Reviews - Do Nothing: How to Break Away from Overworking, Overdoing, and Underliving

649 reviews for:

Do Nothing: How to Break Away from Overworking, Overdoing, and Underliving

The first 2/3 of the book was Ms Headlee telling us over and over why we shouldn’t work so hard. Mostly I wanted to know HOW not to work so hard. Her advice, given in the last 1/3, was mostly anecdotes of what worked for her.

babsmph19's review against another edition

5.0

Not another book on hacking your life for better productivity. This book has lots of research and findings regarding work and leisure and how we have gotten sucked into the perception that the more we are productive the more happier we will be and that being idled was looked upon as being lazy.

Eye-opening book

marshmallowbooks's review against another edition

4.0

informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

“It’s not the emphasis on hard work that’s toxic, but the obsession with it. We now live in a culture in which we are not happy being, and only satisfied when we are doing.”
⁠
I have far too confidently said out loud to people, “I am never *not* thinking about work.”

I don’t say it as a badge of pride, but as an indication of how it seems like my mind never turns off. Unfortunately, my mind chooses to continue thinking about work long past the 9-5.

This book was an enlightening look at the cons to that. I don’t say pros because there don’t seem to be any. It doesn’t result in more pay or less burn out or more time off or faster promotion or less work to be done.

It’s just dumb that my mind does it and there is no benefit to doing so and now I need to figure out how to intentionally stop it from thinking about work.

You’d think a book all about doing nothing wouldn’t leave me with a to do list…
⁠

irisfang's review against another edition

4.25

informative reflective medium-paced

sanabobana's review against another edition

5.0

informative inspiring

clever_girl_31's review against another edition

5.0

A fascinating read on the evolution of the modern need to be constantly productive and how that attitude has seeped into every aspect of our lives. While the solutions section was relatively short, the overall message of the book was impactful. Do Nothing is probably my favorite read about the culture of productivity thus far.