To Hell with the Hustle by Jefferson Bethke

To Hell with the Hustle Reviews

• 
  Redshirt Knitting

  Probably a great book for its target audience of religious people. No mention of the religious nature of the book on the cover... I would not have bought it if I had known.
• 
  Ashley

  Y'all have got to stop publishing these privileged white dudes' brainstorms like they're actual texts.
• 
  Lizz

  What an amazing book!! I truly couldn’t put it down. It absolutely changed my mindset, and it is one I will be coming back to over and over again to refer to as I learn to say ‘to hell with the hustle!’ Jeff Bethke is such a gifted author, and I believe speaks so much truth that our culture could learn from...that really truly has the ability to change our culture if practiced. I will be reading this one again and again...and am beginning to implement some of these things on my own life and my family’s life right away!
  I received an Advanced Readers Copy from the publisher.
• 
  Kelly

  Culturally speaking, I believe this book is insightful and thought-provoking. Though the Western world glorifies fast pace, fame, and fortune, there is true fulfillment and flourishing in and through "boring" ordinariness, obscurity, and quiet obedience to Christ. As believers, we should seek to become more Christlike not only in heart and mind (attitude and actions), but also in pace and priorities (how we steward and spend our time), being conscious of and careful with our habits, values, and loves. Reading this book, some may wonder whether the Christian life is meant to be comfortable, simply slower and gentler than the cultural norm; and I for one also wonder to what extent the American church culture (and structure) plays into the "hustle" culture at large, at least for churchgoers. Nevertheless, this book's message will likely be a timely wake-up call for many and an encouraging reminder for others.
  
  Personally, though I don't consider myself "overworked, overspent, and overconnected," I largely appreciated and enjoyed this book. There are many wise thoughts about habits and formation, being versus doing, slowing down, saying no, etc., as well as interesting nuggets from Scripture, the life of Jesus, Jewish culture, etc. But, especially toward the end, it seemed less compelling, less focused, and bogged down by historical and political tangents and commentary.
• 
  Amy Hageman

  This is a Christian book that focuses on how living a slower, more boring, quieter life can bring meaning, stillness, calmness, and anchor our lives. I did not agree with every principle, but absolutely love the overall message and advice - Make “no” your default. Build margin. Cultivate stillness and ritual. It’s a fast read and I’d recommend it if you’re looking for a Christian perspective on reducing stress in your life.
• 
  Rebekah Barkman

  A message so pertinent to our busy culture, a message that would change much of our lives if we lived my it. So convicting, especially the part about taking an intentional Sabbath rest.
  
  “You have to go at a pace that can be interrupted. That can be responsive to the moment in front of you. Because you can’t love someone when you are hustling. And you can’t love someone when you’re going fast. But when you say no to hustle? You can be stopped. You can step into the holy moment of grace. Jesus did it. He felt other people’s pain. He leaned into their space. He understood their hurt. He waited and didn’t hustle past. He loved.”
• 
  Lizzy

  I really enjoyed this book! I read it before lockdown/corona etc. but it was such a book for this time! Very easy to read and poignant/practical advice on how to put God at the centre of our busy lives and appreciate the practices He has put in place for our benefit such as sabbath. Would definitely recommend, especially for this time!
• 
  Hajar

  This book had a good premise but failed to deliver.
  
  I went into this book thinking it would be a thought-provoking read, needless to say, I was disappointed.
  
  I will still recommend it as it might contain some interesting notions for other readers out there.
  
  I would like to thank the Publishers, NetGalley, and the Author for sending me a copy of this book.
• 
  Shirley Torrence

  It was a very interesting and informative read
• 
  John

  Jefferson Bethke believes that we Americans have bought a lie: work has become where “we derive our ultimate value and meaning.” Work is the great American idol and we are its slaves. We celebrate those who hustle, who are grinders.
  
  Bethke explains this kind of hustling: “When I say the word hustle in this book, I do not mean hustle as in working hard, diligently, and with focus (i.e., your coach telling you to hustle for the ball, which is a good thing!). I mean hustle as it has culturally been adapted to mean in our online conversational lexicon: a mind-set of do more, grind more, be more, accomplish more, #neversleep, and all that the word tends to tell us to do right now.” Bethke urges us to say To Hell with the Hustle.
  
  All the while, the idol of hustle is chewing us up and spitting us out.
  • 7 in 10 millennials would say they are currently experiencing some level of burnout.
  • 54 percent of us (millennials) would say we are chronically lonely and say that we “always or sometimes feel that no one knows [us] well.”
  • 30 percent of millennials and Gen Z currently say they experience disruptive anxiety or depression.
  
  There has been a massive transformation in the nature of work over the past hundred years. “Derek Thompson noted one large change no one saw coming: how work itself and our view of it evolved. Work jumped from being a means of “material production” to being much more about ‘identity production.’ In other words, work used to be about making things. Then all of a sudden, work was about making us.”
  
  Bethke believes there is a better way: Jesus’ way. He reminds us that, “Jesus was never in a hurry. Jesus was the fully human one. The prototype of all humanity. And I think we can pretty easily see that he was someone actively resisting cultural pressures, on many levels. Hustle isn’t him. And if hustle isn’t him, there’s only one other place it could come from. Hell. The curse. The source of death.”
  
