We Need to Work Less

Juliet Schor, a professor of sociology at Boston College, came in yesterday to talk about the new business as usual. What’s going to bring us out of the current recession? Not job creation, Schor argues. We need to rethink the way we work, she says, meaning we should spending less time focusing on the markets. In the future, people should become more diversified in their skills—so if they have a part-time job, the rest of the time might be spent building a house, repairing a car, launching a business, building community and social connections. A “Do It Yourself” economy, some might say.