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bloodonthetracks's review against another edition
3.0
A nice quick read on how to relax a little more.
rachelzilkey's review against another edition
5.0
I feel as though this is more of a ‘coffee table’ book, but has some good reminders for us to slow down. It was soothing to read! Also, very pretty! It was an aesthetically pleasing book.
mishale1's review against another edition
3.0
I requested a copy of this book on Netgalley for two reasons:
I love the concept of hygge and the idea of niksen sounded interesting too
The cute little cartoon kitty on the cover
I was received an early ebook edition.
My comments regarding the pictures in the book might be different in the physical book.
I can definitely support the idea of niksen because I recently realized that I felt guilty when I was doing nothing. I’m a chronic pain sufferer and sometimes it’s very important for me to do nothing, but that’s easier said than done, isn’t it? Can you sit down and watch tv when you have a sink full of dishes? It can be hard to do, even when it’s what you actually should be doing. It took a pain doctor to tell me that. I hope other people can learn that by reading about niksen.
There’s good ideas in this book but the illustrations need work.
I love the concept of hygge and the idea of niksen sounded interesting too
The cute little cartoon kitty on the cover
I was received an early ebook edition.
My comments regarding the pictures in the book might be different in the physical book.
I can definitely support the idea of niksen because I recently realized that I felt guilty when I was doing nothing. I’m a chronic pain sufferer and sometimes it’s very important for me to do nothing, but that’s easier said than done, isn’t it? Can you sit down and watch tv when you have a sink full of dishes? It can be hard to do, even when it’s what you actually should be doing. It took a pain doctor to tell me that. I hope other people can learn that by reading about niksen.
There’s good ideas in this book but the illustrations need work.
crystalbrarian's review against another edition
3.0
While books like these seem to always follow trends (there are several currently out on this topic) like Hygge and tidying up, this one did give me pause. Yes, exactly as it was meant to do. Since reading it, I’ve been more conscious of taking small moments to just be. Though the concept is perhaps not worth multiple treatises, it did improve my day, and that’s not nothing.
thebookishhistorian's review against another edition
3.0
[Thanks to NetGalley for providing a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review]
Despite being Dutch myself, I am notoriously bad at niksen. I can’t sit still, shut off my mind or stare out the window without feeling I’m wasting my time. So Niksen definitely caught my eye (and also the chubby lazy cat on the cover, let’s be fair here).
Niksen has a lot of tips and tricks to... well... do nothing, essentially. In it’s core, Niksen is just another way to practice mindfulness. The nice thing about it, is that you need exactly nothing for it. Follow the raindrops going down the window, and you’re ‘niksing’ already.
The book isn’t exactly mind blowing or telling anything unique or new. It describes the same old techniques to make some time free to take care of yourself that have been described in millions of books already. I did appreciate that there was a chapter about finding this time to ‘niks’ as a parent - hardly any books on mindfulness take parents into consideration.
The text itself is well written, easy to understand. The layout and formatting is really well done, with great illustrations. It’s a good book to pick up if you need some help slowing down a bit, but don’t expect any miracles.
Despite being Dutch myself, I am notoriously bad at niksen. I can’t sit still, shut off my mind or stare out the window without feeling I’m wasting my time. So Niksen definitely caught my eye (and also the chubby lazy cat on the cover, let’s be fair here).
Niksen has a lot of tips and tricks to... well... do nothing, essentially. In it’s core, Niksen is just another way to practice mindfulness. The nice thing about it, is that you need exactly nothing for it. Follow the raindrops going down the window, and you’re ‘niksing’ already.
The book isn’t exactly mind blowing or telling anything unique or new. It describes the same old techniques to make some time free to take care of yourself that have been described in millions of books already. I did appreciate that there was a chapter about finding this time to ‘niks’ as a parent - hardly any books on mindfulness take parents into consideration.
