Happy Monday! This week I’ve put together a contradictory combination of articles that want to convince you to quit working all together, while showing you how to be even better at the work you are already doing. Enjoy:

5 Essential Principles of Understanding Analytics

By Tom Davenport. Harvard Business Review

Key quote: “These days, you’ll hear a lot about big data and how valuable it can be to your business. But most managers don’t really understand the difference between big and small data, and they use the term “big data” indiscriminately.” Read the rest here.

Your Job is Literally Killing You

By Ana Swanson. The Washington Post

Key quote: “One study found that men and women with fewer than 12 years of education had life expectancies that were still on par with most adults in the 1950s and 1960s — suggesting the economic gains of the last few decades have gone mostly to more educated people.” Read the rest here. 

Why Bad Guys Win at Work

By Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic. Harvard Business Review

Key quote: “Although there is clearly an adaptive element to the dark triad – which explains why bad guys often win – their success comes at a price, and that price is paid by the organization.” Read the rest here. 

Why You Were Not Born to Have a Job

By Gustavo Tanaka. Medium

Key quote: “How is it possible for us to accept living in a system that demands 8 hours of your day in a place you don’t like, with people you don’t like, performing activities you don’t like, for people you don’t know, to earn a few bucks to survive? And in most of the cases, these few bucks are not enough for your basic needs.” Read the rest here. 

What to Say at Networking Events to Eliminate Awkward Moments

By Lydia Dishman. Fast Company

Key quote: “We are programmed to use communication as a tool to survive and thrive. The problem is that science also tells us that we prefer to be the one doing the talking.” Read the rest here.