  Bethke believes that we’ve become goal-obsessed when we ought to be concerned about our formation. Formation is the result of habituated practices and the result isn’t tangible: it is the health of our soul. “Humans aren’t made,” Bethke asserts, “We are formed.” What that means is that Jesus isn’t just a repository of truth, a giver of goals, but rather that his way shows us how to be human. In Bethke’s words, “To follow Jesus we need to not just follow his teaching, but also follow his way. His process. His cadence. His demeanor. His spirit. His very essence.”
  
  In the midst of wonderful technological innovation, from the light bulb to modern farming, to the internet, we have been promised health and happiness. But is that what we’ve received? Levels of depression have sky rocketed, our health has deteriorated. How much we sleep has shrunk.
  We’ve tried to fix our souls with information and found information wanting. But information won’t fix us. We life in the age of information and of soul sickness: “Every two days we develop as much information as we did between the dawn of civilization and 2003.5”
  
  Bethke takes us back to Augustine, who teaches us that, “We do not become just what we think. We become what we desire. We are not shaped by facts. We are shaped by what we love.” We change when what we love changes.
  
  Christ’s final question to Peter, “Do you love me?” then, is the question.
  
  On top of information, our world offers freedom. But freedom doesn’t free. Instead, it’s a cancer. When our freedom is not from or for Christ, it shackles us. Bethke asserts that “self-discovery in our culture is just another way to self-destruction.”
  
  Many of these re-forming practices are revolutionary in today’s world. How do we incorporate silence and solitude into our lives in a world of constant noise? Bethke says, “Silence today is so rare, so undervalued, that it is an act of resistance.”
  
  Do we trust God with our time? Do we trust God enough to stop being busy and rest? Have we given God space to speak to us? Do we dare risk the quiet and face boredom? Maybe that is the very thing God needs.
  
  “America’s mantra is, ‘I produce, therefore I am.’” But God calls us to, like Mary, stop and sit at his feel. There is no better thing we could choose than this.
  
  Bethke has taken his time digesting some heavy-duty thinkers: Augustine, Charles Smith, James KA Smith, and others, and has delivered them on the bottom shelf. Are you weary? I encourage you to pick up this book and consider why that might be. I have a few quibbles along the way: I think Bethke tends to have a vision with the individual and nuclear family inhabiting too much of the space and the church too little, and Bethke’s unusual life (he’s a writing and YouTuber) is probably hard for many of us to translate into our own lives. Bethke’s vision of what a godly life of formation looks like might look very different from yours, but overall his wisdom is helpful for everyone of us. We all ought to stop and consider what it looks like to care more about being formed into the image of Christ than
  
  For more reviews see
  www.thebeehive.live.
• 
  Claire

  This was a very refreshing read, and one that I would easily pick up again. I love Bethke's discussion on formations vs. goal setting. "In general, goals are usually about a finish line. Something you can reach for and then be done once you've accomplished it... Formations aren't about doing something, but becoming someone." Bethke speaks to the modern culture and how "hustling" has become ingrained in us, and gives interesting examples of how these things are actually harming us. I did appreciate Bethke's careful approach to this topic; he doesn't bash a hurried life but states multiple times how it can have its place. Rather, he focuses on the effects and benefits of slowing down, gives practical examples of how to integrate this lifestyle, and how these things coincide with the life Christ has for us.
• 
  Oceana

  I get it. It’s a good message. There were two solid nuggets I found in it about us and Jesus. I think I’ve heard the argument that North America lives too busy enough times that I didn’t find many new teachings here.
• 
  Jennie

  Too heavy handed on the God stuff for me. Pass
• 
  Liberty

  This is a timely reminder for us to slow the heck down!
  Jefferson Bethke gently reminds us that Jesus lived a slow life, not a fast-paced, hectic, anxiety-inducing, noise polluted life. Jesus sought out solitude and quiet times for prayer and reflection. He wasn't afraid of what a quiet soul would reveal about him, or what crazy things His mind would think if He let it be still.
  I especially appreciated the chapter on noise pollution, and what it's doing to our psyches.
  This book is not just a call for us to slow down, it's the public outing of productivity as our new idol.
  I could not agree more!
  It is a faith-based book, but there's also a bunch of juicy science in here to prove the points, which is always fun!
• 
  Elisabeth Ensor

  What was ironic is that I listened to all the podcasts about this book before I read it! I really enjoyed the concepts of slowing down, which what I have done the last 4 years. I was challenged on my idea of Sabbath and love (the slow pace of about 3 miles an hour!) very encouraging information and I loved the way he explained why politics has become so polarizing and so important in our culture. And how social media has pulled out the worst in us! Since we are respsondint to technology and not a person, most of us have lost our empathy and kindness. I just got attacked yesterday on Instagram by a "friend" and this was never any more obvious in this day and age....
• 
  Alaina

  I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
  
  Now I'm not one hundred percent super religious. Yet, I did like To Hell with the Hustle. I mean, I am Catholic but I'm never going to shove the bible quotes, or whatever else, down people's throats. Nor would I accept it from anyone else.
  
