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arcoirisdesign's review
informative
medium-paced
3.0
Book Summary
A book about niksen, the art of doing nothing.
Book Review
It was good, but a bit dry. I think this might be because of the translation from Dutch. I think they’re generally dryer than Americans are.
How I Discovered It
Honestly, don’t remember.
Who Should Read It
Anyone who doesn’t spend any time just chilling. Anyone on their phone too much.
Thoughts & Impressions
It was a short, easy read. Wasn’t groundbreaking, but wasn’t bad either. For the most part, it was a good reminder to give myself more space and do less.
What I Liked About It
The reminder to spend time doing nothing. It’s good for my creativity.
What I Didn’t Like About It
It was a bit dry.
stephshoff88's review against another edition
Just seemed to go in circles and provided no real action.
dancingbibliophile's review against another edition
informative
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
3.25
tinynavajo's review against another edition
2.0
Eh….
While the idea of niksen holds great appeal, it doesn’t really get down down to the meat of niksen. The book seems to repeat itself a lot, and while there are some good ideas and wonderful ways to start, it does seem to chide you if you’re thinking too deeply of how/what niksen is.
While the idea of niksen holds great appeal, it doesn’t really get down down to the meat of niksen. The book seems to repeat itself a lot, and while there are some good ideas and wonderful ways to start, it does seem to chide you if you’re thinking too deeply of how/what niksen is.
kirstengoode's review
fast-paced
1.0
Honestly, the tone in this book is real off. There’s a “joke” (I think) about Meghan Markel, this weird random take on feminism that feels way off, hiding in the bathroom, this random part about women plopping dead from heart attacks, a strange comment about basically if you can’t leave kids alone for 5 minutes to take time to yourself, you need to get your priorities straight. Just such an odd tone throughout the entire book, especially when discussing (or, when you’re supposed to be discussing…) how to relax/do nothing/etc. So many referencing to “slacking off” and “laziness” that I think were supposed to be geared toward embracing doing nothing, but actually just made me think the author doesn’t have a true concept of niksen and it’s benefits.
The book also felt all over the place. The title includes: “How to Unwind with NIKSEN” but the author is too busy rambling to actually cover research, methods, or interviews about doing so.
It gives off the vibe that the author doesn’t actually practice niksen, they just learned about it and wanted to write a book about it, so they had to come up with 150 pages of fluff overnight.
I love the idea of niksen, and try to implement it daily, but this book is a hard pass.
The book also felt all over the place. The title includes: “How to Unwind with NIKSEN” but the author is too busy rambling to actually cover research, methods, or interviews about doing so.
It gives off the vibe that the author doesn’t actually practice niksen, they just learned about it and wanted to write a book about it, so they had to come up with 150 pages of fluff overnight.
I love the idea of niksen, and try to implement it daily, but this book is a hard pass.