The text itself is well written, easy to understand. The layout and formatting is really well done, with great illustrations. It’s a good book to pick up if you need some help slowing down a bit, but don’t expect any miracles.
catucousi's review against another edition
4.0
Desde que he empezado a puntuar los libros siguiendo el método CAWPILE (creado por Book Roast en Youtube y descubierto gracias a @booksandsunflowers_ en Instagram) no me había topado con géneros fuera de la novela. Así que he tenido que eliminar categorías del método para evaluar este libro.
Dicho esto, me ha gustado mucho el tema, toda la historia que hay detrás y la cantidad de ejercicios para que practiques el Niksen. No para de romperte las posibles excusas que te puedas poner en cuanto a pasar a la acción y eso me ha motivado a probarlo, aunque era algo que yo hacía pero inconscientemente.
Sin embargo, la parte que no me ha gustado tanto es la repetición de la información a lo largo del libro. Creo que no está bien condensado y que, aunque recordar sea bueno, creo que aquí se ha pecado de exceso.
Pero, a rasgos generales, creo que es el método ideal a seguir para toda aquella que sienta que la meditación está a otro nivel. El Niksen te baja los pies a la tierra y te enseña que para meditar no hay que hacer un esfuerzo sobrehumano y una práctica que pocas logran mantener.
Nota final: 7,5
:)
Dicho esto, me ha gustado mucho el tema, toda la historia que hay detrás y la cantidad de ejercicios para que practiques el Niksen. No para de romperte las posibles excusas que te puedas poner en cuanto a pasar a la acción y eso me ha motivado a probarlo, aunque era algo que yo hacía pero inconscientemente.
Sin embargo, la parte que no me ha gustado tanto es la repetición de la información a lo largo del libro. Creo que no está bien condensado y que, aunque recordar sea bueno, creo que aquí se ha pecado de exceso.
Pero, a rasgos generales, creo que es el método ideal a seguir para toda aquella que sienta que la meditación está a otro nivel. El Niksen te baja los pies a la tierra y te enseña que para meditar no hay que hacer un esfuerzo sobrehumano y una práctica que pocas logran mantener.
Nota final: 7,5
:)
helenar's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
4.0
With the Netherlands having been rated the sixth happiest country out of 155 it is interesting to think about why. In particular children from the Netherlands express an extremely high satisfaction with life. This book puts forward some of the reasons why this may be and Niksen or doing “nothing” seems to be high up the list. I can believe this to be true as a person who feels guilty for doing nothing and sometimes for doing things I enjoy rather than what is considered work or being productive. The problem becomes two fold....not enough time spent doing nothing and then feeling guilty for those moments too. Being brought up to believe that doing nothing is a good thing and having a word other than laziness to describe it obviously has advantages. Although mindfulness has recently been put forward as of great importance it is put across that it requires effort whereas Niksen appears effortless and more natural....for example gazing out a window or from a balcony and watching the world go by or the rain fall. Doing nothing definitely promotes creativity but in the UK it feels like many of us have gone too far to avoid boredom in our children resulting in a lack of ability to be creative and self reliant, things that I am sure are important for our mental health. This book definitely helps with relieving some of the guilt but I think I will need to repeatedly read it or other similar books for it to fully sink in.
boundinfiction's review against another edition
4.0
Even though it’s a pandemic at the moment and I haven’t been to work in 7 months, I still find myself feeling guilty or lazy for just sitting around doing nothing.
Niksen is a book about exactly that, the art of doing nothing and taking time for yourself. The Dutch have clearly figured out exactly how to live life and this book will teach you about what niksen really means.
Hint, it doesn’t mean browsing mindlessly through social media sitting on the couch, or binging the new Netflix series.
Just by reading this I instantly felt more calm and for the first time in a while, I didn’t beat myself up for not being productive.
So grab this book, take some time for yourself, find a comfy area and practice Niksen.
Niksen is a book about exactly that, the art of doing nothing and taking time for yourself. The Dutch have clearly figured out exactly how to live life and this book will teach you about what niksen really means.
Hint, it doesn’t mean browsing mindlessly through social media sitting on the couch, or binging the new Netflix series.
Just by reading this I instantly felt more calm and for the first time in a while, I didn’t beat myself up for not being productive.
So grab this book, take some time for yourself, find a comfy area and practice Niksen.
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