As an ongoing feature, staff members at the Des Moines Public Library will recommend a business-related book to add to your reading list. Find this and more books like it at any of the Des Moines Public Library’s six locations and online at dmpl.org. And find information on how to get a FREE library card and all its benefits at dmpl.org/get-carded.

Des Moines Public Library business book pick: “Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout,” by Cal Newport.

Why you should read it: This 2024 bestseller by the author of “Digital Minimalism” and “Deep Work” makes the argument that our current definition of “productivity” is broken. Newport thinks modern culture sees people overwhelmed by all we have to do, always on the edge of burning out. Instead, he argues, we should look to the past — where history’s most creative and impactful scientists, philosophers, artists and more mastered the ability to produce valuable work with a “slower” lifestyle.