PREFACE

This book is for you if you are

fed up with the 12-hour work day and want to cut back.

scared about the risks that come with working less.

looking for more satisfaction in life.

making a good income, but wondering if the price is worth it.

questioning “Is this all there is?”

wanting more time for your family or yourself, but uncertain about the best ways to achieve it.

Downshifting is all about getting off the merry-go-round. It is written to help you move from the fast track to a more satisfying, less work-focused lifestyle.

You will not find Downshifting to be pie-in-the-sky. Most of us need to work to earn a living. We recognize, too, that work can be a positive experience—it can provide us with a sense of self-worth, pride of achievement, and even an identity. But, as with most things in life, dependence on just one source for fulfilling our psychological needs narrows the opportunities for personal satisfaction. This book helps you to expand the possibilities.

In Downshifting you will learn ways to cut back and still make a good living. I will show you how to convince your organization that the changes you want to make will be good for the organization. You will even learn how to cope with the scared feelings that you’re likely to experience. This book will guide you through all you need to know, and do, to find more free time—not only for yourself, but those you care most about.

I’ve written this book because I want to share my experiences in becoming a happier, more balanced person. As a workaholic I knew it would be difficult to work less and as a psychologist I knew why, but I learned how to do it—peacefully and profitably. I’ve never had the desire to go back.

Chapter 1 begins our adventure. Shall we start?

John D. Drake, Ph.D.

Kennebunkport, Maine