ll see how time off helps us learn and create better

    Ferran Adria, 3-Star Michelin chef and founder of El Bulli
  • Want to be creative and get more done? We used to think only hard work was the answer. This beautifully researched book debunks the “work till you drop” myth by describing how intentional rest is crucial for being your best. Drawing on a wide range of sources, including neuroscience, the arts and psychology, Rest will fundamentally change the way we see work in the years to come. Give it to your boss! Give it to your work-obsessed spouse! Give it to your frazzled office buddies! A new paradigm of work is emerging and this fascinating book will be an indispensable guide

    Peter Fleming author of 'The Mythology of Work'

Subscribe to our newsletter

Sign up to get tailored content recommendations, product updates and info on new releases. Your data is your own: we commit to protect your data and respect your privacy.