How to Stay Productive When the World Is Ending Offers Comic Relief in the End Times

Andrews McMeel Publishing

I am of the firm belief that these days, satire writers are in fierce competition with regular news media given just how ridiculous (and sad) things are. Satire, of course, is not new, and throughout history, it has been used as a salve to make what seems like the end times a little more palatable. And How to Stay Productive When the World Is Ending: Productivity, Burnout, and Why Everyone Needs to Relax More Except You aims to be just that.

Brought to us by the witty minds responsible for Reductress, a satire website that is mostly driven to cover topics that cater to women, How to Stay Productive When the World Is Ending is as funny as it is depressing. So, spoiler alert, if dark humor is not your thing, this book should remain on the shelf at your preferred bookstore—there are a few passages that tease at suicidal ideation, the reality of burnout, and, as the title suggests, the world ending.

In my case, I laughed more than I thought I would at this collection of brand-new essays and listicles targeting capitalism and its kin: consumerism, rugged individualism, and hustle culture. Satire so often demands flagrant exaggeration of how bad the targeted subject is, so I have to tip my hat to the writers and editors behind this book, who have to one-up actual news pieces such as “‘I’m Selling My Blood’: Millions in US Can’t Make Ends Meet with Two Jobs” and “‘Live Free and Die’? The Sad State of US Life Expectancy.” It’s tough competition, but I guess someone has to try to make light of the economic hellhole we are currently living in.

At times, I felt personally called out by articles that really dig at the concept of working yourself to death—and, worse still, by the notes congratulating me on reading an actual book. I also got a really good chuckle at the little side features of “Productivity Advice from Boomer Dad,” complete with things that are not far off from actual career advice my boomer father handed down. As delightful as all of that was, I fear I may never mentally recover from the playful yet startling pitch of a fanfic with the romantic pairing of actor Timothée Chalamet and the Pokémon Mewtwo.

All that said, would I recommend this book? For the price tag of $19.99, I’d likely wait until it went on sale. Its cover certainly makes it a worthy addition to any burnt-out employee’s home office, and it might make an excellent gag gift for that friend who is somehow affiliated with a dozen multilevel marketing schemes at once, but it is hard for me to justify that cost and overall entertainment value when I look at the current price of eggs.

How to Stay Productive When the World Is Ending is available now for preorder in the Reductress shop and arrives on shelves in May 2023.