How to stop trying

an overachiever's guide to self-acceptance letting go and other impossible things

How to stop trying

an overachiever's guide to self-acceptance letting go and other impossible things
Kate Williams
Book - 2025

"An unflinchingly honest and sometimes hilarious look at hustle culture, exploring the forces that have shaped a generation of overachieving women who now find themselves in search of a better way forward. Have you ever heard someone say, "I'm trying to make it work," and thought, "That sounds like a great idea"? Probably not. Because the thing about trying is that it's tiring; it's labor. Anyone who has tried to have fun or to relax or to fall asleep knows this to be true. And yet: we exist within a culture that encourages us-often with a frantic urgency-to try, and try harder. We are told to try a different approach, try to do or be better, try to squeeze in a little bit more. This is especially true of women, who not only have to try harder than men to receive access to the same opportunities and resources, but who are also conditioned to try in the name of meeting others' needs and expectations, often at the expense of their own well-being. In this galvanizing and illuminating read, Kate tackles hustle culture head-on, exploring the ways in which women are primed to become relentless strivers. From the workplace to motherhood, from relationships to "self-care"-no arena of a woman's life is safe from the pressure to exceed expectations. This conflation of self-worth with achievement, she argues, is both toxic and counterproductive, as the qualities we most seek-happiness, meaning, purpose-are not earned but rather owned. Known for her astute cultural analysis and pitch-perfect observations of generational trends, Williams takes readers on a journey rooted in her own struggle to divest from an overachieving identity, including the realizations that came in the wake of a painful fertility challenge. Deeply felt, passionately argued, and often laugh-out-loud funny, this is a book for every woman who has ever wondered what would happen if she stopped trying so hard-and just let go"--

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Barcode Status Material Type CallNumber
37413322360670 Available Non-fiction 155.3339 WILLIAM
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Williams, Kate, 1980- (Author)
Format: Book
Language:English
Published: New York : Flatiron Books, 2025.
Edition:First edition.
Subjects:

MARC

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245 1 0 |a How to stop trying :  |b an overachiever's guide to self-acceptance, letting go, and other impossible things /  |c Kate Williams. 
250 |a First edition. 
263 |a 2502 
264 1 |a New York :  |b Flatiron Books,  |c 2025. 
300 |a xii, 254 pages ;  |c 22 cm 
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505 0 |a Introduction: These Trying Times -- Just Stop Swimming -- Internalized Misogyny Is a Real Bitch -- Main Character Energy -- Maybe You're Not "Just Tired" -- Looking on the Dark Side -- Closure Is a Myth -- Over Achieving -- I Believe in a Thing Called Luck -- No Worries -- Nothing Is Sacred -- Agree to Think You're Really Pretty -- Acceptance Isn't Settling -- The Afternoon of My Life -- Girls Just Want to Have Friends -- Here Comes the Sun. 
520 |a "An unflinchingly honest and sometimes hilarious look at hustle culture, exploring the forces that have shaped a generation of overachieving women who now find themselves in search of a better way forward. Have you ever heard someone say, "I'm trying to make it work," and thought, "That sounds like a great idea"? Probably not. Because the thing about trying is that it's tiring; it's labor. Anyone who has tried to have fun or to relax or to fall asleep knows this to be true. And yet: we exist within a culture that encourages us-often with a frantic urgency-to try, and try harder. We are told to try a different approach, try to do or be better, try to squeeze in a little bit more. This is especially true of women, who not only have to try harder than men to receive access to the same opportunities and resources, but who are also conditioned to try in the name of meeting others' needs and expectations, often at the expense of their own well-being. In this galvanizing and illuminating read, Kate tackles hustle culture head-on, exploring the ways in which women are primed to become relentless strivers. From the workplace to motherhood, from relationships to "self-care"-no arena of a woman's life is safe from the pressure to exceed expectations. This conflation of self-worth with achievement, she argues, is both toxic and counterproductive, as the qualities we most seek-happiness, meaning, purpose-are not earned but rather owned. Known for her astute cultural analysis and pitch-perfect observations of generational trends, Williams takes readers on a journey rooted in her own struggle to divest from an overachieving identity, including the realizations that came in the wake of a painful fertility challenge. Deeply felt, passionately argued, and often laugh-out-loud funny, this is a book for every woman who has ever wondered what would happen if she stopped trying so hard-and just let go"--  |c Provided by publisher. 
650 0 |a Self-acceptance.  |0 http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85119710 
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650 0 |a Self-acceptance in women.  |0 http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh2001007461 
653 |a HEY KATE WILLIAMS  |a CAREER  |a ANXIETY  |a FEMINISM  |a MENTAL HEALTH  |a STRESS  |a BURNOUT  |a MEMOIR  |a TOXIC POSITIVITY  |a DEPRESSION  |a QUITTING  |a THE BABYSITTERS COVEN  |a FERTILITY STRUGGLES  |a NEVER COMING HOME  |a MISOGYNY  |a MOTHERHOOD  |a TRYING TOO HARD  |a SELF HELP  |a FAMILY  |a HYPERPRODUCTIVITY 
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