  That being said, this book had some interesting points throughout it. However, I just wished the flow of the book was consistent throughout the entire thing. Especially since towards the end, I was just getting bored with everything. Maybe it's because it was just dumping so much information on me that I just couldn't appreciate it.
  
  
• 
  Ginger Newingham

  I always think a book on time management and pairing down is exceptionally important this time of year. Winter allows us to lean into a slower pace while also refocusing and realigning around Christmas.
  
  The worst thing for this book was when I read “The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry” last year. Jefferson’s thoughts, ideas, and reflections are fine, but they weren’t earth shattering like John Mark’s were in my life one year ago. I guess that’s an encouragement for me though — we have not slipped back into the hustle we so ruthlessly had to eliminate last year. We continue to practice sabbath with some very distinct bench posts.
  
  I guess we’ve already said “To hell with the hustle.”
• 
  Cathryn

  This was a good read with lots of researched, truthful points. It goes well with my focus for 2022 so I’m glad I had the chance to read it. I’m a burned out, middle-age woman, but I still feel the pull of the work/productivity-driven person. The book just reinforced my feeling of drowning in an information overload society. As a musical person I liked the part about dancing to my life rhythm and I appreciated he said it is hard work…because it is. I think a lot of things done today is out of the fear of responsibility or commitment. That’s so missing anymore in the workforce and other areas of life. I also agreed with his statement that we don’t have to do something spectacular for God. You know, he just wants us to be faithful in all things. The little things matter just as much if not more. I recommend this book to anyone needing encouragement or revelation in the midst of their hustle.
• 
  Layne Faust

  I loved reading this book, especially heading in to a new year. A message that is desperately needed in our tired, depressed, anxious culture. A great reminder that life as a faithful follower of Christ is going to look weird and different to the others.
• 
  Monika Zbínová

  6️⃣1️⃣. tohtoročná 📖 prečítaná ✔️ (61/53)
  ➡️ Jefferson Bethke: Do pekla so zhonom (⭐️⭐️⭐️)
  
  ⌛️ Kniha ma oslovila obálkou, až potom som zistila, že ju napísal chalanisko, ktorého poznám z evanjelizačných videí. O to viac ma zaujímalo, ako o téme premýšľať práve z pohľadu kresťana. Výsledok: nebolo to zlé, ale…
  Jeff opisuje, čo pomohlo jemu, keď sa ocital na pokraji vyhorenia len preto, lebo žil typický (a už nie len americký) spôsob spoločnosťou oceňovaného vysokoproduktívneho života. Niektoré myšlienky boli fajn, niekde sa mi to zdalo ako skákanie z extrému do extrému. Pri čítaní som sa nemohla ubrániť dojmu, že tomu celému chýba akási väčšia životná múdrosť, a že ak by rovnakú knihu písal povedzme o 10 rokov neskôr, bola by úplne iná.
  📚 Kúpite na Martinuse:
  https://bit.ly/dopeklasozhonom
• 
  Brooklyn

  Very timely and convicting book on the importance of slowing down and rest. I’ll probably use this book as a resource over and over again as I continue to learn the importance of sabbath.
• 
  Eli

  Interesante el concepto, poco profundo y muy enfocado en la cultura estadounidense. Es rápida la lectura, así que vale la pena por el tiempo invertido!
• 
  Cheryl Linebarger

  Excellent!!! The author’s take on how crazy and messed up we’ve become in today’s world is spot on, and he’ll consistently point you back to Jesus as you figure out how to overcome living your life “in an overworked, overspent, and over connected world”! His last chapter on tribalism is worth the price of the book.
• 
  Janae Mast

  He’s a little too intense for me, but makes several pertinent points. The most impactful for me was his emphasis on being faithful, being obscure, and quitting our focus on trying to do the big and notable thing.
  
  This book reminded me a lot of The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer.
• 
  Karissa Stoner

  Wow! What an amazing read. This book opened my eyes to many areas the American dream has seeped into the church. Things such as taking breaks from social media, learning to slow down, learning to say "no" as default rather than always "yes", and the importance of sabbath are all topics he discussed. Let me also not fail to mention that Bethke is a fantastic writer. I enjoyed his style of bluntness and humor, yet filled with so much truth.
• 
  Ben Rogers

  One of the best books I've read all year. This was outstanding!
  
  It really spoke to me - it came at a really good time!
  
  Very important lessons, absolutely incredible read.
  
  Will consider rereading this in the future.
  
  4.9/5
• 
  Tamara Milanovic

  WOW! What an amazing book. I started listening an audio version two days ago and I couldn't stop listening to it untill the end. After I finished it I ordered a paperback copy so I can go back to some parts of the book, highlight some other and just re-read some chapters again and again. That's how much I liked this book. Author did an amazing prep research, and a really good job in describing and pointing on the problems in our hyperbusy, hyperloud, hyperproductive life today, and then reminded us of the principles that Jesus taught and lived by that were so simple but so important, profund and healthy. So PLEASE don't overlook this short but really needed book in today's hyper-publishing-thousand-book-market.
  Highly recommended!